At present, two same-sex couples reside on the cobbles: Sean Tully (Antony Cotton) and Marcus Dent (Charlie Condou) alongside Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent) and Sian Powers (Sacha Parkinson).
Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley) and boyfriend Jools recently paid a visit to the street and have been tipped for a future return, while there will also be appearances from Ken Barlow's grandson James Cunningham (James Roache), who was also revealed to be homosexual last year.
Ben Summerskill of Stonewall praised the ITV soap for its involvement of gay characters, saying: "When it comes to reflecting modern Britain, the Street really is streets ahead."
However, former star Jean Alexander - speaking to the News of the World - argued that the number of gay characters is "excessive".
The 85-year-old, who played Hilda Ogden, said: "Every community has people who are gay and they are very nice people. I'm not running the Street down, and let's not forget its creator Tony Warren is gay. But three couples seems excessive."
Nick Cochran - who originally played Andy McDonald between 1989 and 1996 - agreed: "I'm not sure these storylines are realistic. I've got plenty of gay friends but they don't all live in a street full of gay people.
"How many streets in Britain would have schoolgirl lesbians, gay married couples, a transsexual and children to gay couples? It is a little bit far-fetched," Cochran added. "Fans love Corrie for its traditional values. I don't think it's the right platform to highlight so many gay issues all at the same time."
Meanwhile, a supposed insider suggested that the present cast agree with Alexander and Cochran, stating: "Many cast and crew think the storylines unrealistic."
No comments:
Post a Comment