Fans of CORONATION Street demand the writers provide Dee-Dee Bailey with “real” stories.
Dee-Dee (played by Channique sterling-Brown) joined the soap opera in 2022, and since then has won the Best Newcomer award at the British Soap Awards.
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Fans are adamant that they don’t feel she gets the attention she deserves.
On a soap-forum, someone wrote: “One of this show’s most likeable and best introduced characters but they don’t allow her to do anything more than just listen to Sarah’s self pity parties.”
She is not listening to Paul’s misery. “Can they give this woman a real story line?”
Dee Dee was a favourite character for another. Channique Silver-Brown makes a wonderful addition to this cast. I’m pleased she won best newcomer at the British Soap Awards.”
A third wrote: “The problem is with the desire to give her a story of her own, it will almost certainly make me dislike the character as the ‘issue’ writing is so bad.”
Dee Dee is the daughter and fun-loving solicitor of the first black family on the soap.
Since debuting in her dream role, she has revealed she received vile online racist abuse.
Speaking exclusively to Central Recorder on Sunday, she said: “The majority of people online have been so supportive and positive, but unfortunately there has been some negativity and a bit of racism.
“There was some really awful stuff suggesting I’m part of some ‘black supremacy’ movement, which was just wild, and Twitter did actually take it down.
“But there were quite a few comments suggesting I’d been cast to tick a ‘diversity check box’ and that it was ridiculous and overly PC for me to be in the show.
“Which was strange to me, considering Dee-Dee’s presence brings the grand total of black women on the street to two.
“That’s why it’s so important to have black actors on our television screens, as well as those working behind the camera, writing and directing.”
The vast majority of fans welcomed her arrival in Weatherfield at the end of September, describing vivacious Dee-Dee as a “breath of fresh air”.
And the soap’s top boss, Iain MacLeod, praised her “incredibly joyous” character which, he said, was “full of energy and vibrance”.
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