Coronation Street fans are furiously demanding the bosses give the newcomer a major storyline
CORONATION Street fans are demanding that series writers Dee-Dee Bailey deliver ‘real’ storylines.
Dee-Dee, played by Channique Sterling-Brown, joined the soap in 2022 and has since won Best Newcomer at the British Soap Awards.
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But die-hard fans have a feeling she’s not getting the airtime she deserves.
“One of the best and most likable characters this show has seen in recent memory, but all she does is listen to Sarah’s pity party,” one person wrote on a soap forum.
“Unless, of course, she listens to Paul’s misery. Can you please tell this woman a specific story?”
Another agreed: “Dee Dee is one of my favorite characters. Channique Sterling-Brown is a great addition to the cast. I’m delighted that she won Best Newcomer at the British Soap Awards.”
A third wrote: “The problem lies in wanting to tell her a story of her own. That will almost certainly make me dislike the character because the ‘topic’ writing is so bad.”
Dee-Dee is the fun-loving lawyer and daughter of the soap’s first black family.
But since debuting her dream role, she has admitted to receiving vile racial abuse online.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun on Sunday, she said: “The majority of people online have been so supportive and positive, but unfortunately there was also something negative and a bit of racism.”
“There were some really horrible things that suggested I was part of a ‘Black Supremacy’ movement that was just wild, and Twitter actually brushed them off.
“But there were a fair number of comments suggesting that I should tick a ‘diversity box’ and that it was ridiculous and over-the-top PC of me to be on the show.
“Which was odd to me, given that Dee-Dee’s presence means that there are a total of two black women on the street.
“That’s why it’s so important to have black actors on our television screens, as well as those who work behind the cameras, write and direct.”
The vast majority of fans welcomed her arrival at Weatherfield in late September, calling the feisty Dee-Dee “a breath of fresh air.”
And the soap’s top executive, Iain MacLeod, praised her “incredibly upbeat” character, who he said is “full of energy and vibrancy.”
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