Jennie Mcalpine
“Evelyn wouldn’t approve of my ‘wee poo’ song!”
People say don’t work with children or animals, but while I can take or leave Evelyn’s dog Cerberus, the kids I love – I really do!” beams Jennie Mcalpine, aka Coronation
Street’s Fiz, as she joins us for a chinwag after teaming up with the BBC for its new children’s education campaign, Tiny Happy People.
Mum to Albert, five, and 16-month-old Hilda, Jennie also has a great time with junior Corrie co-stars Macy Alabi (Ruby) and Isabella Flanagan (Hope) – so has lots of parental wisdom to share…
Hi, Jennie! With two kids at home and Fiz’s pair at Corrie, family life must be busy, on screen and off ?
I know – there’s never a dull moment at home, or at work! But I love working with the kids – children are my favourite kind of company. At work, Isabella and Macy keep us on our toes – with two kids and a dog, sometimes things go wrong! But they’re always brilliant scenes to do.
Alan Halsall (Tyrone) has previously mentioned to us that the girls often know their lines better than you do…
They so do. If you need to know your own lines, just ask one of them – they’ll probably be able to tell you lines for other scenes they’re not even in. They can show you up a bit basically [laughs]!
You and Alan were teens when you started on the Street, and there’s always been a group of youngsters within the cast, hasn’t there?
Yes – Corrie is a lovely place for kids to be. And they make it what it is, because it’s a family show, so we need them!
Tell us about Tiny Happy People…
It’s a simple tool aimed at arming kids with communication skills from the earliest age possible. The internet is a vast place – and if you’re anything like me, who has a 16-month-old, I’m googling things like, ‘When will I sleep?’, ‘When will baby sleep?’, ‘When will this phase be over?’ And not all the information you find is reliable – but the Tiny Happy People site is a trusted source.
Which of the activities have you and Hilda been enjoying the most so far?
There’s a video on the website of a dad singing to the tune of Three Blind Mice while changing his daughter’s nappy – but with the words ‘wee wee poo, wee wee poo…’ It always makes me smile. I’m that annoying mum who makes up words to songs anyway. But Albert’s at the age where I can’t do that with him any more as he’d shoot me such a look! So it’s made me think I must make the most of these things with Hilda.
Hilda and Albert are lovely names – and they’re also the names of past
Corrie characters. Was that just a happy coincidence?
They are Corrie-related names, but they’re also family names. It was thrilling, though, as I did get a lovely message from the nieces of Jean Alexander [the late actress who played Hilda Ogden], as
my Hilda was born in October and so was Jean. That was really touching.
How lovely! So might we see Fiz singing a few of the Tiny Happy People songs at No 9 soon?
I’m not sure Evelyn will approve of the ‘wee wee poo’ song! Although, she’s a bit of a softie at heart, and while Fiz homeschooled Hope, Evelyn did write a good poem about someone down the bingo…
With Jade gone, are there happier times ahead for Fiz and her family?
Well, I can tell you that we’ve been filming some fun scenes recently. But Jade’s not dead – she just walked off with her tail between her legs. So basically, I’d tell Fiz not to open her door to anyone who’s not Tyrone, Evelyn, the kids or the dog!