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Did Betty Ever Have A Major Storyline of Her Own in Corrie?


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Old 18-10-2011, 10:07
DiscoP
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I've watched Corrie on and off since the 80's and I don't think I can ever remember Betty having a major storyline of her own. As she didn't live on Coronation Street she seemed to be mainly seen working at the Rovers and getting involved with other characters stories. Her own stories, such as the recent hot pot poisoning, were fairly lightweight and quickly concluded.

I saw in the Tribute programme yesterday that Betty Driver preferred quieter scenes, chatting with other characters rather than the big dramatic stuff so I guess that was perfectly happy with this.

I just wondered if this was always the case, or if they cut back on her stories as Betty Driver got older? Did she ever live on Coronation Street? I think she was married twice, but I can't remember seeing her second husband after they got married. Was her first husband even seen?
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:35
David the Wavid
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She did have some big stories but "major storyline" in the 1970s meant something totally different than it does now. "Continuing storyline" would probably be a better descriptor, as most plots lasted one or two weeks (less than a week's worth of episodes now).

Her biggest storyline was being revealed as Gordon Clegg's real mother in 1974.

They got a lot of mileage out of Betty being sacked and reinstated every couple of years too!
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:39
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You just beat me to it David! I thought I'd catch up on another thread first (your ears should have been burning!)

You can find out about Betty's stories here: http://coronationstreet.wikia.com/wiki/Betty_Williams
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:42
PlasticGob
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Didn't she have a bigger storyline in the early 90's about her getting married, I can just about remember it and I'm sure the guy she was marrying died or was a fraudster.

Anyone know?

I will miss Betty, I'm not a huge soap fan anymore but do keep check on Corrie, she was just part of the furniture and part of the old Corrie that I loved as a girl growing up.
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:49
Telly_Fan
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Didn't she have a bigger storyline in the early 90's about her getting married, I can just about remember it and I'm sure the guy she was marrying died or was a fraudster.

Anyone know?

I will miss Betty, I'm not a huge soap fan anymore but do keep check on Corrie, she was just part of the furniture and part of the old Corrie that I loved as a girl growing up.
Betty married Billy Williams. Like her first husband Cyril Turpin he wasn't seen much. In fact both were killed off some time after they were last seen.

Jon Lindsay was the fraudster - he dated Dierdre "I didn't do any of it" Rachid (as she was then).
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:51
PlasticGob
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Ahhh thats right thanks! I knew she had a bigger part in the 90's but then she went back to her hotpot ways!

I know Betty Driver had an ill sister she looked after until she died so I guess a lot of her time was divided up. Still a remarkable lady to be working until she passed.
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:52
NathanT
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Didn't she have a bigger storyline in the early 90's about her getting married, I can just about remember it and I'm sure the guy she was marrying died or was a fraudster.

Anyone know?

I will miss Betty, I'm not a huge soap fan anymore but do keep check on Corrie, she was just part of the furniture and part of the old Corrie that I loved as a girl growing up.
I seem to remember the story being about her meeting her childhood sweetheart, Billy Williams, on VE Day, and going on to marry him. As far as I recall, Billy was legit, but there was some tragedy from the past that had prevented them from being together (can't remember what).

After she married him, he didn't appear very much, and he went on to die offscreen. There was quite a funny (darkly humourous) story about Alec trying to sack Betty and not having the heart to tell her, so he sent her a letter instead. Unfortunately, just after he'd sent the letter, he found out Billy had died, and desperately tried to get the letter back to avoid upsetting her further. I think Betty found out in the end though.
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:53
stud u like
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Gets involved with a married man
Unmarried mother the result of an affair
Cyril's death
Her marriage to Billy and Billy's death
Marmaduke and his death
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:53
Telly_Fan
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I saw in the Tribute programme yesterday that Betty Driver preferred quieter scenes, chatting with other characters rather than the big dramatic stuff so I guess that was perfectly happy with this.
I don't think Betty disliked drama, but she missed the days where character-driven stories were just as important as plot-driven stories. What she said is true, there is much to be said for dialogue-heavy scenes, as well as action-heavy ones.
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:55
jlighthi
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Betty married Billy Williams. Like her first husband Cyril Turpin he wasn't seen much. In fact both were killed off some time after they were last seen.

Jon Lindsay was the fraudster - he dated Dierdre "I didn't do any of it" Rachid (as she was then).
I think Plasticgob might have meant the time Emily married Arnold Swain who turned out to be a bigamist. That was about 1980. But maybe not!
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Old 18-10-2011, 12:57
Telly_Fan
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I think Plasticgob might have meant the time Emily married Arnold Swain who turned out to be a bigamist. That was about 1980. But maybe not!
I did wonder!
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Old 18-10-2011, 13:26
Uncle Quentin
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Gets involved with a married man
Unmarried mother the result of an affair
Cyril's death
Her marriage to Billy and Billy's death
Marmaduke and his death
Marmaduke, that's the one I was trying to recall, her beloved cat wasn't it?

I've watched Corrie since the 70s, like most I guess I was brought up with it as my mam was an avid fan.

The only thing I can honestly remember about Betty bar the odd brief sacking, god bless her, is her going on about that cat!!
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Old 18-10-2011, 13:34
JAMIE22UK
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she got mugged as well and cyril was seen a fair bit but only until 1974 and he was killed off.

she did have a few lodgers as well think one was dodgy and you used to see her at home a lot.

im pretty sure when she first arrived her and cyril and maggie lived in the corner shop only for a short time though.

i also remember betty having a mild heart attack thankfully she pulled through.

i think frank mills who played billy is still alive but william moore who played cyril isnt sadly billy got killed off too

irene sutcliffe who played her sister maggie went to zaire in new zealand she is still alive and acting.

and bill kenwright who played billy her son was a regular at one time in the 70's

betty got the sack a fair bit was always welcomed back

she was rarely seen on the other side of the bar.

id say her best m8s was blanche,emily,bet,hilda,annie,rita, but she clearly loved everyone
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Old 18-10-2011, 14:23
floopy123
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Not wishing to speak ill of the recently departed, but in terms of her contribution to the show plot-wise, it wasn't that great. Put it another way, there have been lots of actors on CS that have had their contracts not renewed but they had many richer storylines than Betty's character.

Recent examples would be Curly Watts, Martin Platt, Ashley and Claire Peacock - anyone remember the doctor? Not the current one, the previous doctor (I think he was on the Bill before he went on the show). He didn't last long, he had a partner too on the show. There was also the actor that played Sinbad on Brookside and then joined Coronation Street. Oh the list goes on and on of actors that had big storylines on the show but then they got fired but Betty never got the heave-ho despite not having a proper storyline for decades. Same is true of Emily and to a lesser extent Rita.
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Old 18-10-2011, 15:57
Dr K Noisewater
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They never really did develop Betty's character much she was always just the Rovers barmaid. They could have used her so much more, gave her a family to interact with, decent storylines etc. She only ever had the 1 son Gordon who would make a very brief blink-and-you-miss-it appearance every 5 or 6 years. Betty's husband Cyril was barely ever on-screen and then they killed him off off-screen. Many years later in the 90s they brought in a new man for Betty and they married, however like Cyril he rarely ever appeared on-screen and was also killed off off-screen.

There's no denying Betty was a legend though.
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Old 18-10-2011, 15:59
PlasticGob
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But we need the likes of Betty, Emily and Rita. They are part of the furniture without these older characters Corrie would just be like a teen soap. I love the older characters and their gossiping ways, Corrie must always have that element to it.
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Old 18-10-2011, 16:15
leosw4
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But we need the likes of Betty, Emily and Rita. They are part of the furniture without these older characters Corrie would just be like a teen soap. I love the older characters and their gossiping ways, Corrie must always have that element to it.
Yeah but Emily and moreso Rita where major players in the past.

Rita used to be one of the central characters.Loved the Alan Bradley plot-and then there was Len Fairclough.

Rita and Mavis working in the Kabin together is stuff of legend.
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Old 18-10-2011, 16:29
linc52
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god bless betty driver
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Old 18-10-2011, 17:46
DiscoP
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Not wishing to speak ill of the recently departed, but in terms of her contribution to the show plot-wise, it wasn't that great. Put it another way, there have been lots of actors on CS that have had their contracts not renewed but they had many richer storylines than Betty's character.

Recent examples would be Curly Watts, Martin Platt, Ashley and Claire Peacock - anyone remember the doctor? Not the current one, the previous doctor (I think he was on the Bill before he went on the show). He didn't last long, he had a partner too on the show. There was also the actor that played Sinbad on Brookside and then joined Coronation Street. Oh the list goes on and on of actors that had big storylines on the show but then they got fired but Betty never got the heave-ho despite not having a proper storyline for decades. Same is true of Emily and to a lesser extent Rita.
To be honest I quite like the characters that are more in the background. It's kinda like life, some people are just around quietly getting on with things, while others are more in your face.

It is strange that they decide to axe some characters when they think that they're run out of stories though. I remember reading way back in the early 90's when Lynne Perrie was sacked because her character, Ivy Tilsley, had run out of stories she couldn't believe there were sacking her when all Betty had done for years was serve hot pots in the Rovers.

I can also just about remember when Rita used to get big stories too. I thought they might have cut down as Barbara Knox has gotten older but then I just checked on wikipedia and William Roache is actually one year older than her and Ken Barlow still gets big stories! I guess it's down to the actors involved as well and some of them might not want the pressure of heavy story lines anymore?
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Old 18-10-2011, 17:47
comedy89
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Betty was brilliant at comedy, and she played it to poerfection in 2 2 800 episodes.
[LIST]
Betty and Alec scenes were always funny, remember her getting into bed with him by mistake

Her and Jack Duckwoth always provided brilliant comedy.

In fact she was brill in every scene really
[/LIST]
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Old 18-10-2011, 17:52
callumfreeman
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There was a storyline (In the early 1970s) when a man who her husband Cyril put behind bars started terrorising her, and Cyril later attacked him when he found out and later retired from the police force.
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Old 18-10-2011, 18:50
David the Wavid
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I remember reading way back in the early 90's when Lynne Perrie was sacked because her character, Ivy Tilsley, had run out of stories she couldn't believe there were sacking her when all Betty had done for years was serve hot pots in the Rovers.
That's not why Lynne Perrie was sacked.
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Old 18-10-2011, 19:45
David Wright
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I remember her being attacked/mugged in the early 80's.
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Old 18-10-2011, 19:47
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That's not why Lynne Perrie was sacked.
"The first cut is the deepest!!!"
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Old 18-10-2011, 19:48
mr muggles
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wasnt there another story in the 70's/80's about her befriending/helping an abused child?
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