If you remember, last year I had a series of posts looking at the top 12 faces of each Corrie decade - the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s. For the next few weeks or so, I’ll be looking at the top 12 faces of each year between 1960 and 2013.
Average age: 38 – this is the first time the average age of the top 12 is under 40. The average age drops from 51 to 38 in a year
Note: To date, this is the last time Deirdre and Fiona appear in the top 12. And this is the only time Judy, Chris, Gary and Samantha appear in the top 12.
They moved into the Duckworths’ old house when they bought the Rovers. Although they argued with each other, Gary and Judy was a nice couple and settled down on the street. While Gary worked with Jim McDonald, Judy worked as a barmaid in the Rovers.
Judy always wanted children, and even persuaded Zoe Tattersall to be a surrogate mother for them but when she gave birth, she backed out. Judy was later overjoyed when she found out she was expecting twins and Billy and Becky were born on Christmas Day 1998. In 1999, Judy was involved in a car crash with Vera and hurt her leg. She refused to rest and while putting out the washing, she collapsed and died of a leg embolism. Gary moved to Blackpool with the twins and girlfriend Paula in 2000.
Were you a fan of Gary and Judy? Should they be at 30?
29. Richard Hillman and Gail Platt/Hillman, 2001-2003 (51 votes)
Gail Platt met suave financial advisor Richard Hillman at friend Alma’s funeral. He fell for Gail and he soon moved in with her. But Richard had a dark side to him. He was a fraudster who apparently had conned elderly people, and he was doing the same to neighbours Emily Bishop and the Duckworths. Richard was not only a fraudster, but a murderer as well. He left Duggie Ferguson for dead and hit ex-wife Patricia on the head with a shovel. With two deaths on his mind, he married Gail in 2002.
Over the next months, Richard’s business suffered and was desperate for money and when he learnt the worth of mum in law Audrey, he tried to kill her by setting her house on fire. Audrey survived and realised that Richard was responsible. Her accusations led to her being estranged from Gail. Failing to kill Audrey, he moved on to Emily. While trying to kill her, he managed to murder Maxine Peacock. Gail suspected him and confronted him and he confessed. He was on the run for weeks before returning to kidnap the family and driving them into the canal. Only Richard perished. Gail and her family have been affected since.
Should the Hillmans be at 29? Do you remember Richard’s confession to Gail? Or him driving into the canal? I was hooked!
Jim and Liz McDonald (1989-1997, 2000, 2003, 2011) – The McDonalds moved into the street in 1989 after Jim left the army and over the years, their marriage was tempestuous due to Jim’s temper and jealous streak. Liz eventually became landlady of The Queens and at this time, the McDonalds were going through a rough patch. The couple also had their share of grief with the twins and when their baby daughter Katie died shortly after her birth in 1992. Liz had her fair share of male attention with the likes of brothers Colin and Des Barnes and Sean Skinner taking an interest. What ended the marriage was when Jim found out about Liz’ affair with one of his old army mates in the 1970s. Jim beat her and left her at a service station. They divorced in 1997 and Liz left in 1998. They remarried in 2000 when Jim was in prison but divorced again in 2005. They reunited briefly in 2011 but Jim went to prison again. We remember fondly Jim calling Liz ‘Elizabeth’ in that great Irish accent.
Kevin Webster and Sally Seddon/Webster (1986-1997, 2002-2012) – They met and married in 1986 and bought Hilda Ogden’s house where they’d been lodging. They settled down to married life, with Rosie and Sophie born in 1990 and 1994 respectively. Their happy marriage was ruined when Kevin embarked on an affair with Natalie Horrocks in 1997. Although Sally forgave him, she then went on to have a relationship with Greg Kelly, thus ending the marriage. Kevin then went on to marry Alison Wakefield. Kevin and Sally soon reunited and remarried in 2002. Their second marriage consisted of two teenage girls, Sally having an affair, Rosie being kidnapped by John Stape, Sophie admitting she’s a lesbian and Sally having breast cancer. The marriage ended when Kevin had an affair with Molly Dobbs which resulted in Molly giving birth to baby Jack. Although since then there has been an attempt of a reunion but who knows what the future will bring?
Jack and Annie Walker (1960-1970) – The Walkers were the first Corrie double act. They had different personalities – while Jack was genial and Lancastrian through and through; Annie was snobbish and had delusions of grandeur. As landlord and landlady of the Rovers, they were central to many episodes during the 1960s. As well as comic stories, they also endured dramas included Jack being blackmailed, Annie being kidnapped, son Billy’s debts and taking in Lucille Hewitt as their ward. The partnership lasted for a decade when Jack died of a heart attack. Annie soldiered on behind the bar and had her share of male attention. But none matched up to ‘my Jack’.
Dennis Tanner and Rita Sullivan/Tanner (2011- ) – Having not seen each other in nearly 50 years, Dennis and Rita were overjoyed to meet up again. With Dennis on the streets, Rita happily offered a sofa for him. But as the months went by, Rita was clearly smitten with her old pal, despite Norris’ jibes that he was sponging off her. In 2012, Dennis decided he’d taken advantage of Rita for too long and found a job in Birmingham. But he backed out when he realised he loved Rita and proposed to her and they married. Since they’ve married, they’ve mainly been involved in the trials and tribulations of Tommy and Tina’s troubles.
Gary and Judy Mallett (1995-1999) – They moved into the Duckworths’ old house when they bought the Rovers. Although they argued with each other, Gary and Judy was a nice couple and settled down on the street. While Gary worked with Jim McDonald, Judy worked as a barmaid in the Rovers. Judy always wanted children, and even persuaded Zoe Tattersall to be a surrogate mother for them but when she gave birth, she backed out. Judy was later overjoyed when she found out she was expecting twins and Billy and Becky were born on Christmas Day 1998. In 1999, Judy was involved in a car crash with Vera and hurt her leg. She refused to rest and while putting out the washing, she collapsed and died of a leg embolism. Gary moved to Blackpool with the twins and girlfriend Paula in 2000.
Who are your favourites in this batch of five? Well, vote for two of them and we'll see where they'll be in the countdown! Voting closes at midnight on Monday, 16th December.
Gaynor Faye, who played Judy Mallett in Coronation Street, is joining the cast of rival soap Emmerdale as Megan Macey, the glam sister of hunky Declan.
Gaynor said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Emmerdale. The women on Emmerdale are strong and feisty and I can’t wait to play my character who’s fun but extremely driven and will stop at nothing to get her own way.
Here’s to the New Year when I take my first tipple in the Woolpack.”
