STAN OGDEN (85 VOTES)
Duration: 1964-1984
Played by: Bernard Youens
2012 character poll position (men): 10
Henpecked husband of Hilda and resident Rovers supper.
After years of being a lorry driver, he spent his time on the cobbles drifting from one job to another: milkman, ice cream van driver, labourer and most famously window cleaner.
The Ogdens’ marriage was one of the street’s most solid, despite their public and private arguments. They were a source of comedy in the show for years, but they also starred in many poignant and heart-wrenching moments. Despite it being over 30 years since they last appeared together, Stan and Hilda are still fondly remembered.
Stan was often ridiculed by the menfolk of the street for being henpecked and lazy, often complaining of a bad back. The likes of Ray Langton and Len Fairclough enjoyed stirring it so Stan could get into trouble with Hilda. A recurring joke between 1968 and 1983 was Stan’s relationship and possible affair with Clara Regan in 19 Inkerman Street!
Stan was in heaven in 1976 when he was locked in the Rovers cellar all night with Albert Tatlock. Hilda was not a happy bunny when she found out she had been sick with worry all night and her husband was more than merry in the morning!
When Eddie Yeats moved into the street, he befriended the Ogdens and later lodged with them and soon enough Stan was embroiled in Eddie’s dodgy schemes. Examples include Eddie selling beer in an ice cream van and of course the installation of hens in the back yard.
Bernard Youens’ ill health was reflected on-screen. While it wasn’t addressed that Stan had suffered strokes, his speech was slurred from 1976 onwards and by 1983/4, his dialogue was reduced greatly due to difficulty understanding him.
Stan passed away in 1984, sadly the same year when he could actually do nothing as he received a state pension. When Hilda received his glasses, she finally broke down in what is one of the show’s most poignant moments. Stan's death was written in due to Youens' death.
A fan of Stan?
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Also interesting to note that when he first arrived on the street there was talk that he beat Hilda about. Quite a nasty character soon developed into a favourite of the show.
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ReplyDeleteAnd like many a subsequent character, the Ogdens were deeply unpopular with the viewing public until they found their direction. I always recall that whenever I hear cries of "Oh, X is awful! We don't need the character; get rid!" After a new character has appeared in half a dozen episodes. Actors need to get a strong handle on the character, then the writers, seeing what the actor is doing with it, need to start writing for him/her along those lines. That all takes about four or five months, so we really need to suspend our judgement (except in the case of Sarah Harding, of course. She was just rubbish)
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