A Celebration of Coronation Street Barmaids - Numbers 1 to 10

Guest blog post from Andy Steele who is writing about all of the Coronation Street barmaids since the show began in 1960.  Today we begin with the first ten barmaids and now it's over to Andy who also blogs at www.andysteele90.wordpress.com

Across 6 decades on the nation’s favourite street, the beating heart, was, is, and forever will be the Rovers Return. Hotpots have been sampled, pints have been poured, affairs have been revealed and blood has been spilt. All in front of the beady eye of the Rovers' staff which have included landlords and landladies, pot men and of course barmaids. 

As Coronation Street reaches its 60th Anniversary, here is a list of 60 barmaids who have all presented punters with a smile and wink behind the bar of the most famous pub in the land. The first ten of these are as follows:

1. Concepta Regan (nee Riley, previously Hewitt)

Time in the Rovers: 1960 – 1962.

As the first on-screen barmaid, Concepta enjoyed a romance and subsequently married bus conductor Harry Hewitt and they had a baby son called Christopher who was kidnapped in October 1962. She left for Ireland in 1964. Making occasional returns in 1967, 1972 and finally 1975.

2. Nona Willis

Time in the Rovers: 1 month from September to October 1961.

A minor character but upset the Rovers regulars when she revealed, that she used to work as an exotic dancer. Nona was from London and left Weatherfield when she found it hard to understand the northern accent.

3. Doreen Lostock

Time in the Rovers: October 1961 – June 1962 (the character doesn’t appear between 8th November 61 and 4th June 1962 and it is not mentioned when she does leave the Rovers but when she appears on screen again in June of 1962, Doreen speaks of leaving her job at the grocers, and that she has no plans of returning to the Rovers)

Doreen was close friends with Sheila Birtles. Two young girls of the swinging sixties. She left the street in October 1963 to join the Women’s Royal Army Corp.

4. Irma Barlow (nee Ogden)

Time in the Rovers: 1964-1965.

Irma was the daughter of street icons Stan and Hilda. She married David Barlow and emigrated to Australia where David and son Darren died in a car crash in 1968. She even became the proprietor of the Corner Shop before leaving for good in 1971.

5. Emily Bishop (nee Nugent)

Time in the Rovers: 1968-1969.

Emily worked behind the bar on occasional shifts when she moved into the Rovers. She was thrown out by Annie Walker after causing a rift between Annie Walker and son Billy. Outside of the Rovers, Emily fell in love with Ernest, only to lose him in 1978. Married bigamist Arnold Swain in 1980. Spent time up a tree with nephew spider in 1998, and had a number of lodgers including Percy Sugden, Curly Watts and Norris Cole.

6. Lucille Hewitt.

Time in the Rovers: 1968-1974.

Lucille was the surrogate daughter of Jack and Annie Walker. They took Lucille under their wing after her dad Harry and wife Concepta left to go for Ireland. She stayed around after her father’s death in 1967, and worked the odd shift in the Rovers. Even spinning a lie to Annie, informing her that she had got employment within the YMCA, when in fact she was working as a go-go dancer at the Aquarius disco club.

7. Betty Williams (nee Preston, previously Turpin)

Time in the Rovers: 1969-2012.

As the Rovers longest serving barmaid. Betty of course became famous for her hotpot. It became as much associated with Corrie as much as the cobbles themselves. She was there to express her opinions on the clientele, as well as providing a shoulder to cry on for those who needed it. One of her biggest storylines was in 1975, when it was revealed she was the mother of Gordon Clegg and not her sister Maggie, as Gordon grew up to believe. Upon her passing in 2012, it was revealed that landlady Annie Walker bequeathed the Rovers to her in her will, which Betty never took up.

8. Bet Lynch

Time in the Rovers: 1970-1995.

Once voted as the nation’s favourite barmaid. Elizabeth Theresa Lynch, went from barmaid to landlady. Taking over the reigns from Annie Walker in 1985. She often painted on a smile for the customers, but suffered a lot of heartache. Mostly when it came to her wrong choice of men. However, in 1975, she discovered that her son Martin (whom she gave up for adoption) had been killed whilst serving in the army. Her grief pain escaped through the television set, providing viewers with an astonishing performance.

9. Blanche Hunt

Time in the Rovers: 1 week in October 1974.

Yes. Believe it or not, the sharp-tongued mother of Deirdre, Blanche did a stint behind the bar of the Rovers as a relief manager. A selection of ladies from Weatherfield had gone on holiday to Majorca, therefore Blanche stepped in to look after the Rovers. However, when Annie Walker returned, she discovered an illegal lock-in taking place.

“It’s obvious that I made a grave error of judgement in leaving you in control here. Thirty-seven years I’ve been a licensee Mrs Hunt, and in all that time I have never once been accused of breaking the licensing laws or sponsoring a shindig such as this. Still one can hardly be surprised, can one. It all boils down to breeding in the end.”

10. Gail Rodwell (nee Potter, previously Tilsley, Platt, Hillman, McIntyre)

Time in the Rovers: 1 shift in November 1976.

Gail was called upon to work behind the bar after Bet and Betty walked out. The re-entered as customers and made Gail’s shift all the more stressful by ordering complicated, exotic cocktails.

Outside of the Rovers, Gail hasn’t exactly had the easy life. 5 husbands, and 6 weddings. Married to a serial killer, a pregnant daughter at 13, a nightmare teenager for a son. 46 years and counting…. will another husband come along? Who knows?

Guest blog post from Andy Steele who is writing about all of the Coronation Street barmaids since the show began in 1960.  Andy also blogs at www.andysteele90.wordpress.com

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License