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Will.i.am Wants to Be on 'Coronation Street' and Your Mum Is Gassed

Your mum is gassed.
Lauren O'Neill
London, GB

Nothing should surprise me anymore, but here we are: there is a thing happening where North American artists really want to be in UK television shows. First Drake gets announced for a role in London drama Top Boy, and, hot on his heels, Will.i.am has told the Daily Star that he wants to be on Britain's longest-running soap opera, Coronation Street. I have no idea what is going on, but I definitely love it.

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There's history here. Will.i.am – who has gained quite a following amongst mums (including mine, who thinks he is "ever so funny") via his run as a coach on The Voice UK since 2012 – recently dipped a toe into Corrie's waters by filming a music video for his new track "FIYAH" in the programme's iconic pub, The Rovers Return. Ahem:

Dabbing, in the Rovers, in big old 2017. This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time.

Anyway, it seems that Will has taken the soap to his heart during his time in the UK, and would like to do a turn on the hallowed cobbles sometime soon: "It would be so cool if they would write a role for me on Coronation Street," he said. "It's such a great show. I could have a relationship with somebody on there… that would be real cool."

This is a man who has done his research, however – Will.i.am is not wading into Coronation Street willy nilly. He continued: "I wouldn't play a gentleman though. I'd want to be a comedy character. I'd be comedic. I'd want to be like Norris." As anyone knows, Norris Cole – who you could liken to a pantomime dame in a polyester tank top who shades everyone from behind a corner shop counter – is the best character on Coronation Street (having succeeded the late, great Blanche Hunt). It's clear that Will is a man of taste. It is now up to the Corrie writers to see if he is up for the task. If any of you are reading, I implore you to do so. For now, however, I'm just waiting for the "Will.i.am is Appropriating Northern Class Culture and I'm Not OK with It" thinkpiece.

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(Image via YouTube)