Coronation Street

Don't know what sort of town you live in or have visited, but here in Birmingham - and in other larger towns and cities - there are many areas with a wide mix of uses in the street - Weatherfield is a very typical Victorian jumbled neighbourhood. In that sense, I think the Street is quite realistic (although maybe the corner shop/Kabin would've merged a long time ago...).

In my street, at the top there's a flower shop, cafe, betting shop and a warehouse. Then there's a fairly modern sheltered housing scheme with a community hall. The late Victorian houses then start - with a small corner shop in the middle. On one side of the street there's a row of modern houses where a warehouse used to stand. Round one corner there's a Gospel Church, the other corner a firelplace showroom and a nursery...

There's nothing unrealistic about the mix of uses and building types on Coronation Street. Did you do any urban geography at school?

The most unrealsitc soap set ever had to be the Brookside petrol station - at the end of a cul-de-sac. So much passing trade - amazing it survived...

Wasnt the petrol station on Brookie the other side of the lane from Brookside Close i.e where the parade of shops were?

I cant help thinking there are too many shops/businesses on the Corrie/Victoria Street set - we have a kebab shop, chippy, bookies, butchers, cafe, medical centre, builders yard, pub, hairdressers, garage, factory, newsagents and corner shop all in the same couple of streets. It was better pre 1990s when we had just the factory, community centre, corner shop and pub. The Kabin and Cafe were down Rosamund Street, not far away but at least everything wasnt on top of one another like it is now. We also had the builders yard a few streets away, and the garage was also some distance away from the street.

The Corner Shop and Kabin would have merged now as you said - there are very few general stores these days which dont sell newspapers.

I cant help thinking there are too many shops/businesses on the Corrie/Victoria Street set - we have a kebab shop, chippy, bookies, butchers, cafe, medical centre, builders yard, pub, hairdressers, garage, factory, newsagents and corner shop all in the same couple of streets. It was better pre 1990s when we had just the factory, community centre, corner shop and pub. The Kabin and Cafe were down Rosamund Street, not far away but at least everything wasnt on top of one another like it is now. We also had the builders yard a few streets away, and the garage was also some distance away from the street. .

Why would that be better? In the old days characters were unable to walk from place to place, as hardly any businesses were on the street set. You'd have the situation of someone going to the cafe, but the camera only following them half way

Plus you wouldn't get the scenes where there is an incident in the street, and Norris and Rita come out and have a look

The amount of businesses isn't realistic, but it's the same in all soaps, look at all the businesses in Emmerdale, in a tiny village!


The road around the 'parade' was a cul-de-sac in that there was only one way in out and the petrol station couldn't be seen from any through road

Why would that be better? In the old days characters were unable to walk from place to place, as hardly any businesses were on the street set. You'd have the situation of someone going to the cafe, but the camera only following them half way

Plus you wouldn't get the scenes where there is an incident in the street, and Norris and Rita come out and have a look

The amount of businesses isn't realistic, but it's the same in all soaps, look at all the businesses in Emmerdale, in a tiny village!


The road around the 'parade' was a cul-de-sac in that there was only one way in out and the petrol station couldn't be seen from any through road

Im not saying it was better but more more realistic in the old days. There were hardly any scenes on the outside set in the 1970s anyway, just 1 or 2 an episode, some episodes none at all. Most of it was in the houses or Rovers/Corner Shop./Kabin.

It was more realistic because you had a back street in Manchester with a shop on one end and a pub on the other and no other shops. Now its unrealistic, its a back street not a main road. The street I live in has no shops, they are on the main road.

In my street, at the top there's a flower shop, cafe, betting shop and a warehouse. Then there's a fairly modern sheltered housing scheme with a community hall. The late Victorian houses then start - with a small corner shop in the middle. On one side of the street there's a row of modern houses where a warehouse used to stand. Round one corner there's a Gospel Church, the other corner a firelplace showroom and a nursery...

But Jez, that's the street that YOU live in! I don't live on a main road, but as I said earlier:

Well perhaps my Dad lives on a soap set too, he seems to have all the requirements within walking distance, and he is just on an ordinary road of Victorian terreced houses in Wilmslow, Cheshire.

http://www.rp-networkservices.com/tvforum/uploads/dads.jpg

EDIT: Ooops pic © Google Earth

What about a surgury or a chippy?
Edit: Thinking about it the chippy could be within the group of shops.

There is a chippy and Chinese Takeway within staggering distance, just passed the Doctors' Surgery (about half a mile)