I used to love watching Coronation Street's Cilla Battersby Brown, played by Wendi Peters. Blimey - she was vile, wasn't she? But brilliantly so. I really miss her, and the recent mention of Cilla's pal Yana reminded me of her. I also noticed a photograph of her, in the Stape's house. Nobody really mentions her though. Mind you - I suppose that's hardly surprising given her awful past behaviour towards Ches and Fiz.One of her later storylines involved her getting a job in a nursing home, and finding a wealthy resident to seduce - who turned out to be more than a match for her. I loved that one. After he died, she sold the necklace she had been left, and headed off to, well, I remembered it as Vegas, which feels right for Cilla, but on reading back about this, it seems that it was Florida. Her character kind of softened from being a thoroughly nasty, screechy harridan to start with to more of a Wilma Flintstone cartoony type.
Wendi seems to have done a bit of reality TV and some chat shows over the past year or two. I remember her singing on Soapstar Superstar as well, and getting a right slagging off the American judge for not being thin enough. Infuriating. Anyway - good luck to you Wendi, whatever you're up to.
She worked in Vegas for a few months, then got a job in Sun City, entered a competition, told lies about who her family were, got found out, then ended up on Alfie Vlok's TV show in Africa :p
ReplyDeleteCilla was last seen after her scheme in South Africa went horribly wrong
ReplyDeletehttp://tvor-downeast.blogspot.com/2009/08/episode-review-out-of-africa.html
I miss her too; Wendi Peters played her so very well.
ReplyDeleteChesney mentioned her the other day when he said his mother had been a liar, so he was used to it ( the Stapester being a liar)too, that is.
I wonder if she might return someday, as I'm sure she would fit right in again.
Wendi Peters purportedly left to spend time with her family, and probably to try her hand at new things, but I think when she left, the door would be open for a possible return.
I LOVED her...she was vile, but she knew she was vile and a terrible mother. I kept watching Coronation Street because that's around the tie I got into it...when she first got the job in that nursing home and it made me curious to see if she'd last in a job like this one... Everyone including her own daughter Fiz looked down on her but she held herself high... Wendi Peters played her so well...
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind if she did come back... perhaps as a trashy, rich widow showing off all her money...
Wendy of course left because she wanted to, so I am sure the door would always be open for her to return as long as either Chesney or Fizz were still in the show.
ReplyDeleteShe's been touring the country for quite a while in "Grumpy Old Women" - I saw her in the West End along with Suzie Blake (Bev), and she threw me a toffee (along with a few dozen others!)
Personally, I think Cilla was one of the greatest comic characters that Corrie has ever produced, easily ranking alongside the likes of Hilda or Bette... and like them she could also do pathos extremely well.
Come on Phil - ask her back. You never know, she might well do if she were to be asked...
Cilla was a good comic character but she was also high on the aggravation scale too.
ReplyDeleteI am sure she could be worked back in with a half decent plot perhaps in a guest slot as opposed to coming back permanently.
Please don't let her return, NOT EVER.
ReplyDeleteShe was a prefectly dreadful creation and way to OTT to come across as a credible character.
She belonged in a badly written sitcom, not the street.
The spin off DVD featuring her exploits on a talent contest in South Africa was equally ghastly.
Gone and glady forgotten and hopefully one never to return the cobbles!
Message to Phil Collinson - Whatever else you might do during your tenure in the producer's chair DON'T ASK HER BACK!
I met her once, and she is actually very nice! It was April 2009 and she was doing some theatre in my town, she did a one woman show called Mrs Whippy and it was great.
ReplyDeleteI saw her do an interview once, made me appreciate her acting skills all the more!
ReplyDeleteShe was lovely.