Issue #0026

We Gotcha!

A lot of fans tell me they have been watching Coronation Street since the very beginning. One gentleman who came into the store once proudly told he had been watching Corrie for over 50 years. I told him how impressed I was but I didn’t embarrass him by pointing out that (at the time) the show was only 48 years old.

So I was quite surprised that nobody was able to identify the mystery character in newsletter issue #0025. Yes, he was a minor character but his very distinctive dress style should have given his identity away. He was Charlie Moffitt played by actor Gordon Rollings. Charlie Moffitt was the resident comedian at the Viaduct Street Social Club.

The club was the centre of activity on the Street for a short time during the 1960s. Annie Walker came second to young Lucille Hewitt in a singing contest and Stan Ogden wrestled at the club.

Charlie was a lodger at number 5 Coronation Street, the home of Minnie Caldwell, in the mid 1960s. While living there he threw a party attended by exotic dancers among whom was a woman called Rita Littlewood. Today we know that exotic dancer better as Rita Sullivan!

Eventually Charlie left the Viaduct Social Club to become an insurance salesman. That didn’t work out too well for him when he lost a cigarette package containing the money of one his customers. He fled to avoid having to face the consequences. Meanwhile Hilda Ogden had found the money and spent it. The role of Charlie Moffitt ended when he left the Street to go back into show business.

Charlie Moffitt’s character was played by actor Gordon Rollings from 1964 until 1965. Gordon was born in Yorkshire, England and had previously appeared on the show in the role of Jim Schofield in 1961. Gordon Rollings died in 1985 aged only 59.

So unfortunately nobody won the Out of Africa DVD prize, courtesy of E1 Entertainment, last time. That means you get another shot at it in this newsletter with our next trivia contest. We have other DVDs to be won over the next two or three newsletters so keep those entries coming.

Bruce Jones Shocker

Marriage breakdowns are never pretty. Emotions run high and people behave badly. It is even worse when you are a celebrity and the intimate details of your troubles are not only read out in an open courtroom, but also broadcast by the media. So it is sad to read the details of the end of Bruce’s relationship with his wife Sandra.

Bruce stands accused of trying to kill his wife and himself by steering the car in which they were driving into the path of an oncoming truck. An assault charge that he is facing allegedly relates to grabbing her hand as she tried to take control of their vehicle. It is alleged that Bruce had a long term drinking problem (which, incidentally, is the cause of his dismissal from the show).

As Blighty’s Corrie Fan Newsletter reported recently, Bruce has made a TV comeback with a leading part in a new show. Those of us who met him at Toronto’s British Isles Show a few years ago know that, at heart, Bruce is a fine gentlemen. This newsletter wishes him all the best for a happy outcome of his present troubles and a successful future career in television.

New Octagenarian On the Street

Somebody is bound to ask, so just for you, an octagenarian is a person in their 80s. What an age range we have on the cobbles now. On the one hand, we have teenagers like young Ryan Connor and Sophie Webster, while on the other hand we have old-timers like Betty (hotpot) Williams who is 90.

So which senior citizen is set to stumble along the cobbles now? Her name is June Whitfield. British fans will know her best as the star of several “Carry-On” movies. She starred alongside comedian Terry Scott in the Britcom “Terry and June” and has most recently been seen in the fabulous “Last of the Summer Wine” – where all the characters are senior citizens. As an aside, one of Summer Wine’s seniors is former Corrie great Jean Alexander (Hilda Ogden) who has vowed never to return to the Street.

June has been quoted in the British press as saying that, at 84, she isn’t up to the hectic filming schedule required of a permanent character but she has been filming for the show recently. Perhaps June should share a few plates of hotpot and a couple of pints with 90 year old Betty Driver; it just might enhance her ambition a little.

Sue Tops 30 Years Service

There has always been something a bit suspect about Audrey Roberts’ accent. Okay, if you are not of British origin you may not be tuned in to the finer nuances of the many regional dialects in the UK. Audrey’s accent has always sounded more than a little exaggerated to this pair of ears. A quick bit of research has now revealed why. Actress Sue Nicholls was born in Walsall – way to the south of Manchester and in an area with a very distinct local dialect that is completely different to the Weatherfield dialect.

66 year old Sue Nicholls has always managed to play the role of Audrey Roberts with a bit of a regal air. It is almost as though Audrey thinks she is a little bit more up-market than the other characters on the show. The actress may not even have intended to add “airs and graces” to the role – perhaps it comes naturally to her.

You see, The Honourable Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls is the daughter of Life Peer Lord Harmar (deceased) a former Conservative member of the British and European parliaments.

Sue joined the show, as Audrey, in 1979, becoming a permanent character in 1985. But did you know she also recorded a hit song – “Where Will You Be” – in 1968 that reached #17 in the charts?

John and Veronica

We all know John and Veronica. It’s just that we know them both by different names. John is still on the show although he is in his 70s now. Veronica has passed away. John came from a dysfunctional family and was a bit of an unruly character. He met Veronica while working on what is called a fairground ride in the UK. In Canada we might refer to it as a midway ride.

Things moved quickly in their relationship and Veronica soon told John that she was pregnant. John was rather reluctant to lose his freedom but he did the decent thing by proposing marriage. Veronica accepted but then discovered that it had been a false alarm – she wasn’t pregnant at all. But John was smitten and wanted to go ahead with the wedding anyway.

To impress his bride John falsified his age on the marriage licence by adding a couple of years. Of course, that meant they weren’t legally married – a situation that was later rectified during a trip to Las Vegas. Neither partner was faithful; both had their flings with other partners, but they stayed together and became one of the Street’s most perfect couples until separated by the death of Veronica.

John and Veronica are their real character names but they chose to be referred to by more familiar names. If you can identify them use the “Leave a Reply” box at the bottom of the web version of this newsletter to spill the beans. No prizes for this one, it’s just a bit of fun. If nobody gets the right answer (and I think lots of you will) we will reveal all in the next issue of Blighty’s Corrie Fan Newletter.

Excuse Him, He’s From Barcelona

Corrie fan Janet Gonsalves writes: I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your hard work in getting this out to all of us “Street” fans. I just discovered that Ramsey Cole (Norris’ brother) is played by Andrew Sachs who a lot of us remember as Manuel, the clutzy waiter in Fawlty Towers.  Your readers might be interested in this. Finally, pleeeeese, some new spoilers.

Thank you for your feedback Janet. Yes, you are right, Andrew Sachs did indeed play the long-suffering Spanish waiter in the smash hit John Cleese comedy “Fawlty Towers” made in the 1970s.

Sachs was also in the news more recently in a different light. He was the victim of prank, obscene telephone calls made by BBC presenters Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand in connection with his eccentric daughter.

Andrew Sachs was born in Berlin, Germany in 1930 to a Jewish family who fled to England when he was 8 years old to escape Nazi persecution. Sachs has joined the cast as Norris Cole’s brother Ramsey. If you have been following the story in Canada you may be wondering what dark secret lies between Norris and Ramsey. Why has Norris accused Ramsey of causing their mother’s death?

If, like Janet, you like spoilers, go check out Blighty’s Corrie Fan Newsletter’s spoilers page to read about the devastating conclusion to the sad saga of Norris and Ramsey.

Corrie Criticized by Safe Sex Campaigners

Corrie script-writers should just throw in the towel and confess. There are more sexual shenanigans in soaps than in real life. It makes for a good plot – apparently. And, believe it or not, many young people are more likely to model their behaviour on what they see on TV rather than what they learn at school, or from their parents – what a shocker.

Campaigners in the UK want TV shows, including Corrie, to provide safe-sex guidance. ITV bosses have hit back saying Corrie is not a public information service; it is … er … entertainment. Well, duh!

Corrie Creator Wins Award

We hear about all the awards won by the young actors and actresses on the show almost every week. “best soap actress”, “sexiest soap star” etc. But where would they all be if one man hadn’t taken the bull by the horns half a century ago and proposed a new kind of TV show to ITV?

That man was Tony Warren, a contract writer with the network, who had an idea and the cahones to pitch it to the bosses. They bought the idea, but only for a trial run. The public loved the new show and it went on to become ITV’s most successful show ever.

Tony Warren received a lifetime achievement award from the Royal Television Society this week. Judges were unreserved in their praise for what Tony created. Thousands of fans all around the world share that feeling too.

Trivia Question

We know her now as Rita Sullivan, but exactly how many last names has our Rita used during her life? The winning entry is going to be more than just a list of names. Improve your chances of winning by giving us a bit of an explanation too. The judges will look at all entries received by Thursday 1st April and will select the fan who, in their sole judgement, provides the fullest and best answer to our question. The winner will receive a copy of the Coronation Street spin-off movie “Out of Africa” on DVD courtesy of E1 Entertainment, the sole Canadian distributor of Out of Africa and other Coronation Street DVDs.

Send your entry using the “Leave a Reply” box at the bottom of the web version of Blighty’s Corrie Fan Newsletter. Good luck!