Top 25 Favourite Corrie Females - No. 2

2. BLANCHE HUNT (377 VOTES)

Duration: 1974-1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1996, 1997, 1998-2009
Played by: Maggie Jones
2012 character poll position (women): 1

Apart from original battleaxe Ena Sharples, nobody has filled the battleaxe role better than Blanche on the cobbles. 

Mother to Deirdre, Blanche had her first stint on the street in the 1970s. A corset maker, she quickly made her mark as nobody to mess with when she slapped Ray Langton for mistreating Deirdre. She was later instrumental in planning Deirdre’s non-wedding to Billy Walker and clashed with his mother Annie. After stints behind the Rovers bar and the corner shop counter, she was whisked away by Dave Smith to run a country club in 1976. She would visit the street in 1977 (for the birth of granddaughter Tracy), 1978 (to console Deirdre during her marriage break-up to Ray), 1981 (for Deirdre and Ken’s wedding), 1996 (Tracy’s wedding) and 1997 (Deirdre and Jon Lindsay’s engagement party).

In 1998, she visited the Barlows once more but decided to stay put and moved into Albert Tatlock’s old room. Thus began Blanche’s tenure as one of Corrie’s classic characters.

Alongside gossipy ally Norris Cole, Blanche would pass comment on the goings-on on the street and didn’t care if residents heard it or not. And it was her family who would suffer the most. Ken and Deirdre had to have elephant skin to deal with Blanche’s acid remarks. But she was as fierce as a lioness when it came to defending the family.

My favourite Blanchisms have to be her condemnation of the Royal Mail and the classic AA meeting. 

Blanche went on holiday to Portugal in 2010 and sadly passed away there.

Were you a fan of Blanche? Should she be No.1? Have you got a favourite Blanche moment?

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Saying Goodbye to Deirdre

This will be a big week for Coronation Street. It sees the passing of a character we all know, and I mean all of us. Even those people who claim never to have seen an episode of Coronation Street know Deirdre Barlow.

I feel nervous even writing about the upcoming episodes, let alone actually watching them. Nobody can tell us not to take it so seriously or to get over it this time as like the actress who so memorably played Deirdre's mother, the inimitable Maggie Jones, there is real life loss at the centre of this fictitious character's passing. Anne Kirkbride was loved for many reasons but probably one of the main ones was how unstarry she remained despite spending her entire adult life not just in the spotlight, but in the glare of full publicity playing the same television character.

Until last October, I had not known Coronation Street without Anne Kirkbride's Deirdre. Her appearances were certainly less frequent than in her peak period during the 1970s and 1980s but she was always there. My own favourite period for Deirdre came when she discovered Ken's philandering with Wendy flamin' Crozier in 1989. Anne Kirkbride was magnificent throughout that storyline, really giving it her all. She was a star alright, but one you could quite happily have a chat with at the checkout in the local supermarket. Not many around like that anymore.

I really hope that Coronation Street gets Deirdre's send off right. They owe it to so many people to do it justice. The television landscape has changed so much since Corrie first debuted in 1960 but I think the nation still cares about events like this. So many of us feel we knew Deirdre and that's down to the wonderful writing over the years, the terrific storylines, but most of all the warmth, truthfulness and sheer skill of the mega-talented Anne Kirkbride. 


At the root of all my nervousness is the basic fact that I still don't want it to be true. We've had months to come to terms with Anne's sad death and now it's time for Deirdre to go too. I'm torn because I really want to watch these scenes because Corrie do poignant emotion so well on occasions like these. There will be wonderful drama to come from this story but at the same time, I really do want it to be over with. 

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Maggie Jones leaves more than £1m in her will

The Sun reports today that Maggie Jones, who played Coronation Street's Blanche Hunt, left more than £1m in her will. Probate records reveal that Maggie left £1,188,193 - reduced after liabilities to £1,165,415.

Her will, drawn up in 2003, left legacies of £8,000 to friends and relatives and everything else to her sister Joan. Maggie had no children and her lawyer husband John Stansfield died aged 72 in 1999 after 28 married years.

ITV to screen tribute to Blanche Hunt

ITV will screen a special tribute to Blanche Hunt, played by the late Maggie Jones during the week of Blanche's funeral.

The programme will be narrated by ex-Corrie actress Denise Welch who played Rovers Return landlady Natalie Horrocks (and recently shocked the nation by revealing she snorted cocaine on the cobbles).

The programme will be called Goodbye Blanche and it'll look back over Blanche's life, with clips of her best bits and of course, some of her wonderful sarcastic one-liners. It'll be on ITV next month.

Blanche Hunt's death reveals Street surprises

The wonderful Inside Soap magazine landed on the doormat today and there's a great article about the upcoming sad storyline about Blanche Hunt's death. However, it doesn't sound as if it's all going to be tissues and issues, oh no. Remember, this is Blanche we're talking about so the sound of sarcasm from beyond is sure to linger on. Anyway, the magazine reveals that Blanche has found herself a boyfriend in Portugal and was on her way home to Weatherfield to tell Deirdre and Ken all about him. However, she's struck down by a heart attack before she gets the chance.

And then, as Deirdre struggles to cope with the grief of her mum's death, she finds an envelope in Blanche's room, marked "In the event of my death" and it's Blanche's requirements for her funeral. The prospects of fulfilling Blanche's demands will prove no easy task...

Hmm, I wonder what Blanche's requirements can be? Knowing Blanche she'd have asked for Paul O'Grady in tight satin shorts, twirling a baton and leading a funeral procession that includes every single member of the 1o'clock club, whether they wanted to be there, or not.

Blanche Hunt's will gets the last laugh

The Mirror reveals a little spoiler today about Blanche Hunt's last will and testament that'll be read out on Coronation Street. Blanche has made detailed plans for her own funeral and the reading of her will. And she takes the chance to have a final dig at Norris, Betty and of course, Ken.

First, the will makes Norris think he'll inherit something but she just cancels her copy of Crossword Monthly. She insults Betty by insisting on Elliot pies at the funeral and "definitely NONE of those terrible Betty's Hotpots". As for Ken, she wants a wake at a top hotel even though "he'll try to bury me on the cheap".

Blanche's funeral will be seen on TV in May.

Pictures from Maggie Jones' memorial service

Pictures are now online from Maggie Jones' memorial service, held at Salford Cathedral today. Click through to Digital Spy who have a few photos as well as the official Corrie site of course.

Maggie Jones' memorial service held today

As previously reported, today was the memorial service in the Salford Cathedral for the late Maggie Jones. Many fans along with present and former cast members attended and many of the cast members spoke or read at the service. There's more detail at BBC news, but highlights include a mention of some of Maggie's character, Blanche's best known lines, read by William Roache who plays Blanche's son-in-law, Ken Barlow. He said: "In lesser hands some of these lines could seem cruel, vicious even. I think only Maggie could have turned them into pure comedy gold." He called Maggie's performances "jaw-dropping" and "legendary".

Both a poem, read by Sue Nicholls, and a song by Joyce Grenfell were included, as she was one of Maggie's favourites. Poems were read by Antony Cotton and Brooke Vincent, who composed her own poem for the service. We can anticipate the passing of Blanche Hunt later in the spring on Corrie when her funeral will see the early return of her granddaughter, jailbird Tracy Barlow.

Maggie Jones' memorial service at Salford Cathedral

The life of Coronation Street actress Maggie Hunt, who played Blanche Hunt, will be celebrated in a public memorial service on Thursday 25th February. The service will feature special recitals and readings by cast members, alongside a personal address by actor William Roache. Filming on the Corrie set will be suspended for the afternoon to allow cast and crew to attend.

Coronation Street Producer, Kim Crowther, said: "Maggie was such a wonderful character in real life, and just as unforgettable as her alter-ego Blanche. Still missed greatly by cast and crew, we always planned to give everybody the chance to celebrate Maggie's life, both on and off the street. Thursday is not just for the people that worked with her and knew her well, but also for the public who adored her - never less than when she was 'charming' the nation with her sharpest put down!"

Viewers will hear of Blanche’s death in May, and on screen the residents of the street will gather for her funeral, giving fans the chance to say one last goodbye.

Funeral held for Maggie Jones

A "beautiful and dignified" funeral service has been held for Maggie Jones, who died earlier this month. The BBC reports that it was a private service in Clerkenwell, London, attended by family, close friends and members of the cast. A minute's silence was observed on the Coronation Street set in Manchester.

A spokeswoman for Corrie said: "It was a beautiful and dignified service." She added that the actress's life will be celebrated with a memorial service in Manchester, planned to take place in February next year.

Blanche Hunt has the last laugh

There's a lovely little piece in The Sunday People that says the last word we'll see Blanche Hunt say on screen is: "Hallelujah!"

It's going to be very interesting to see how the Corrie writers handle Blanche's absence or departure and there's a lot of comment here which indicates fans would like to see Blanche given a proper send-off on screen.

Grace Dent's tribute to Maggie Jones

Soaps queen Grace Dent writes a wonderful tribute to Coronation Street actress Maggie Jones at The Guardian website. It's well worth a read and it's here.

Read our exclusive interview with Grace Dent here.

Corrie's Fab Photo Friday - Blanche Hunt day

Maggie Jones turned Blanche Hunt into a Coronation Street icon for over 35 years. It just won't be the same without her.

Maggie Jones on ITV News

I watched the news last night so that I could watch about Maggie Jones' sad death. They showed a great segment and I managed to locate it on YouTube, so it's below. It shows Blanche's very early scenes, including the one where she slapped Ray Langton. I love how even though Maggie's voice was very different (because she was younger) it's still recognisably her. She will definitely be missed.

I've been thinking about how I'd like the writers to write Blanche out. I'd like them to give her a proper send off. I think Blanche should die quickly in town or maybe on one of her fabulous One O'Clock Club trips, and for there then to be a funeral and wake in the pub. I love Anne Kirkbride at any time but she is great at pathos and I think she'd be amazing showing Deirdre having lost her mum - the woman who drove her crackers but who she clearly loved an awful lot. Even Ken would shed a few tears, because he and Blanche have always had a great relationship even though it was full of bitching most of the time.

Traceylove could even come to the funeral! They let people out of prison for funerals, don't they? I can just imagine her handcuffed to an officer in order to come - it would add a lot of humour to a sad day.

In the end I hope that they do give Blanche a proper send off and don't just write her out or have her go visit a relative or something. She was a great character and I think it would be only fitting.

My thoughts go out to Maggie's family at this time. She was great.

Portrait of Blanche Hunt

This wonderful tribute to Blanche Hunt has been created by artist Rosalind Freeborn using thousands of fragments of paper. Many thanks to Rosalind for sending it into the blog.

Tonight's Corrie dedicated to Maggie Jones

Tonight's episode of Coronation Street will be dedicated to Maggie Jones, confirms ITV to the blog today.

They also have a video tribute to Blanche Hunt on the official Corrie website here.

My favourite Blanche photos

In tribute to the marvellous Maggie Jones, I wanted to display my two favourite photos from the best Blanche storylines/scenes ever! (In my humble opinion, that is!) There are lots to choose from but the Millenium street party saw Blanche dressed as Carmen Miranda with half the produce department from Freshcos on her head. She and Ken were watching four of the factory women, (Linda, Deirdre, Janice and Hayley), singing Abba, while dressed in sparkly wigs and glittery costumes. Blanche said (and I'm paraphrasing) "Is that Deirdre up there??!!! What does she look like at her age!!!" (*snork*)



This year's street party had Blanche take advantage of a willing great-grandson and a way to make a few bob for her pocket money. She dressed as Gypsy Rose Hunt and told fortunes for a quid, keeping half for herself and half for Claire's charity. She held nothing back, either, telling Kelly she wouldn't find a nice fella if she kept dressing like a tramp :))) One of the best lines of that scene was her "I've not told anyone this, but I'm a little psychotic"

The writers must have had so much fun writing for Blanche when they know how Maggie could deliver the lines with such devastating dry wit. It's a wonder anyone could keep a straight face while filming! We'll miss you, Maggie!

(Just editing this to add a link to Grace Dent's spot on tribute to Maggie in the online Guardian)

Maggie Jones has died

Very sad news: Coronation Street actress Maggie Jones died this morning, aged 75.

The actress, who played the much-loved Blanche Hunt, passed away in hospital after losing a long battle with illness. There's a full story and a short obituary at the BBC news website.

Very sad news indeed.

Maggie Jones is on the mend

One of the questions I was hoping to ask Kim Crowther at the online live chat on Thursday night on the official Corrie site was how Maggie Jones, who plays Blanche, is doing. Unfortunately, once I logged onto the live chat, their software crashed my PC.

Anyway, someone else asked the question, obviously fans are keen to know how Maggie Jones is doing. The Corrie producer said that Maggie is making a "slow and steady recovery" following her recent health scare, and that she looked forward to Maggie's return to Corrie as battleaxe Blanche. I think she speaks for us all.

For more from Kim Crowther's webchat, have a look at the highlights on Digital Spy.

Maggie Jones "has got her naughtiness back"

Good news in from The Sun is that Michael le Vell, who plays Kevin webster, says that Maggie Jones continues to recover in hospital. Michael said Maggie's sister visited the cast yesterday to update them.

He said: "She told us Maggie has got all her naughtiness back. Things are looking up now and we are just hoping she makes a speedy recovery. We want just want her back on set, she is massively important to the show, but the main thing is that she gets better."

Members of the Corrie cast have sent their best wishes to Maggie too. Have a look here.