One of the perennial problems that faces the writers and producers of soap operas is in creating locations where the characters can interact. Without a variety of places for them to meet, intentionally or not, it limits the chances for the plots to move on.
In Coronation Street, there’s always been the good old Rovers Return, which has seen countless landlords and landladies behind the bar ever since the original, imperious Annie Walker finally hung up her apron back in 1984. The pub’s survived fires and lorry crashes as well as seeing more than its fair share of births and deaths over the years, during which time more and more other meeting places have sprung up.
There’s the wittily titled Roy’s Rolls where characters can pop in for a bacon barm and an informative lecture about the rolling stock to be found on the East Lancs Railway, courtesy of proprietor Roy Cropper.
Then there’s the Viaduct Bistro, now in the hands of the distinctly unsavoury Ray Crosby, a venue that’s featured since 2010 when it first opened as The Joinery. This was also the building that bore the brunt of the programme’s tragic tram crash back in the same year.
Place your bets on the new location
But surely now would be the time to add another place for the action to unfold.
“Take a gamble.” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by AisforAmy91
In fact, this could be the perfect time for a casino to open its doors in Weatherfield, There’s already the ideal location – the so-called haunted snooker hall that Peter Barlow was set to buy a couple of years ago. Somewhere with the space for full-size snooker tables could surely fit in roulette and blackjack with ease. And the rows and rows of slots would also prove to be the perfect visual backdrop to all kinds of scenes.
Casinos are also places which film-makers have always used for moments of high tension and drama, whether it’s James Bond involved in high stakes games of poker or characters putting all their chips on 15 black and hoping their number will come up.
We’ve been here before
Then there are the characters who we’ve already seen in casinos in the soap. Everyone from silver fox Robert Preston to his former partner Carla Connor have paid a visit to them in the past – although the latter also showed that she liked to play live casino online. But who wouldn’t when you can have a choice of games from roulette to baccarat and from blackjack to poker, all presided over by a live dealer? Plus, it can all be enjoyed from the comfort of home without the need to order a cab from Streetcars to get you there.
Nevertheless, installing a real casino is undoubtedly something that would be well worth considering for the programme, which is distinctly lacking in glamorous locations at the moment.
So, unless the alternative is converting the Rovers into a trendy gastropub or giving Roy’s Rolls a makeover into a brunch bar serving eggs benedict and champagne, a shiny new casino could be the best option there is.
