Although Coronation Street frequently draws from its rich past, this winter’s revisit of a 1960 Ken Barlow story will be a significant step back.
Actor William Roache first portrayed the Street’s philandering teacher 63 years ago. Although he was not around at the time, the show’s producer has hinted that a narrative point from that era may be returned.
Everything fits into a plot driven by a recurring character when Jacqueline Leonard’s character, Joseph’s grandmother Linda, reappears.
The Winter-Browns are already under strain from her insistence on throwing money into her struggling grandson’s private school.
Even while this might be beneficial, Gemma Winter (Dolly-Rose Campbell) and Chesney Brown (Sam Aston) find it difficult to accept.
“Joseph’s fairy godmother pops up in the person of Linda,” hinted show creator Iain MacLeod.
She makes the decision that she is going to make everything right and begins to pour money into the problem, which puts Chesney and Gemma in a difficult predicament because, in taking Linda’s financial assistance, they are ceding control over Joseph’s life.
“This is our boy, and we need to be making these decisions,” they believe.
All around, this is an embarrassing circumstance that has happened before. Iain vowed that there would be lightheartedness and fun this time, and that it would be more than just a passing visit.
“It doesn’t feel right that Linda is coming in and rescuing the day with her checkbook,” he said.
Nevertheless, they also need to put Joseph’s needs first as he is struggling and could use the assistance. While there are definitely enjoyable moments, our goal was to convey a genuine tale about the dynamics of a family.
There are conflicts because Gemma is not Joseph’s real mother, so it’s intriguing to consider if he supports Joseph, Linda, and biology. Or does he support Gemma more?
He and Gemma’s relationship is seriously damaged. I’m hoping it’s one of those tales where you see it and relate the realistic family turmoil to things that happen in your own family. It has a really cozy feeling.
He went on, dropping the cryptic Ken hint and said, “It’s going to be a long runner for us.”
And I guess the hint I might offer you is that we are drawing inspiration from the really creative narrative performed by Ken Barlow.
“Therefore, in terms of what follows, our inspiration from this goes all the way back to 1960, and Linda’s entrance serves as the catalyst for it all.”