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NEW FOR
KINDLE...
Corrie weekly updates from
1995
17 years in 17 e-books
All the wit and warmth of
Weatherfield, none of the waffle
Available from
amazon.co.uk or amazon.com
Exclusive! Interview
with Digital Spy Soaps Editor, Kris
Green
by Glenda
Young
Q.
How long have you been
soaps editor at Digital Spy?
Nearly seven years now! I
really have no idea where the time's gone - it's flown by! It
all started while I was writing for DS's Big Brother sister
site DS:BB. I spotted that the soaps section was wilting at
the time, so asked Mr Editor if I could start running it. If
was my first 'proper' job and with the online medium only
really starting to take hold back, then, I relished the
opportunity. The rest, as they say, is history.
Q. How and when did your interest in
soaps begin - and why?
Like anyone else, I guess. Being a
true Northerner, I grew up watching Coronation Street with the
parents. I'm not a sports fan in the slightest, so most - if
not all - of my television time was soap! That, Noels' House
Party and The Crystal Maze.
Q. What
do you enjoy most about your job as soaps
editor?
I
love the variety. News-wise, you never know what you're going
to be writing about in a day, especially as an online
journalist! I especially love the buzz when news breaks - and
sometimes these announcements come out of the blue! The
perfect example came at the end of November 2009 when Corrie
producer Kim Crowther announced her decision to step down as
producer. Didn't see that one coming in the slightest! I was
sure she'd be around for the 50th anniversary. Getting to know
the cast is fantastic, too. Probably the best aspect of the
job, though, is that you get to read and watch the storylines
weeks and weeks in advance!
Q. Why
do you think soaps have such an international, lasting
appeal?
They're a way for the audience to escape their everyday
lives - after all, watching somebody else's (albeit fictional)
problems sometimes makes you think 'it could be worse'. It's
one of the most addictive story mediums, too - you always want
the next instalment.
Q. Thinking of Corrie in particular now, what do you think
is its enduring appeal?
I'd
have to say its comedy. Other soaps are always accused of
being 'all doom and gloom'. With Corrie, though, there's
always a right balance between dark and light. You knew that
if you had a Tony Gordon scene, where he's staring menacingly
at Roy Cropper, you'd have a comedy scene with one of the more
light-hearted characters just around the corner.
Q.
What have been your favourite Corrie
storylines over the years?
If I
have to whittle them down to a handful, I'd have to say
Mad Maya's revenge on Dev. That was proper psycho bitch
material! Obviously, the Richard Hillman saga has to be up
there with the best of them, that was unmissable
television. And then I'd say Charlie Stubbs' time on the
Street.
Q. Who
are your all-time favourite male and female Corrie characters
and why?
Male,
I'd have to say Roy Cropper. So odd, yet so 'normal'. And
female, definitely Karen McDonald. In my opinion, Coronation
Street's all-time bitch.
Q. In
your job you get to meet and interview many soap actors, but
which ones from Corrie have you never met that you'd really
like to?
I'd love to meet Barbara Knox and Betty Driver.
They are Coronation Street, aren't they?!
Q.
Are there any snippets you’d like to
share about the ones you've met?
Craig
Gazey (Graeme Proctor) is one of the funniest guys I've ever
met. He had us all in stitches at a party earlier this year.
And best of all, he doesn't know how good he is in the
programme.
Q. Are
there any of the classic Corrie actors from the 1960s onwards
who are no longer with us that you would have loved to have
met?
I have to say Maggie Jones. Her tragic
death in December 2009 came as such a shock to cast, the media
and viewers alike. Everyone always said how much of a lovely
lady she was and it's such a shame I never got chance to meet
her. She was pure, irreplaceable Coronation Street gold and
will be sadly missed.
Q. And
finally, do you know any Corrie spoilers you can tease us
with? Or is it more than your job's worth?!
;-)
Oooh, teasers! Hmm. I'll seriously be
hung drawn and quartered if I reveal too much, but here are a
couple: Norris takes a brave step aboard the motor home of
love again hoping that Mary's not stroking her muu muu. And
two couples in particular hit the rocks in the New Year, both
with interesting
outcomes!
You can follow
Kris Green on Twitter
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