Coronation Street is the original soap – and it is the best at serious storylines.
Whether it’s tackling heartbreaking mental health stories, or harrowing domestic violence ones, Corrie just knocks it out of the park.
Here are the best examples…
Audrey’s depression
Coronation Street is at its absolute best when its legendary characters are given time to shine.
It proved that this week with Audrey opening up to Rita, Ken and Roy about her recent suicide attempt.
It was heartbreaking, funny and touching in a way that only Corrie can do.
The entire way the storyline has played out has been nothing but perfection – and there’s a lot more to come.
Gemma’s postnatal depression
After years of being a bit of a joke character, Gemma Winter found love with Chesney Brown – and then fell pregnant with quads.
What could have continued with a quirky twist, actually turned out to be a serious and hard-hitting storyline about postnatal depression.
Gemma’s struggles humanised her, and the scenes where she dreamed of hurting her own babies were heartbreaking.
Aled’s cochlear implant
Usually any story with the Winter-Brown family is a recipe for chaos.
But when baby Aled was revealed to be deaf – they got a serious and sensitively handled storyline.
Freda’s decision to kidnap Aled and hold him temporarily hostage in the community centre, may have been a bit over the top, but the discussion it sparked was too important to ignore.
Deaf people exist – and they are not broken toys to be fixed to play with.
Corrie made millions see that through Aled’s eyes.
Yasmeen and Geoff
When this storyline began it was up against EastEnders‘ big domestic abuse plot with Gray and Chantelle.
Corrie’s coercive control storyline quickly became a national obsession.
When Geoff locked Yasmeen in a box, viewers were disgusted, but when he forced her to eat her beloved pet chicken, there could’ve been riots in the street.
Every aspect of the plot was researched to perfection, it was acted brilliantly and it made millions see what coercive control is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z14w6x3rEUg
Shelley and Charlie
Hard-hitting storylines can so often go wrong.
But with Shelley and Charlie played by such powerhouse actors, there was no chance of that.
Corrie viewers sobbed as Shelley was stripped of her agency, dignity and personality by abusive Charlie.