Buzzin Soap Stars

TV Soap Operas, more commonly known as ‘TV Soaps’ or simply ‘Soaps’ began on the radio but as far back as the 1950’s became very popular in the United States as part of daytime television along with game shows, sitcoms and talk shows.  But the longest running TV Soap in the world is none other than Coronation Street.

Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960 and is still going strong today, over 50 years later.  The only remaining character from the first episode is Ken Barlow, played by William (Bill) Roache.

Originally the show was not a critical success receiving some poor reviews which apparently left  Granada Television considering whether to continue with the originally planned 13 episodes.  But the soap was an instant success with British TV viewers who were drawn to Coronation Street’s ‘ordinary’ characters.

The programme was instrumental in raising the profile of local dialect on national television, something revolutionary in the early 1960’s.  Local slang such as “eh, chook?”, “nowt” and “by heck!” were heard on a national television show for the first time.

In March 1961, Coronation Street reached No.1 in the television ratings and remained there for the rest of the year.  The critics were wrong.  TV viewers loved Coronation Street which was broadcast around the UK by the new ITV network and was receiving 15 million viewers each episode; and by 1964 the programme had over 20 million regular viewers.  The TV soap has remained popular even with the advent of other shows and new ways to watch television such as online streaming and services such as Catch Up TV.

Listening to Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs recently Betty Driver told Kirsty Young how she received a call from the producers to play the barmaid in Coronation Street’s pub the Rovers Return.  She was currently not working on the stage and was instead running her own pub.  She had previously auditioned for the part as Hilda Ogden in 1964 but that role went to Jean Alexander.  But in 1969 she began what she thought was going to be a short stint of about six episodes as Betty Turpin the cuddly barmaid, married to a policeman and known for her homemade Lancashire Hot Pot, served every day in the most famous pub in the world, The Rovers Return.

Betty confessed on Desert Island Discs that she has never made a Hot Pot in real life and is a complete disaster in the kitchen.  Rather amusing, considering “Betty’s Hot Pot” is also sold in British supermarkets!

In May 2010 Betty Driver was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Soap Awards. Thirty-two years later she is the longest serving barmaid in the Rovers Return and continues to pull pints and cook Hot Pot in Coronation Street in Weatherfield, somewhere in the North West England.