Corrie icon Sean Wilson has spoken out about the ITV soap losing viewers in recent years following his Weatherfield exit 19 years ago.
The 59-year-old, who orginally played Martin Platt between 1985 and 2005, before making a brief comeback in 2018, states the decline in figures is because the writers are trying to ‘solve the world’s issues’ rather than trying to entertain.
He said: “I think the world of soaps is a different vehicle nowadays. I think I was part of the British soap industry at the best time, the halcyon years when there were 18 or 21 million people watching it.
“You could walk down the street on a Wednesday or a Friday and you could hear people laughing with their windows open because of the great writing and the great acting was really speaking to the nation. I don’t think it does that so much nowadays”, he told the Daily Star.
However, the former soap star believes there are too many channels for people to choose from which means there’s more choice when it comes to shows.
Sean continued: “People don’t have to watch it anymore. They were all segwayed together; you were five minutes from laughing and five minutes from crying. Nowadays it seems very much issue-centric, they’re trying to solve the world’s issues, which they’re not going to do.”
Sean left the soap back in 2005, as his upcoming storyline involved his character having a relationship with an underage girl, although he did make a brief appearance in 2018.
But Sean is now tipped to return to the cobbles in the near future for Gail Platt star Helen Worth’s exit storyline, reports The Sun.
Gail and Martin were married for a decade, having started their romance following the death of Gail’s husband Brian Tilsley. They’d go on to have their son David together.
Sean, who has started his own cheesemaking business since leaving Coronation Street, said last year he’d be willing to return as Martin.
“I made it clear that I could be turned, but now it’s 2023 and nothing has happened,” he told the Manchester Evening News.
“The writers decided to send me to New Zealand, so maybe they’re trying to tell me something. I am busy writing books, but of course, I would give it some thought.”
NEWS CREDIT
