1. Stan and Hilda Ogden 1964-1984 (258 votes)
We've reached No. 1!
If there was a couple worthy of the first prize in our poll, it’s this one. Despite it being 30 years since they appeared together, here is a testament of their enduring appeal and popularity. And thanks to the internet, we can still relive those warm, wonderful moments between the Ogdens at 13 Coronation Street.
If there was any double act that made a national impact, it would be these two. As a couple, they were a part of our lives for twenty years, and through those two decades we witnessed their highs and lows. They didn’t quite hit it off as a comedy duo until they were well-established, with the past history of Stan’s neglect and abuse towards his children being mentioned. As the 1970s dawned, the Ogdens were more or less the key to comedy on the cobbles with the instalment of the flying ducks and ‘muriel’. What made them a hit was, like the Walkers before them, their personality clash. Stan was a layabout and was mostly redundant, always in the Rovers or in the bookies while Hilda was the street’s busybody and the breadwinner.
Although they bickered a lot (Hilda’s screeching of “Stanley!!” became legendary), Stan and Hilda loved each other and were married for forty years. Looked down by their neighbours, Stan and Hilda didn’t care and enjoyed mingling with the folk of the street. By 1983, the limelight was fading on the Ogdens as Stan’s health deteriorated and he died in 1984. Staying strong for the funeral, Hilda finally broke down alone when she opened the package from the hospital that had all of Stan’s belongings in it, clearing showing her loss. Hilda stayed in the street until 1987 and always reminisced about ‘my Stan’ to anyone who’d listen.
Are you happy that the Ogdens are at No.1? Or should the Duckies or Croppers occupy the top place? It’ll be very interesting to hear your thoughts!
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Excellent! They are my favourites :)
ReplyDeleteStan and Hilda ARE Coronation Street.
ReplyDeleteWonderful memories of a bygone era. Stan and Hilda were of the same ilk as cartoon character Andy Capp and his long-suffering wife. It was a great match, but Hilda brought something special to the screen with her singing and malapropisms.
ReplyDeleteQuite right. Where I work we sell Corrie gifts and anything with Hilda on it always sells fastest.
ReplyDeleteI most heartily agree! No one else could hold the number one spot.
ReplyDeleteNobody will ever beat them although Roy and Hayley come close as do Jack and Vera.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased about this result though I do disagree with the sentence "Looked down by their neighbours, Stan and Hilda didn’t care". Stan obviously didn't but Hilda was desperate to be looked upon as being just as good as the rest and much comedy resulted from that!
ReplyDeleteA very, very worthy winner and all the better for being so long after they both departed.
Without a doubt. It's got to be Hilda and Stan. The rest are a distant second and third. Hilda and Stan were able to achieve what no other couple I think on the Cobbles could achieve -- or achieve to a high art form: the working class portrayal of pathos, comedy, and tragedy -- sometimes all in the same storyline.
ReplyDeleteHilda wanted so badly to achieve a measure of respectability and comfort for both herself and Stan and usually failed so brilliantly. But I was on her and Stan's side always, especially when she butt up against the snobbery of Annie Walker and the others. She could be gossipy and crass, mixed up her words like "now go insert yourself" or of course "muriel" but I could never see her as a nasty person like later characters like Sally Webster who also desperately wanted to climb the social ladder. Even when she was nagging poor Stan about his laziness and his more relaxed attitude towards their social standing, she just never came across as a harpie like Michelle Connor towards Steve. Through their antics and their bumbling there was always still a lot of heart that resonated with us. And on the rare occasion the two of them achieved a small victory, we cheered. I do miss them both terribly...
--from a Cobbles Couch Potato in Canada
I agree with this choice, as Hilda has always been my favourite character. As a couple though, they were not always the ideal match. When we first met them, Stan knocked Hilda about on a regular basis. Thankfully they quickly decided not to go down that road, and turned the tables, making Hilda the strong one, and Stan the hapless but comical loser.
ReplyDeleteYesssss!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/OqtTB3oed7U
S: What's that lipstick taste of?
H: Woman, Stanley, woman.
No promoting violence against children and then happy for Karen to smack Steve is alright
ReplyDelete