Corrie's Arnold Swain dies

Sad news in today from The Guardian who carry the obituary for George Waring, who played Emily Bishop's bigamist husband, Arnold Swain on Coronation Street.

From The Guardian: Arnold, a pet-shop owner, came knocking on the door in 1980, when the timid widow Emily and Deirdre Langton, whose marriage to Ray had broken up, formed the Coronation Street Secretarial Bureau and he wanted help with his book-keeping. The actor had no inkling of what the writers ultimately had in store for Arnold. "I was just told that he was a chap who ran a pet shop and was to start an association with Emily," said Waring. "I played him without the foreknowledge that he was a bit of a dubious devil. Then, when the change came, the character did alter a lot."

Arnold swept Emily off her feet and the couple wed, but just three months later she discovered he was already married. Although she threw him out and the marriage was annulled, a distressed Arnold returned in 1981 to terrorise Emily, holding her hostage and suggesting they make a suicide pact. "I had two marvellous episodes of going mad," Waring enthused. When Emily managed to escape, the police caught Arnold and he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where he later died.

You can read the full article here.
Arnold Swain profile on corrie.net