Pic: Coronation Streets Antony Cotton & Sally Lindsay
Sally Lindsay
When you think of comedy moments in soap operas you immediately think of the cobbled streets of Coronation Street. At the North West Comedy Awards in Manchester Designer Magazine caught up with Sally Lindsay aka Shelley from the soap to find out how she arrived in Weatherfield via a starring role in the Royle Family and then the tough stand-up comedy circuit alongside the likes of Justin Moorhouse and Alan Carr.
Q: We're here at the North West Comedy Awards, just
2 days after Coronation Streets tremendous success story at the National
TV Awards. How was that for you?
A: It was fantastic. We had a great night. It was a long
night, but we were very successful, quite rightly, and very proud to come
back and bring the gongs back.
Q: Obviously Coronation Street and Eastenders have
been firm rivals for the past decade and for the last 12 months or so its
been a non-stop ratings win for Corrie.
A: Yeah. Well we've been winning in the ratings for the
past 3 years and that's the absolute downer of it all. That when we actually
got there we should have actually won (laughs). But this year the voting
system has changed so this year it's slightly different and Suranne (Jones)
winning was a massive high point for me.
Q: We're here at the first Comedy Awards in the North
West and Coronation Street has been the one soap that's always been known
for its comedy moments throughout the years
A: Absolutely. Coronation Street I think singularly is
probably one of the funniest programs on television, never mind soaps.
Eastenders has a go, but it's just not engineered for that. It's not designed
for comedy whereas Corrie is always designed for a northern laugh.
Q: What is it about Coronation Street that's so special
for the comedy?
A: It's the same old thing. It's the strong characters
and it's the northern sense of humour. It's a very simple combination.
And even the young beautiful ones aren't afraid of making a fool out of
themselves and I think that is absolutely paramount in comedy.
Q: Before you worked in Coronation Street you were
involved in stand-up comedy with talent such as Alan Carr and Justin Moorhouse
A: The first time I met Alan Carr and Justin Moorhouse
was at the City Life Comedian Of The Year competition. I'd just done the
Royle Family and was completely out of work. I thought i'd be catapulted
to stardom and no-one gave me a job so I went on the circuit. I started
doing open spots for Justin Moorhouse and that's when I met Alan Carr.
After that myself and Alan did a few gigs together, but he was always better
than me.
Q: So would we ever see a return to Sally Lindsay stand-up
comedian?
A: No. It's too much like handwork. I work all the hours
god sends in Corrie, but at least I know what i'm doing (laughs)
Words & Pictures: Alex McCann
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For more information on Coronation Street
www.itv.com/coronationstreet
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