Coronation Street - August 1984

[@johnjohnston9917]

Loved the banter between Rita and Mavis 😄 love watching these classic coronation Street episodes miles better than today's rubbish Corrie

[@cathy3613]

I just started watching coronation street as an Eastenders fan since 1985 I feel the same about EE I binged several times on the old EE now I decided to start with Coronation Street

[@normasouthwood3182]

Mavis is such a witterer! I have to fast forward her! Much prefer her budgie Harriet.

[@michaelgregory8322]

Totally

[@77hwjeushs81]

Rita bullied Davis and was spiteful to dierdre when she wanted to work with lent after ray went with other woman then holland

[@Paulzor923]

Bless Rita telling Derek he's got taste choosing Mavis that was lovely that

[@Jackles22]

Bringing Phyllis Pearce back after her 82/83 appearance was a great decision and pairing her with Percy Sugden as double act was great. Nothing beats Phyllis and Chalkie though haha.

[@bsaunders5271]

Chalkie was SO mean to her

[@carasmith549]

Percy wasn't much better.

[@actualbennett2245]

Ah, but if Percy had been pursuing Phyllis and she hadn't wanted him, you would have said he deserved all the cold shoulders he got. Double standards and misandry.@@carasmith549

[@carasmith549]

Totally agree with John Johnston. This couple of minutes' repartee about Mavis's date with Derek was pure gold: Mavis: "it was everything you could wish for when you go out for a meal?" Rita: "Food?" Mavis: "And he brought me a present - a canteen of cutlery." Rita: "If you're dining out, it's as well to be prepared." Mavis: "You remember that canteen of cutlery he won for being top salesman?" Rita: "...which you helped him win...which he then went and gave to his mother." Mavis: "...he felt I should have had it all along, so he gave it to me." Rita: "It doesn't mean we'll have her round here wanting it back, does it?" Mavis: "His mother's dead, Rita!" Rita: "You think that'll stop her!" Brilliant.

[@davidharwood6209]

A rich variety of characters, it was great to watch..drama & laughter,that's the key...!

[@oliverlavelle7713]

It's like time travel with those old series, i know most of the names of the characters and then i realised , in the 80's coronation Street characters were part of the family , well in Ireland anyhow we only had 2 channels

[@alexanderjones9572]

‘Oh, I see. I was a prawn, was I?’ Love Hilda 😂😂

[@H3len50]

Aye made me laugh. I loved her wee sayings.

[@itallia666]

I loved her mispronounced words & her great one :- " oh i like my tea in those little teabags with the perverted holes" God Bless Hilda ( & Stan) No wonder Jean Alexander won a Bafta for a life time in Acting She deserved this award for entertaining audiences for almost half a century! She was THE face of Corrie, Her & Stan were the superglue that held Corrie together through slim times as well as full I once saw Jean being interviewed some years back & Wow! It was hard to equate this Stunning lady with the skinny little Char lady from Corrie She was in beautiful french cut trousers, blouse & chunky sweater, accented with tasteful Unique jewellery Her hair was tousled & brushed back, fabulous cut, with highlights, amazing make up on her glorious complexion. Jean always had an amazing skin So clear & fine. Her speaking voice was much lower than Hildas & was so well spoken with clear vowels & cadence! Her home was sumptuous with wonderful furnishings I think she lived somewhere in the Derbyshire countryside with commanding views. It was a great interview, about her life, when a child & her teen years & her experiences in theatre & television. Some funny anecdotes about playing in Corrie, many remeniscences. There will NEVER be another Hilda Ogden.. Nor her Stan Gone with the others to that great terraced street in the heavens R.I.P. Jean Alexander & Bernard Youens Cheers 🇬🇧👧

[@soniaclarkstewart]

Thanks for sharing that with us. I’m American and probably have watched Corrie for about only 6 years. I try to grab as much background from KZbin and I watch Classic and Present day as too different shows without judgement, but it’s interesting knowing some of the history of some of the great actors who relied basically on their talent alone.

[@londonlady227]

Hilda was Queen of the Malaprop.

[@stevenhighams4190]

@@itallia666Not forgetting my favourite - "I know what you are! You're one o' them punk rockets, aren't you?"

[@susanthompson3025]

I love old Percy and his blustering! he made gravy under shellfire, priceless

[@user-hc8sn1vs2k]

Gail sunny side she get on with curly nice one 😉

[@alexanderjones9572]

4.01 There’s a sight I never thought I’d see-Bet sat there doing her knitting! Betty-yes. But Bet??

[@ria1636]

Preferable to her filing her nails in inappropriate places.

[@stormhawk3319]

I thought Fred was a great comical character. Sure, antagonistic but when he left the year after he was already missed. And Billy Walker was a nasty piece of work.

[@nitad4203]

I always liked Fred, always in good storylines and the banter between Fred, Mrs Walker and the bar staff was always so funny.

[@lordwalker71]

Good riddance

[@cathy3613]

Funny how looking back to these dates 40 something in age looks like my grandmother at 70. I am older then Mavis and look a hell of lot younger

[@kuchikopi4631]

Yes, so true, that's what I said before as well.

[@zeddeka]

yeah, people looked and behaved a lot older then. A lot of it was due to diet and the fact people smoked and drank a lot more back then. Many also worked in fairly brutal factory jobs that ruined their health. There was also a real stigma about people over 40 acting younger, especially women. It was considered 'tarty'. There was a real shame culture in general. you conformed or you got malicious gossip about you - like the way they treated Elsie Tanner.

[@memoir4you]

Not only that but trends today like beauty therapy treatments/aesthetics and fitness and rhe gym, which help prolong wellbeing & looks , were not a priority back then (or hadn't caught on. )

[@cathy3613]

Hilda kills me.. love her to bits

[@bazgent]

Hilda is a rat!

[@philstrachan]

Jean was the only true character actor ever on the show. I think the others basically played themselves.

[@carlacusanelli8206]

I just watched Dinner ladies and Mrs Barlow is just as funny there to!! I love Mavis and Rita together!!

[@alexanderjones9572]

This was the month Bernard Youens died-leading to Stan’s death in November. 🥲

[@theculturedthug6609]

Finally rooting for Fred Gee. Fred was such a good character you hated him and liked him at the same time.

[@mattoradio7406]

Barlow talking about ethics when he tried to get the graffiti club closed down because Baldwin owned it

[@londonlady227]

And leaking stories about the closing down of youth clubs, for which he lost his job at the community centre.

[@alexanderjones9572]

Rita “Well well, swains to the left of you, swains to the right of you...’ good job she was talking to Mavis-not Emily!

[@annmc8392]

😮🤐😄😃🤣

[@RiaLake]

Shocked, the way Curly just threw the dead pigeon on the floor in such a cursory manner!

[@kuchikopi4631]

Yea, wtf, I wouldn't have touched it barehand in the first place 😂😂😂

[@jstewart3517]

Curly had no real part except causing untrue rumors as far as acting he cant

[@user-fg7xq1zn6t]

The plant Derek gifts Mavis is called Mother-in-Laws tongue. 😂😂

[@katy4779]

The Mavis, Derek, Victor storyline was so tiresome back then... and still is lol. I could never have a Mavis in my life, she would drive me bonkers! Thankyou for the uploads!

[@stevenhighams4190]

But could you be married to a Derek?

[@philstrachan]

She would do my head in!

[@greggildersleeve3484]

I like Mavis. She's one of those characters whose squeaky voice could have been annoying, but there's something endearing about her.

[@DIETRICHCICCONE]

"I made gravy under shell-fire..." P. Sugden

[@bessiebraveheart]

Hasn't that Gail character got a strange face.

[@michaelroberts7374]

But movie star hair and figure :)

[@williamf4544]

They say Farrah Fawset from Charlies Angels copied her hair style

[@soniaclarkstewart]

Funny, I was thinking something similar as I was watching yesterday.

[@stevenhighams4190]

I'd love to see the reaction on her strange face if she ever reads this comment.

[@manuelhung7571]

I always imagined her with a chameleon tongue picking flies off the back of Ivy's head.

[@ddrose06]

Without Mavis, what has Rita got in her life? Sweet F all.

[@kuchikopi4631]

Yep, Mavis was her pittle play thing, a mouse to a cat.

[@lordwalker71]

More if a life the Mavis had

[@nicolemclean9028]

Shes got money loads of it but mavis hasnt

[@philstrachan]

Jack to Mavis: " You look like you've been hit on the back of ya head with a sock full of cornflakes!" 😂

[@bsaunders5271]

God, how I hate seeing the Wretched Websters in Elsie's house.

[@glorysengo6289]

GOD, HOW I HATE SEEING THE WRETCHED WEBSTERS IN ELSIE’S HOUSE 🏡 GLORY SENGO.

[@DIETRICHCICCONE]

1:55:35 Phyllis giving it large with The Bluebells blaring in the background. It's what dreams are made of 😅❤

[@tinaquinn9042]

Fred marching Jack into Billy 😂😂😂

[@normasouthwood3182]

Gail working in the cafe, overall flapping open and all that hair hanging free...eeeew!

[@manuelhung7571]

...... and not a chin in sight 😂.

[@francesgillotti1378]

This is awful the poor girl is not good at exams I had hell in school as I never knew I had ADHD till now near 70. You can’t focus or remember any thing . Here in America you get extra help with school but in Ireland we were sometimes mistreated by a few teachers

[@bsaunders5271]

😪

[@soniaclarkstewart]

I hear you. I’m about your age and think of what I could have been. I’ve been considered just lazy unless I can find something I really have a super interest in.

[@cathy3613]

Love Bet

[@londonlady227]

Fred did have a point about Billy but Fred did coast through most of the time.

[@annmc8392]

Bill did expect and demand a lot from Debbie, and Kev took her for granted.

[@actualbennett2245]

I don't think so at all. Bill and Kev were bringing home the money.

[@lorraineydays57]

So Alma is in America, Gail takes a phone call from Doreen in the Cafe asking if Gail can come in as it's so busy, then Gail tells Brian she's going because Alma did say she was rushed off her feet.🤔 I guess it was cheaper production wise to let mistakes go and hope the viewers didn't notice.

[@philstrachan]

There are definitely a few mistakes, particularly continuity and boom in shot but easier to let go than waste money doing it again. A lot of the actors were long dead before they killed the character off.

[@alexanderjones9572]

Did the bit with Bill and Debbie remind anyone who watched 60s Corrie of Harry and Lucille? If not for Kevin- they’d be just like them.

[@davidharwood6209]

Superb...!!!!!

[@zeddeka]

The start of the controversial end of Fred Gee. There have various stories told over the years about it. Fred Feast, the character who played him, suddenly took several weeks off in 1983, forcing re-writes at short notice. Feast said he had been suffering from depression, with random fits of tears and problems remembering his lines. It seems that in true 1980s style, no help was offered to him and the powers that be started to dislike him. He refused to sign a new contract, upset that he felt they were making Fred Gee into something of a buffoon, and said he didn't want to be another 'Coronation Street Cabbage'. Rightly or wrongly, this was interpreted as a tasteless reference to the likes of Bernard Youens (Stan Ogden) and Jack Howarth (Uncle Albert) who had both died recently. Another side was also reported: "Feast's departure from the serial in 1984, after 552 episodes, was abrupt. Bill Podmore was furious at Feast's refusal to sign a new contract after allegedly agreeing verbally to do so - or to allow storyline writers extra time to write his character out. However, Podmore [the producer] was not sorry to lose someone who had caused him headaches with his off-screen activities. He wrote in his 1990 memoirs, Coronation Street: the inside story: "Fred gave us all more than our share of trouble. He was not much of an ambassador for Coronation Street and there were several occasions when I hauled him into the office for a dressing down. On one particularly embarrassing occasion he distinguished himself at a Variety Club dinner by shaking bottles of champagne and spraying anyone within range."

[@bsaunders5271]

Bill Webster is a Jekyll and Hyde character, his bad side is absolutely monstrous. His ego when prodded flies into ridiculous macho rages, usually at his kids, who deserve better! Absolute prat.

[@allangilchrist5938]

Didn't hypocrite Barlow get the job on the newspaper by disclosing confidential information while employed by the Council.

[@kathystahl4690]

💖👍 these older clips Ken the 2 faced puppetmaster notice Ken has no real men friends

[@deirdrekiernan5070]

loved stan +hilda she must of had 3 or 4 jobs

[@philstrachan]

The only time he ever showed her genuine affection was when her brother died ~ otherwise, he treated her horribly.

[@MarcoNegrisEye]

Nobody: Betty: "Awww I meeeaan awwwwww" Gets right on my nipple ends 🙉

[@queendeirdre7436]

I just noticed that the labels on the optics haven't started being put on right side up yet 😕

[@veneker9949]

So far Debbie's a bit too much Sharon MKII - a mouthy teenager who's 16 going on 60. But whereas Sharon could perhaps have benefited from braces on her teeth and a silencer for her foghorn voice, Debbie was a potential housebreaker - I recall a friend saying at the time she'd have made a good burglar with her short legs and ample behind, as her arse would rub her footprints out. Wasn't Billy Walker a bad 'un though, conman and would-be blackmailer. Annie would've been mortified. And Mavis took some chances, risking stormy romances with alpha males Derek and Victor, both of whom swaggered around Weatherfield boasting about their high-octane hobby of collecting old bus tickets.

[@phillipgreer4875]

My Dad always use to say that Betty Driver(Betty Turpin) was the worst actress on television, and when I watch these classic episodes I see how right he was. Not complaining mind, I love watching these, thanks for uploading them.

[@bobslobbers5311]

William roache for me. Ken was terrible

[@carasmith549]

Betty Driver was actually a singer, she had some half decent records during the war - in a similar style to Vera Lynn or Anne Shelton. Betty just seems to be herself, no real acting involved.

[@williamf4544]

I liked her style of acting - very natural and believable - she was in films back in the Gracey Fields and George Formby ara

[@manuelhung7571]

The Worst absolutely.

[@michellefalleur960]

Hilda ..: .. "so he used me as a prawn " !!

[@Wildzippy]

So Alma is in America with her fancy man yet Gail is going into the cafe as Alma is rushed off her feet, oops I think she meant Doreen ... 23:03

[@Wildzippy]

Then minutes later you see Doreen arriving at the Cafe??

[@nicholasgargano7396]

Absolutely disgusting how they got rid of freddie! An absolute legend

[@scouseaussie1638]

Good riddance I say

[@derekhorne8076]

I'm sorry but i can't agree. I hated what they did to Billy's character and don't blame Kenneth Farrington for leaving, but Fred was truly vile. However, within the story, he was put in to to Rovers by the brewery to protect Annie after the burglary and to to do the heavy lifting. To ha 'a man' on the premises. With Billy back he could do the cellar work and therefore Fred was surplus to requirements. Although he went about it in a rotten way when Fred wouldn't go, Billy was justified in getting rid

[@glamdolly30]

That's not how it was at all. Fred Feast who played Fred Gee decided to leave the show, he wasn't 'got rid of'! What's more, he did it suddenly, claiming exhaustion - without giving Corrie bosses proper notice. That meant they didn't have time to re-write the scripts and give Fred Gee a proper exit story line, so the character simply left with no fanfare. A great shame, after Fred had been such a big Street presence in every way - and was such a big part of Rovers history and so many of the pub's best plots. In my view his finest period working under Annie Walker from 1976 to actress Doris Speed's October 1983 retirement, without doubt represented the boozer's glory years. After the actor left, the reason for his abrupt departure became only too clear - he'd sold his exclusive story to a tabloid for a big, fat fee, spilling all kinds of spiteful secrets on his fellow cast members! Many were very hurt and felt betrayed. Actor Peter Adamson who played Len Fairclough did exactly the same in early 1983, which triggered his firing from the soap. So there's no doubt Fred Feast knew he was burning his bridges with Corrie, by his final, disloyal actions. In his autobiography, producer Bill Podmore said it wasn't just the actor and the character's names that were the same - Fred Feast was pretty much the same person as Fred Gee, though he maintained Fred Feast was far more vulgar and uncouth than Fred the Rovers pot man! One of his favourite tricks was to break wind violently, just before the cameras rolled on a scene behind the cramped bar between him and Rovers ladies Annie, Bet and Betty. This meant the poor actresses had to suffer the appalling stench in silence, staying in character and continuing to recite their lines like there was nothing wrong. Fred Feast was every bit as cocky as Fred Gee too. One of his favourite boasts, was that six sparrows could perch on a certain part of his anatomy - his only nod to modesty, was to add that the sixth bird would have to stand on one leg!

[@lordwalker71]

Deserved everything he got, Mrs Walker should have gotten some rid of him years ago.

[@memoir4you]

​@@glamdolly30 God how could they work with an 'actor' like that ? Farting all the time before scenes . Gross !

[@jonathancheetham7683]

Love Phyllis haha iconic woman

[@paulinecorreia5538]

It’s 😮hard 2 believe, Mavis @ Derick eventually tied the knot 🪢 🎉❤😅😊

[@allangilchrist5938]

No property owner should be allowed to become a local Councillor. Too easy to use the office for your own self-interest. Which is no doubt the attraction.

[@louiseowusu246]

Kevin Webster's dad is being annoying about Debbie's exam results. Yes she didn't do well, and perhaps as she says she's not good at exams, though qualification do help . But he conveniently forgets how he and Kevin had her running about the house. Kevin just asked her to iron his jeans!!!🤬🤬🤬

[@ironknobsteelworks4063]

Thats what it was like back in the good old days

[@francesgillotti1378]

I only found out that I had ADHD. AT 68

[@francesgillotti1378]

No body irons in America haha 😂

[@annmc8392]

@@francesgillotti1378 No they don't, well my son doesn't it's called fluff and fold so he tells me.

[@soniaclarkstewart]

So true, if I get something that wrinkles real bad, I put it in a corner or send to dry cleaners and save for special occasions and then back in corner.

[@cathy3613]

Ivy has a new hair color wig.. this one is horrible

[@paullynton-green6570]

Never liked fred gee but billy asked for it.

[@ladygrinningsoul992]

Fred Gee was a truly horrible character I

[@cathy3613]

Agreed

[@ironknobsteelworks4063]

Disagree

[@deborahwatson2730]

Agreed….a spiteful, small minded loser, envious of anyone who was happier or had something better than him..which was pretty much every other character in the series.

[@dementednun1175]

Disagree although lately he was they forced him to work through some mental health issues (it wasn't recognised back than)

[@actualbennett2245]

Fred was great - he started off quite nice, but he did take an awful lot of misandrist put downs from the other Rovers staff over the years and soured.

[@alexanderjones9572]

Poor Fred.

[@elterrifico9522]

Fred is my spirit animal

[@H3len50]

For the first time ever I felt sorry for him.

[@bsaunders5271]

His consistent record of awfulness over many years has made this serve him right.

[@ladygrinningsoul992]

I thought he was a horrible character

[@derekhorne8076]

I never could stand Frec, but as someone who still watches Coronation Street, in 2023, Fred would be a pedo, rapist or yet another serial killer!

[@jstewart3517]

Brian is self centered spoiled all thanks to Ivy , Ivy not happy she looses her maid ( gail)

[@TheGlassman63]

Makes me laugh how people who live on Coronation Street, no matter where they are or where they work, have to `come home` for dinner/lunch.

[@MissMarie1377]

His 500CC motorbike 😂😂😂😂 That is an oversized moped, what a joke

[@user-zw9er6ls4p]

So glad Fred Gee is gone…should’ve taken Victor with him!

[@Kiinell]

The woeful Websters. Ugh.

[@kuchikopi4631]

I personally didn't mind them, I liked them more than the family with the twin boys 😕

[@cathy3613]

Ma is drives me nuts.. I would be running if she came my way

[@bsaunders5271]

Ken looks like a thorough prat when he gets indignant with Sally.

[@bibakroll8999]

When does he not?

[@philstrachan]

Yes, being Editor in Chief and "jounalist" of a FREE newspaper makes him even more stupider than usual! 😂

[@nancyridenour1815]

YOUNG Billy Walker ?!?!?!! Yay….encourage Debbie to have a dead end life w restaurant & guy on bike & Gail,, what w all that hair

[@itallia666]

Yes i had a good laugh at that! I very recently watched an old black & white episode of Corrie from the 1960s & there was a scene of a young couple in a cafe & ..lo & behold it was Billy Walker with his hair sporting a quiff! So young Billy Walker is decidedly pretty long in the tooth & most likely alot older than the disgusting Fred Gee! Cheers 🇬🇧👧

[@stevebbuk9557]

At 8:47 Ken has put a bit of weight on by this stage in his life..

[@itallia666]

Im sure deep down, Mavis would like to refuse Dereks marriage proposal so she can keep on whingeing & bemoaning her situation, how badly life has treated her! Her happiest moments in life are when she wants sympathy for what life has done to her... or not She loves wallowing in misery No one has suffered as she has All she wants is her crappy little flat with her moth eaten Budgie & her simpering poems & wondering what she can dream up to garner attention. I'll bet she was secretly thrilled when Derek presented his mothers engagement ring to her Another excuse to be outraged Never mind that Prince William gave Katherine his mothers ring Or any other great aristocratic family uses family jewels generationally! There HAS to be a fuss with Mavis! Even Rita touched on the fact mavis is using the ring as an excuse to create objections Its the thought that Mavis will have no further reason to complain, that is making her look for excuses. Her whole life has been based on whingeing & moaning about what shes entitled to, what everyone else has, but she doesnt! The world owes her! Now its paying up, there wont be a reason for any more complaining, without which, mavis doesnt have any reasons to exist. There are real people just like Mavis out there! They let the good things in life go because they love nothing more than making others miserable with their moaning & whingeing Wanting to be the centre of everyones attention Playing the victim card is their reason in life, controlling the narrative. Regards 🇬🇧👧

[@distantrambler]

Mate it's a soap opera calm down

[@philstrachan]

👏well said ~ you hit the nail on the head there!

[@DIETRICHCICCONE]

27:51 weirdly awkward mute extra alert...

[@greggildersleeve3484]

6:41 The viewers who think Ken is boring . . . I don't see it. He is a measured and rational person. It takes a lot to get him riled up, but when is riled up, look out! The relationship between Alf and Rita and their concern over their businesses is complex and nuanced, and Ken sees this much more than ambitious reporter Sally does. Sally would reduce the lives of these people to tabloid stereotypes. Ken knows these people. More, he understands the legal implications of printing Sally's story. Good for you, Ken.

[@nadiholland4190]

Fighting every time they eat egad

[@kuchikopi4631]

2:21:24 I am not woke or anything, but vintage script writers sure did love small slices of racist jokes. Nothing harmful, but it is sprinked in sometimes.

[@theresapierce3934]

People were more level headed back then and we could all take a joke and able to laugh at ourselves. Today everyone is judgemental, looking for anything to kick off about and imagine they are victims.

[@acesigma06]

Yup, the Japanese storyline, with Vera pulling “slit eyes” amongst other things

[@4evernate28]

@@theresapierce3934 Racism is not level-headed.

[@bsaunders5271]

Not sure it was all that harmless.

[@bibakroll8999]

@@bsaunders5271 Nor me! And don't get me started on the rampant misogyny.

[@kellyscourfield741]

Derek is just the perfect partner for Mavis

[@Susan.1958]

Never did like Fred not a good actor bad attitude good riddance👍

[@user-hc8sn1vs2k]

The goodies boys 37:05

[@user-hc8sn1vs2k]

Mavis happy Derek look like father Ted 38:43

[@user-hc8sn1vs2k]

Norman doing maths phsyill 😮

[@glamdolly30]

3:05:59 Bill Webster's missing teeth are dreadful - he looks like an old nag, ready for the knackers yard! On his mega Corrie salary (and being on camera for a living), you'd think Peter Armitage could have afforded to see a dentist. I've just read the autobiography of legendary 'Coronation Street' Producer Bill Podmore, which I bought second hand from Amazon and highly recommend. It's full of great insider stories about the cast of the 'seventies and 'eighties, from his first days on the show in 1976, to his departure in 1988. A war hero and former TV comedy producer, there's no doubt Bill Podmore brought the heart and humour back to the show and magnified it hugely, producing what were for many people, The Street's glory years. He was a soap genius, and without doubt the best, most creative producer Coronation Street ever had. Most of his decisions were masterstrokes - like his first two - bringing back old favourite Elsie Tanner, and introducing brand new, soon-to-be iconic character Mike Baldwin in 1976 (both are fascinating stories, well told in his book). But he was the first to admit he made one or two duff ones - like the character Bill Webster. Bill had high hopes actor Peter Armitage would fill the space left by the 1983 departure of Peter Adamson, alias long-term Street favourite Len Fairclough. He felt Len was a big loss that had hit the show hard, and saw in the character Bill Webster another salt-of-the-earth hard-working and jovial 'everyman' character. He made sure Peter knew he had big plans for widowed builder and all round good egg, Bill. So he wanted to be sure that he reciprocated the show's commitment, and would stick around to fulfil all the big storylines he had lined up for him (as was reflected in the generous salary this relatively unknown actor was afforded). Podmore had initially considered getting him together with Elsie's daughter Linda Cheveski (original cast member Anne Cunningham in her first TV role), but decided their on screen chemistry was lacking - and wrote Linda out, with her 1984 episodes being her last. Peter was full of enthusiasm, and made it clear he was going nowhere, he was only too thrilled to have landed such a plum role. Imagine Bill Podmore's disappointment when the actor knocked on his office door somewhat sheepishly just a few months later, to say he wanted out! I forget his reason for departing so quickly, after the show had established him as a VIP Coronation Street resident, having bought Elsie Tanner's house from her. For the first time in his life, Peter Armitage was a star, recognised everywhere he went. But I guess he wasn't too bothered about stardom. Wiki quotes a book on 'Coronation Street' by Jack Tinker which said he was written out by the show because he had quote: 'Not settled into the role'. That's pretty much how Bill Podmore put it - he concluded he was one of those actors with itchy feet, who cannot settle in one role. Whatever the reason, he left the famous Cobbles after just six months - leaving many headaches for others to sort out. The worst casualty of his departure was the poor actress who played his daughter, Debbie (Sue Devaney), who was also promptly written out too, despite not wanting to leave (in the script she moved to Southampton with him). Bill Podmore needed the Websters'/Elsie Tanner's house back for plot purposes, so there was no way his kids could remain there without him. Michael Le Vell who played his son Kevin Webster was lucky to be kept on (and in my view extremely lucky to have stayed in the show earning big money ever since - he's a lousy actor, with a drink problem and a very seedy sexual history!) Peter Armitage returned to Coronation Street as Bill Webster for two more stints, 1995-'97, and 2006-2011, so he clearly hadn't burned his bridges! In a 2014 interview he said he hoped to return to the Street, having successfully battled bowel cancer. But sadly it was not to be, as he died of a heart attack in 2018, aged 79. Sue Devany as Debbie Webster returned in 2019 for five episodes, after a 34 year absence, and has apparently been back in the show as a permanent character since 2020. I stopped watching at least 10 years ago, so I wouldn't know! If anyone else can update me on her recent performances, I'd be interested to know how she's doing as a middle-aged character. I've seen her over the years in various smallesh roles like 'Dinnerladies'.

[@romybath318]

He's attractive to me. Fake teeth are horrible.

[@glamdolly30]

@@romybath318 I don't like a full set of fake teeth either. But if you lose a tooth/teeth, the gap looks unslightly and dental work is required. That's a million miles from 'fake teeth'. Peter Armitage needed to see a dentist, and it's surprising he didn't when he was on camera multiple times a week in the UK's biggest soap.

[@williamf4544]

Hot milk 🤮

[@Deborah4Antiques]

Fred is dumb but shifty.

[@dementednun1175]

Debbie is always with that hideous wash basket that now has a name Ali baba

[@gordoncampbell100]

Barlow thinks he is editing The Washington Post .