56. Derek Wilton 1976-1979, 1982, 1984-1997 (15 votes)
Gnome lover Derek was brought in as a love interest for reserved Kabin assistant Mavis Riley in 1976 and they would have an on/off relationship for the next twelve years. During that period he constantly took advantage of Mavis’ good nature and in 1984 fought for her hand in marriage against potter Victor Pendlebury – a battle which he won. But both Derek and Mavis jilted each other – a Wilton jilting indeed! They did finally marry in 1988 and became figures of fun by their neighbours due to their eccentricities. Derek is also famed for his green Corsa with the paper clip on the roof when he worked for ex-wife Angela. Derek died of a heart attack during a road rage incident in 1997.
Should Derek be at 56? Were you a fan of him? Leave a comment!
Gnome lover Derek was brought in as a love interest for reserved Kabin assistant Mavis Riley in 1976 and they would have an on/off relationship for the next twelve years. During that period he constantly took advantage of Mavis’ good nature and in 1984 fought for her hand in marriage against potter Victor Pendlebury – a battle which he won. But both Derek and Mavis jilted each other – a Wilton jilting indeed! They did finally marry in 1988 and became figures of fun by their neighbours due to their eccentricities. Derek is also famed for his green Corsa with the paper clip on the roof when he worked for ex-wife Angela. Derek died of a heart attack during a road rage incident in 1997.
Should Derek be at 56? Were you a fan of him? Leave a comment!
55. Len Fairclough 1961-1983 (20 votes)
One of the leading men on the street for many years and the original alpha male who managed to woo three sirens – Elsie, Rita and Bet. A rough diamond, he constantly held a torch for Elsie despite marrying Rita in 1977. But Rita had similar features to Elsie: personality, independent, sexy and her fiery red hair! A builder and a councillor, he held a council seat for 12 years (1966-1978) and owned his own yard and entered into a partnership with Jerry Booth and later Ray Langton. He was responsible for rebuilding N° 7 in 1982 after its demolition in 1965. Due to Len and Rita marrying late in life, they couldn’t have children and during the early 1980s fostered children like John Spencer and Sharon Gaskell. Len died in a car crash in 1983 on the way to see his mistress in Bolton. Although hurt by his betrayal, Rita was devastated to have lost her one true love.
Should Len be at 55? Do you remember him chasing Elsie and marrying Rita? Leave a comment!
3 comments:
Two very different but brilliant characters. Derek is one of the those characters who suffers from being rated on his own as he's so linked with Mavis most people will have voted for one or the other.
Len suffers from the Steve McDonald syndrome - he's great value but so ubiquitous that he doesn't stand out. I prefer the quirker male characters so Len isn't one of my favourites but I still like him.
I don't think Derek died on the M6. It was a quiet country road, unless my memory is playing tricks.
Len Fairclough was the first character to appear when Coronation Street returned after the ITV strike. After some moments he peered into the camera and said: "Hello, we missed you". He then updated everyone on what had been happening last time we were there.
Those were the days. When the show tried to preserve the illusion that it was a real street, before every other resident was a criminal or murderer.
For many of us that remember the early decades of The Street, Len was a legend. He was probably the best drawn working class man the Street has ever seen. Brawling, boozing, or tender and loving, the programme has never had a male character to match Len.
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