Duration: 1983-1997
Played by: Bill Waddington
2012 character poll position (men): 20
The Street’s resident nosy parker and moral guardian with his flat cap for nearly 15 years.
Introduced as caretaker at the Community Centre. He was forced to retire in 1988.
His pomposity, sense of humour bypass and interfering rubbed many people up the wrong way.
Emily Bishop’s lodger between 1988 and 1997.
Had a budgie called Randy.
After his retirement, he did a stint as a lollypop man but was sacked as he lied about his age.
Spent his time being chased by an infatuated Phyllis Pearce and romancing the likes of Olive Clarke and Maud Grimes. He was also fond of a cup of tea and toasted teacake at Jim’s Café and a pint in the Rovers.
Bored people rigid about his wartime memories, when he worked in an army canteen!
Any Percy fans out there?
Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a true soap icon. Available here.
I, for one, liked Percy a lot, especially for his daft pomposity.
ReplyDeleteA good useful character.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds like Norris' predecessor! lol
ReplyDeleteI think 'back in the day' everyone knew someone like that; he was 'old school' in morals and values, a decent individual,but also with human fallibility.
ReplyDeleteGuess I'm well on the way to being 'past it' but many of today's characters, although they still exhibit basic traits that don't change in people, have ways of dealing with the outrageous and unbelievable events that happen in their lives in ways that I can't relate to.
Bill Waddington was superb in the episode where Percy went back to Normandy in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of D-Day.
ReplyDeleteI liked Percy. As we lose more and more vet's every year I think it's increasingly important to remember them no matter what they did in the war. Or in this case, a fictional character and telling his stories -- even they are dwindling now.
ReplyDeleteI had an on/off relationship with Percy. I resented him initially as he was brought in to replace Uncle Albert(who was utterly irreplaceable in my book). But I got used to him over time. His comic scenes with the fabulous, irrepressible Phyllis were always a treat (I can't think of his name without hearing her deep, raspy voice saying "Purrcy")). And as mentioned above, he was in some very good scenes during the D-Day celebrations.
ReplyDelete