In America, we get the depressing and unattractive grim EastEnders rather than the funny and tragic Coronation Street. I was watching the first five episodes of Coronation Street on DVD yesterday. It was worth it. I love watching the original episodes and I followed it by the documentary of its 40 year celebration. I love watching the great Violet Carson as Ena Sharples and Doris Speed as Annie Walker. I was born in the seventies. Sadly, early Coronation Street is very much like the early days of American soaps like As The World Turns and Guiding Light. Coronation Street should run another 40 years! It is well written, conceived, and thought about. I was wondering why they only get MBEs like Betty Driver, Doris Speed, Tony Warren, Julie Goodyear, William Roache, Elizabeth Dawn, Jack Howarth, etc. It is because the working class recipients are often awarded the MBEs too. I think people like Tony Warren would have gotten Knighthood for giving Coronation Street to the world. When it comes to the British honors system, they lump the soap stars into MBE's only. While Coronation Street outnumbers EastEnders Wendy Richard and Barbara Windsor with MBE recipients, there are more that should be honored for their contributions. Emmerdale has no recipients that I know of and that is a shame. When the prime ministers award them, they should get the royal treatment like everybody else. So Judi Dench is given damehood for playing Shakespearan roles, what about the marvelous Elizabeth Dawn who has done so much charitable work in Leeds and Manchester? There is even the class system of actors in America, soap stars are on the bottom of the awards ladder much like Coronation Street and EastEnders. They rarely get the recognition that they richly deserve. It would be nice to see someone to get a higher than an MBE which is a tremendous honor in itself anyway. But come on, William Roache has been on 45 years and he has only an MBE? Besides I think the British public would support them anyway and love them anyway. I think the entire cast should all get MBEs, anybody who has lived long enough on Coronation Street deserves recognition from their peers and from the community. So I wish Coronation Street and EastEnders and Emmerdale to receive the same honors that their alumni actors and actresses have received. Come on it's time to reward them.
Review of Coronation Street
