How amazing has Coronation Street been this week? Corrie is never afraid to tackle hard-hitting, topical storylines and the attack on Nina and Seb, and Seb’s death will go down in soap history. It was even more impressive when you consider how tricky the scenes would have been to film, taking social distancing into consideration.
The writing and directing – having the people who loved Seb hear the news in silence was very clever – were amazing, the make-up was astonishing, and the acting was wonderful. We reckon it could be a clean sweep for Corrie cast members when the British Soap Awards make a return next year!
Soapbox Extra: We hate Corrie’s Corey Brent!
Here’s who we think deserves every award going for their performances this week.
1 Mollie Gallagher / Nina Lucas
Well, of course. Mollie’s performance as Nina has been great since she first came to the Street, but she took it to another level this week. Watching sweet, kind-hearted Nina hang around nasty Corey and his mates because she was worried about the girls. And then being targeted for the way she dresses was heartbreaking. And there will be more amazing performances from Mollie in the weeks to come as Nina copes with Seb’s death.
2 Maximus Evans /Corey Brent
Corey is a nasty piece of work. We knew that, already, but we never thought he could be this awful! Maximus Evans is a star in the making, switching from charming Corey to sinister at the drop of a hat, and making us fear for Kelly and poor Asha. Being a soap villain isn’t an easy ride, but we reckon he’s got this. What a superstar.
3 Millie Gibson / Kelly Neelan
We are convinced that underneath Kelly’s bad-girl exterior is the tiniest hint of a conscience. And that’s definitely because of the clever way Mollie plays damaged, prickly Kelly, lashing out because she’s scared. We’re still hoping Toyah and Imran could be the ones to reveal the real Kelly. What do you think?
4 David Neilson / Roy Cropper
As lifelong soap fans we’ve seen first-hand how soap actors are sometimes dismissed as being not as good as other performers, and we’re forever pointing out that the acting on our fave shows is always strong and often extraordinary. And what proves our point better than the unbelievable, heartbreaking performance by David Neilson this week? Roy’s monologue to Nina as he sat by her hospital bed had us sobbing. He truly is a phenomenal actor and we’re glad we get to see him six times a week!
5 Sally Carmen / Abi Franklin
We almost can’t talk about how painful and raw Sally Carmen’s perfomance as Abi was this week. As Abi, Sally went from the joy of her alter-ego’s hen night, and the unbearable hope when she thought Seb would recover, to her devastation as she was told that he’d passed away, and it was hard to watch but somehow we couldn’t tear our eyes away. We can’t wait to see what Abi does next.
Coronation Street stars
And of course, we have to give a special mention to Tanisha Gorey, who plays bewildered, trusting Asha Alahan, and the brilliant Harry Visinoni, aka Seb, who we’re all going to miss.
What did you think of this week’s Coronation Street? Join the chat on our Facebook page or on Twitter.