Where are they now? Corrie Icons of the 70s - Bill Kenwright

Here we go with a look back at some of the Coronation Street icons from the 1970s. Let's find out what they've been up to since they left the show.

Bill Kenwright who played Gordon Clegg

Bill Kenwright played the role of Betty's son Gordon Clegg in Coronation Street from 1968 to 1969, and then intermittently until 1995. Bill reprised the role for the episodes following the death of Gordon's mother Betty in 2012.

In real life, Gordon always sent Betty Driver, who played Betty in Corrie, a bunch of flowers on mother's day.

And since he left Corrie, it's probably easier to say what Bill Kenright hasn't done than what he has!

Bill became a highly successful theatrical producer, his biggest hits being West End production Blood Brothers and a national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Techincolour Dreamcoat. He owns his own record label.

Bill staged a successful takeover of Everton Football Club in 1999, and became the chairman in 2004.

He's an amazing fella and has his own stage production company.  If you'd like a run-down on everything he's involved with, there's a biography of him on his website here.

Visit Bill Kenwright's website

See also: Meet Gordon Clegg

Read more Corrie news, interviews and spoilers here

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Betty Driver interview to air on radio tonight

Betty Driver will be remembered by many generations. Not only because her character, Betty Williams, appeared in more than 2,800 episodes of Coronation Street over 40 years, but also because of her talents in singing and writing, as well as her constant charm and cheery spirit in everything she did.

To mark the first anniversary of her death, Bill Kenwright — who played Betty’s son in Corrie — pays tribute to her with an airing of this previously unbroadcast interview recorded shortly before her death, in which she recounts her hectic life, intercut with the hit songs she recorded in the 1930s.

Bill Kenwright presents a tribute to the actress and singer, who died in October 2011. The programme features the first broadcast of an interview recorded in 2010, in which Betty talks about her often turbulent upbringing and reveals how starring in Coronation Street provided her with a second family. There are also highlights from her musical career, including a selection of the hit songs she recorded in the 1930s.

Listen to BBC Radio 2 at 10pm tonight, Monday 15 October 2012. The interview is called Betty Driver: So Little Time.

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Meet Gordon Clegg

With Betty's son Gordon Clegg returning to Coronation Street for Betty's farewell, our blogger Tvor takes a look back at the life of Gordon Clegg on Corrie.
Les, Maggie and son Gordon Clegg came to Coronation Street in April, 1968 and moved into the Corner Shop, which was still owned by Irma Barlow at the time. Les was a violent alcoholic and after being hospitalised when teenage son Gordon knocked him flat, he never returned and the marriage was over.

It wasn't long before Gordon, a nice looking 17 year old, fell for young Lucille Hewitt, who was Annie Walker's ward. Lucille only had eyes for Ray Langton who had a girlfriend already. Lucille did get to date Ray but reckoned he was not the gentleman that Gordon was and went to him instead. Ray and Gordon were at odds more than once over the lovely Lucille who dropped Gordon for a soldier but Gordon won out in the end and proposed to her.

Neither Annie nor Maggie approved of the relationship but the young couple were determined to be together and attempted to elope to Gretna Green. While waiting for a delayed train en route, they both had second thoughts and returned to Weatherfield but continued on as a couple, planning a proper wedding.

It was not meant to be, however, when Gordon got cold feet a week before the wedding, and ran off to London to be an accountant. After he moved out, Maggie's sister Betty moved in!

Gordon made a success in his chosen career and in little more than a year was able to lend his mother enough money to buy the partnership from Irma. He didn't return to Weatherfield until summer, 1974 when his mother married and emigrated to Zaire. He lived with his Auntie Betty until he could sort out the shop and rented it out to a Welsh family, the Hopkins. Lucille was not happy to see him back and left for Ireland where her step-mother, Concepta still lived but Gordon didn't seem to be bothered and had time to get out and date a few willing women.

His world was soon turned upside down when interfering Granny Hopkins discovered Gordon's birth certificate in the flat. It showed that his biological mother was his Aunt, Betty. Gordon knew nothing about this but Maggie told him rather than him hearing it from anyone else. Gordon was pleased that the man he hated was not his father.

After Maggie left, and an argument with Betty over the shop, Mrs. Hopkins let the cat out of the bag, writing Gordon a letter containing the information, thinking blackmailing him would give her family a chance to buy the shop cheaply. No such luck. Gordon chucked them out instead and installed Blanche Hunt in as manager for a while before selling up to Renee Bradshaw.

Betty admitted the truth and told Gordon that his father was a married sailor, Ted Farrell, that she'd met just after the war (Gordon was born in 1950). Maggie and Les agreed to adopt and raise the baby for her.

Gordon and Betty became close but Gordon wasn't planning on making Weatherfield his home. He left again and moved to London. He returned in 1982 to introduce his intended, Caroline to his mother. Caroline was a snob and thoroughly disapproved of Betty, a mere barmaid. Gordon married her anyway and lives in London with her and his son, Peter.

Betty visits regularly and Gordon has made occasional visits home. He was at her wedding to Billy Williams (though played by a different actor) and he came to see Betty on the occasion of her 84th birthday in 2004. He will return in April 2012 for his mother's funeral.

Gordon has mostly been played by Bill Kenwright though that one time was substituted by Geoffrey Leesley. Bill became very close to Betty Driver who played his real mother and sent her cards every year for Mother's Day.

Thanks to Itv.com, corrie.net, and several of Darren Little's Corrie anniversary books for the bio information.

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Betty's funeral will not be shown on Coronation Street

In this week's fab Inside Soap magazine, Coronation Street Producer Phil Collinson reveals a few more details about Betty Williams' funeral. 

The magazine says that "it's rumoured that, after much behind-the-scenes deliberation, Betty's funeral won't be seen on screen, with the action istead taking place at her wake. And the focus of the storyline will be on the secert that Betty guarded, which we blogged about here.

The Inside Soap article is further given weight at Digital Spy who say they "understand that a number of characters will be seen leaving for the funeral, before later returning to the pub to reminisce over Betty," and that Betty's send-off from Coronation Street will be centred around her wake.
It has now been confirmed that Bill Kenwright, who played Betty's son Gordon, will be returning for the funeral.
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Gordon Clegg to return for Betty's funeral

Sharon Marshall revealed that Bill Kenwright will be returning to play Betty's on-screen son, Gordon Clegg for the funeral episodes in April. Bill last appeared as Gordon back in 1995, he was recast in 2002 with another actor, Geoffrey Leesley playing the role.

According to Sharon, Bill is the only actor who has been approached for the funeral episodes. It will be great to see Gordon back on-screen again, it would have been very strange if he didn't attend.

Source - Digital Spy

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