Ex-Corrie star Sally Lindsay has leapt to the show’s defence following criticism that it is too violent.
The actress, who played Rovers Return barmaid then landlady Shelley Unwin for five years, said the soap wouldn’t be airing the storylines if there wasn’t an appetite for them from fans.
But she said it was important that the writers got the balance right and included plenty of laughs too.
Sally, 44, admitted she found it difficult to watch Coronation Street 12 years after she left the show but that it had nothing to do with any of the violence, simply that it had changed so much since was there.
But she said the recent on-screen deaths at the hands of villain Pat Phelan weren’t all that dissimilar to those of Corrie serial killer Richard Hillman in the 2000s.
Read more: Sally Lindsay reveals why she won’t be going back to Coronation Street
“The dark storylines happened when I was there. We got 20 million viewers doing it with Richard, and that was gruesome,” she said.
“People will always moan – it’s too violent or it’s not as violent as it should be.
“If people didn’t want it, they wouldn’t make it. So there’s obviously a need for it, but there’s also a massive need for comedy.”
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Speaking to the Sunday Mirror at a charity event, Sally, who has twin sons, confessed: “I don’t actually watch Corrie.
“It’s difficult watching it as it has changed so much. It’s like looking back at an old place of work.”
She said she had no plans to return to the show and is about to start the new series of BBC1 sitcom Still Open All Hours, alongside David Jason, Stephanie Cole and Lynda Baron.
Sally said: “It’s brilliant. The average age is early 70s and they are still knocking it out of the park. They inspire me.”
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