Coronation Street place at university, and thus found his working-class background—as well as his parents, Frank and Ida (Frank Pemberton and Noel Dyson)—something of an embarrassment. The character was one of the few to have experienced life outside of Coronation Street. In some ways this predicts the growth of globalisation, and the decline of similar communities. In an episode from 1961, Barlow declares: "You can't go on just thinking about your own street these days. We're living with people on the other side of the world. There's more to worry about than Elsie Tanner and her boyfriends." Roache is the only remaining
Coronation Street ever since. In spite of updated sets and production changes, "Coronation Street" still received criticism. In 1992, chairman of the Broadcasting Standards Council, Lord Rees-Mogg, criticised the low representation of ethnic minorities, and the programme's portrayal of the cosy familiarity of a bygone era. Some newspapers ran headlines such as ""Coronation Street" shuts out blacks" ("The Times"), and "'Put colour in t'Street" ("Daily Mirror"). Patrick Stoddart of "The Times" wrote: "The millions who watch "Coronation Street" – and who will continue to do so despite Lord Rees-Mogg – know real life when they see it ... in the most confident