In 1974, several new characters were added to the British television soap opera Coronation Street . Some of them only appeared for a few episodes, but Gail Potter (later Gail McIntyre) became one of the show's longest-running characters.
Sir Julius Berlin | |
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Coronation Street character | |
Portrayed by | Leonard Sachs |
Duration | 1974 |
First appearance | 6 May 1974 |
Last appearance | 13 May 1974 |
Classification | Former; guest |
Introduced by | Susi Hush |
Sir Julius Berlin was played by Leonard Sachs. Sir Julius appeared in Coronation Street during 1974 as the boss of the Mark Brittain mail order warehouse that was situated in the Street.
When the residents complained about the lorries passing through, Ken Barlow spoke to Sir Julius about the problem. Sir Julius was so impressed by Ken that he offered him a job as executive administrative assistant. Meanwhile, the workers at the warehouse threatened to strike due to Sir Julius trying to keep his staff out of a trade union, until Ken persuaded Sir Julius to accept the union. Sir Julius upset workers Ivy Tilsley and Vera Duckworth because the company announced all women over sixty had to retire. They called the union in but the union supported lowering the retirement age. After the warehouse fire in 1975, Sir Julius (who had not appeared since May 1974) dissolved the company.
Martin Downes | |||||||||||||||
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Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Louis Selwyn | ||||||||||||||
First appearance | 1 July 1974 | ||||||||||||||
Last appearance | 3 July 1974 | ||||||||||||||
Classification | Former; guest | ||||||||||||||
Introduced by | Susi Hush | ||||||||||||||
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Martin Andrew Downes (also Lynch) is the son of Bet Lynch whom she gave up for adoption when she was 16. One day Martin arrives at the Rovers knowing his mother is a barmaid who works there, and soon realizes she is Bet. However he is repulsed by her overt sexual nature and leaves without telling her who he is. Nine months later, Bet receives news from one of Martin's army colleagues that he has died in action in Ulster. The news devastated her and she briefly considered suicide, but was talked out of it by Eddie Yeats.
Idris Hopkins | |||||||||||||
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Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Richard Davies | ||||||||||||
Duration | 1974–1975 | ||||||||||||
First appearance | 8 July 1974 | ||||||||||||
Last appearance | 10 February 1975 | ||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||
Introduced by | H. V. Kershaw | ||||||||||||
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Idris Hopkins, his wife Vera and their daughter Tricia moved to Coronation Street to take over the tenancy of the Corner Shop in 1974. Idris, a Welshman, was a quiet man, satisfied with what life had thrown at him. Weary of working night shifts, and of the noise in Coronation Street, Idris frequently had to make peace between Vera and his domineering mother Megan, who moved into the Corner Shop accommodation with Idris and Vera.
Idris was never as involved with the grand plans of the family as Vera or (especially) Granny Hopkins. He spent most of his time slumped in his chair or working nights. He barely registered the trouble Granny was giving shop owner Gordon Clegg and his mother Betty Turpin, but when he found out he tried to exclude her from the family's plans to buy the shop from Gordon. When Granny persisted, hoping to buy the shop for a cheaper price, Gordon evicted the family, and they disappeared during the night, never to be seen in Coronation Street again (except for Tricia).
Vera Duckworth (also Burton), played by Liz Dawn, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in the 6,734th episode on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure. Her funeral was held on 22 January 2008. She reappeared posthumously for a single appearance on the 8 November 2010 episode, in which her husband Jack (Bill Tarmey) died.
Blanche Hunt (née Linfield) was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes from 1974 to her death in 2009. The character subsequently died off screen in 2010. Blanche was the mother of Deirdre Barlow, grandmother of Tracy Barlow and great-grandmother of Amy. Her storylines have revolved around her family life, various romances and her "acerbic tongue". The character's "gallows humour" has been well received by critics, and saw Jones win The British Soap Award for "Best Comedy Performance" in 2005 and 2008. Blanche has been described as "a true Coronation Street icon".
Coronation Street is a British television soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced street in the fictional town of Weatherfield in Greater Manchester. The location was itself based on Salford, the hometown of the show’s first screenwriter and creator.
Deirdre Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Anne Kirkbride. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 November 1972. Her final appearance was on 8 October 2014.
Vera Duckworth is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Liz Dawn. Vera is known for her long-standing marriage to Jack Duckworth ; they became one of the best-loved couples in television history. Vera was often shown in a comedic light.
Blanche Hunt is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress died by suicide after appearing in just two episodes in August 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 840 episodes from 1974 to her death in December 2009. The character subsequently died off screen in May 2010. Blanche was the mother of Deirdre Barlow, grandmother of Tracy Barlow and great-grandmother of Amy Barlow. Her storylines have revolved around her family life, various romances and her "acerbic tongue". The character's "gallows humour" has been well received by critics, and saw Jones win The British Soap Award for "Best Comedy Performance" in 2005 and 2008. Blanche has been described as "a true Coronation Street icon".
John "Jack" Duckworth is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Bill Tarmey. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 28 November 1979. Jack was introduced by executive producer Bill Podmore. Tarmey had previously appeared as a background character in many episodes featuring scenes in the Rovers Return, including some occasional speaking lines.
Ray Langton is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Neville Buswell.
Bet Lynch is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Julie Goodyear, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on Monday 25 May 1966. Appearing over 25 years, Bet became a Coronation Street icon.
Coronation StreetLive is a live episode of the British soap opera Coronation Street which was broadcast on Friday 8 December 2000 as part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations. The episode was an hour long and aired at 8:00pm. It aired one hour after a repeat of the first episode, and included an introduction by actor William Roache from the soap's outdoor set, where last-minute preparations for the live episode were under way. The episode was number 4945 in the series and was the first live edition to be broadcast since Episode 17, which aired on 3 February 1961. It was seen by 17 million viewers.