See Anne Reid on stage in the West End

Anne Reid, who played Ken Barlow's wife Valerie in Coronation Street, is taking to the West End stage in A Woman of No Importance, the first production in a year-long Oscar Wilde season.

A Woman of No Importance will run at the Vaudeville Theatre in London from 6th October to 20th December 2017.

Oscar Wilde’s play is about members of the English upper classes who attend a party at a countryside estate. The guests include a widow, her son, and an American visitor.

Anne Reid will play Lady Hunstanton, who is holding the party at her estate.

Although Anne is probably best known for playing Valeria Barlow in Coronation Street in the 1960s, she also starred in the sitcom Dinnerladies in the late 1990s. She was nominated for a Bafta TV Award for her role as Celia in the BBC series Last Tango in Halifax, and a Bafta Award for her role in the 2003 film The Mother. On stage, Reid has appeared in a number of productions, the most recent being in the Chichester production of Fracked! Herprevious work also includes the National Theatre’s production of Happy Now?, the Donmar Warehouse’s Dimetos, and Hedda Gabler at The Old Vic alongside Sheridan Smith.

The season also includes the previously announced production of Lady Windermere’s Fan, directed by actress Kathy Burke.

A Woman of No Importance Tickets are available now.

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See Anne Reid in stage comedy with James Bolam

Anne Reid is one of those ex-Coronation Street actresses who keeps on working on stage and screen, and long may she continue.

Anne played Ken's wife Valerie Barlow in Coronation Street until she died by electrocution from a faulty hairdryer.

She's starring this week in a stage play called Fracked! Or Please Don’t Use The F-Word.
And the play is on a major UK tour

Fracked! is a provocative new comedy set in an idyllic English village threatened by an energy company intent on drilling for shale gas. Anne Reid plays Elizabeth, a retired academic who finds herself transformed from obedient citizen to angry protestor. While her increasingly grumpy husband (James Bolam) longs for the quiet life, Elizabeth soars to fame via social media.

This week the play runs at the Richmond Theatre and you can buy tickets here.

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Ex-Corrie actress on national tour of singing and stories

 

Anne Reid played Valerie Barlow in Coronation Street and since leaving the soap has gone on to do some wonderful work on TV and the stage.

Now, Anne and her musical director Jason Carr are on tour, presenting an evening of songs and stories and music and memories, including filming with Daniel Craig, performing Shakespeare at Buckingham Palace and making Last Tango in Halifax!

Reid is one of Britain’s most-loved and respected actors, star of the very popular Last Tango in Halifax, Ladies of Letters, Dinnerladies and The Mother. What is less well known is her life as a cabaret performer. Over the past two years Reid’s cabaret has sold out at numerous venues across London and now she embarks on a UK tour.


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Corrie's Mavis Riley and Valerie Barlow on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip

Thelma Barlow, who played Mavis Riley, and Anne Reid, who was Ken Barlow’s first wife Val on Coronation Street, have beein filming a special episode of Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.  The show will be on screen in November and was filmed to raise funds for Children in Need.

What I found amazing about the press release here is that Thelma is now 83 years old. I know!  She says she doesn't watch Coronation Street any more as she's too busy gardening and seeing friends.

Anne Reid keeps going from strength to strength too. She did a five-night cabaret residency in London last week and is looking forward to the start of filming next month for a second series of BBC1’s Last Tango In Halifax.

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Anne Reid On Stage in London

Earlier in the week, we alerted you to the upcoming Ken Barlow, The Musical to be performed in London at the St. James Theatre Studio on November 24. Ken Barlow's first wife, Valerie, will also be appearing in the same venue a week or so earlier. Well, it's Anne Reid, of course, not Val Barlow. She's dead. Fans of Anne Reid can see her on the 17th and 18th of November in "In a New Key". Tickets are available on the theatre's website here but there's no further information yet as to what the show is about.

Thanks to our reader Martin for alerting us!


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New BBC series starring ex Corrie cast

There will be a new BBC series going into production this year, a romantic comedy called Antony and Cleopatra. It's got several Coronation Street links including former Corrie actors Anne Reid (Val Barlow) and Sarah Lancashire (Raquel Watts).

It is written by ex- Corrie writer, Sally Wainwright and it is about former childhood sweethearts who meet up 60 years later and reminisce about what could have been while the lives of their children are in upheaval around them. Anne Reid's co-star is veteran actor, Derek Jacobi.

You can read more about the series here. I think this sounds like it will be worth checking out. The rest of the cast is excellent too. The series will be aired on BBC One later this year.


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Anne Reid in new ITV drama

Former Coronation Street actress Anne Reid, who played Valerie Barlow, will be seen in a new series on ITV1. The series is called Marchlands and Anne will appear from episode two onwards. She was awarded the MBE last year and talks about the honour in this interview with Ian Wylie. She also has some interesting comments about her days in Corrie back in the 1960s.

Marchlands is about a haunted house and its effects on three different families that live there in the late 60s, late 80s and present day.

Anne was also recently seen in the revival of Upstairs Downstairs and is waiting to hear if a further series is going to be commissioned.

Marchlands starts tonight on ITV1 at 9:00pm.

Queens of Corrie at Buckingham Palace today

Barbara Knox (Rita), Eileen Derbyshire (Emily) and Anne Reid (Valerie Barlow) were at Buckingham Palace today being awarded their MBEs for services to drama.  Watch them on the ITV News.

Speaking after the Buckingham Palace investiture ceremony, Barbara said: "It's very overwhelming quite honestly because it's something I've done all my life and loved and suddenly I've got an honour. I suppose we do give a service, so many millions love the programme, so there you are - it's still very surprising."

Asked whether the Queen is a fan of the soap, Barbara replied: "I'm rather led to believe she does watch when she has time and she has visited the Street so she does know about it."

Both actresses praised fellow cast members and the work of those behind the scenes from the director and writers to make-up artists for making the long-running series a success.

Barbara said: "They are a great team of actors and they are portraying marvellous people with great humour. We have marvellous storylines, very strong ones, and we have hit a nerve with the nation for almost 50 years and that's pretty special for a programme to do that. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, all these places adore the Street so we must be doing something right."

Find out more about the MBE awards to the Coronation Street actresses, here.

Corrie ladies to star in BBC comedy

Katherine Kelly, who plays Coronation Street's Becky McDonald, has been cast in a comedy play for BBC Radio 4, called Everyone Quite Likes Justin.

Holy Soap says that the play also stars Anne Reid (Valerie Tatlock) and Sally Lindsay (Shelley Unwin). The show airs on Tuesday, July 27 and you can listen to it online here when it's broadcast.

Anne Reid and Maureen Lipman star in Ladies of Letters

Two wonderful ex-Coronation Street actresses are starring in Ladies of Letters, which starts on ITV3 on Tuesday 3rd Feb at 10pm

Anne Reid, who played Ken Barlow's wife Valerie before she was electrocuted by a faulty hairdryer, and Maureen Lipman, who played Rovers Return relief manager Lilian "and never, ever Lily" Spencer star in the comedy as Irene and Vera.

Anyway, Ladies of Letters is based on the books and Radio 4 series written by Carole Hayman and Lou Wakefield. It's the first time that it's has been shown on TV. You can find out more at the ITV3 Ladies of Letters website which includes interviews with Maureen and Anne. The actresses have known each other since 1969 when Anne was on the Corrie cast as Valerie Barlow. Anne is pictured to the right as Valerie Barlow with the Barlow twins, Peter and Susan.

Anne's late husband was Peter Eckersley, head of drama at Granada TV and he shared an office with Maureen's husband, the late Jack Rosenthal. There's a brand new book about Jack Rosenthal which has just been relased and includes details of his work on Coronation Street. Find out more here.