Coronation Street more popular than Hazza and Megs on Netflix

If you are of a certain age you will remember some of the more colourful characters off the TV soap Coronation Street. Annie Walker landlady of the Rovers Return, Stan and Hilda Ogden, Albert Tatlock, Ena Sharples and of course Jack and Vera Duckworth. Ah, flamin Nora thems were the days.

Who needs the soaps nowadays when we have real life dramas playing out in the highest profile family in the land? You must know who we are talking about by now. Does he eck as like.

Netflix is showing the ins and outs, ups and downs of the lives of Harry and Meghan those two rebel Royals who have escaped to California from a lifestyle of splendour and privilege to well, a lifestyle of splendour and privilege.

Can there be any more gripping story line than “She sacrificed everything she ever knew, the freedom that she had, to join me in my world.” I seem to remember my wife doing the same so many years ago when she left university to join me in a basement flat in Oxford Gardens in London. We had a tiny kitchen, one bedroom and a lounge complete with a lovely plastic garden table and plastic chairs.

I imagine that there will be some who truly are gripped by the series and the figures show that it is as popular as The Crown BUT not as popular as Coronation Street. It seems we are far more interested in fictional working class folks off t’ street who may or may not mirror our own lives and whom we may have a scintilla of empathy, sympathy and love for.

So far the quotes from Hazza and Megs have not got a patch on Tracy Barlow, Deirdre Langton or Bet Lynch. Just compare these quotes.

“There can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who fits the mold, as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with.” — Prince Harry

Raquel: With me, as one door closes another one slams in me face.

And these two:

“I think they were surprised, maybe surprised that the ginger could land such a beautiful woman” — Prince Harry

“Listen, you’ve got legs longer than I am, and you’re an ex pole dancer, so something tells me it’s a bit easier for you to find blokes, do you know what I mean?”
Janice Battersby

Perhaps an indication of the mind of Megs is this little quote, a message a young Meghan wrote for her school principal at the end of term, thanking her for her kindness and support, and promising to share her story.

“PS. when I am rich and famous and I write my life story, I will talk about you and the school, so you will be known worldwide” — Meghan Markle

Of course that could have been written by any of us as young students and it could indicate the ambition of the young Megs and nothing more.

Whatever your fancy, whether it be Handbags and Gladrags at the Rovers or trying to glean anything meaningful form the ordeal of Hazza and Megs the two have become an unlikely paradox. At any moment one expects Hazza or Megs to appear at the bar with Hazza starting a scrap because someone took a shine to Megs and for Hilda Ogden God Bless her to appear in Hazza and Megs gaff to do a spot of cleaning.

Whatever your preference one can safely conclude that the real soap will endure and we will be talking about that for many years to come and the other, it could end up being a soggy mouldy pile of hotpot discarded in the waste bin.