BALDWIN’S ON SPIRITS IN ROVERS Co-star Bev pays tribute
BEVERLEY Callard says that the spirit of Coronation Street legend Mike Baldwin will forever hang over the Rovers “like the smoke from one of his cigars”.
Soap favourite Bev was distraught when she learned her pal Johnny Briggs had died last weekend aged 85. The actor, who played factory boss Baldwin for 30 years until 2006, passed away at his home in Portishead, Somerset, after a long illness.
Bev, who plays Liz McDonald, said she owes her long career on the cobbles to being taught the tricks of the trade by Johnny.
And in an emotional tribute she said: “He played an amazing character – and the spectre of Mike Baldwin will loom large over Weatherfield long after his passing. “Whenever a glass of Scotch is raised in the Rovers Return it will make you think of Mike’s tipple of choice for all those decades. “And his presence was felt so closely by so many that the memory of Mike Baldwin will waft in a cloud over the pub just like the smoke from one of his cigars.” Bev, 63, only found out Johnny had died when she was contacted by the Daily Star Sunday with the news. She said: “It really numbed me because he was such a massive figure in the history of the show. “He will remain with me and many others in spirit because I know whenever in recent times I have seen someone smoking a cigar and sipping a glass of whisky, I have always thought of the crafty old rogue!”
Bev, who took part in last year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! praised Johnny for the “incredible chemistry” he brought to Weatherfield. She recalled her early days on Corrie when she and screen husband Jim, played by Charlie Lawson, were taken under Johnny’s wing.
She said: “When Charlie and I first started on the Street in 1989, Johnny was great – he was absolutely superb to us.”
Bev added: “He knew what was expected on the show because he was a born natural for his role. And, just as importantly, he was more than happy to take time out to help others around him. There was a side to Johnny that perhaps some people were unaware of – a very caring, sensitive and very humorous side that I just warmed to and loved about him.”