Jack, Vera, Rita and me
Despite 40 years on the Cobbles, Jim’s the Corrie star you’ve never heard of
IT was 1965, back when the show was screened in black and white, perfect for depicting northern backstreets. Ena Sharples nursing a stout, delivering sharp-tongued observations, and flame-haired Elsie Tanner at her strident glamorous best.
Coronation Street, which was first shown on December 9th 1960, was already on its way to becoming a national treasure, with its gritty portrayal of ordinary lives, when Jim Whelan made his debut.
He threw a few darts in The Rovers Return - and was paid £6 for his performance.
It was a modest start for what would be 40 years as an extra in the soap. He would go on to appear in 50 episodes.
On February 18th 2004, 17 million viewers tuned in to watch Jim conduct the marriage of characters Steve (Simon Gregson) and Karen, (Suranne Evans) as Reverend Todd.
In October 2007 he was in charge at another dramatic wedding in the Street when Jason Grimshaw and Sarah Platt, played by Ryan Thomas and Tina O’Brien, got hitched.
Before that, he had been a regular Rovers drinker, a man in the corner shop, and a postman.
He also played a vicar at the funeral of Lisa Duckworth, played by Caroline Milmoe, who was run over by a car in 1993.
Jim was particularly close to Bill Tarmey, who played Jack Duckworth, and was a fellow veteran of the northern clubland scene where they did turns as singers, sprinkled with comedy.
Recalling another of his most famous scenes, Jim, from Bury, said: “I remember the floor manager, John Folkyard, saying ‘I want complete and utter silence on set’.
“The people those words were aimed at were some of the most famous in the land.
“We were preparing to shoot the pivotal scene at Vera Duckworth’s funeral, and Jack was about to pay tribute to his beloved ‘swamp duck’, Jim added.
“I was playing my usual part as the Reverend Todd, officiating at Vera’s funeral and my role was to say a few words and then ask if anyone wanted to speak.
“As usual my mouth was dry and my hands were trembling as the scene approached.
“We were in the tiny Crematorium chapel in Southern Cemetery in Manchester, and crammed into the pews looking on at Bill and I was practically the entire Coronation Street cast.
“It ran through my mind that the scene would be watched by 12 million people. I tried to keep it out of my mind.
“I said to the congregation ‘Vera was a very special lady, would anyone like to say a few words’.
“There was an awkward silence and then Jack spoke.
“Sniffles were heard from the congregation as Jack spoke simply and humbly about his first meeting with ‘Vee’. How they squabbled for many years and how he was missing her.
“The tears from om the likes of Deidre, eie, Rita, Tyrone, and Emily were not all the result of acting, many were genuine. Liz Dawn’s characterisation of Vera Duckworth kde had made her a much loved ved person. The emotion motion of saying goodbye ye to her as a work colleague affected ff d a lot of the cast.
“The tears pricked my eyes and I was glad I had no more dialogue when Bill finished his eulogy.” In 1975 Bill Tarmey had done Jim a huge favour. In between acting parts Jim drove a taxi, and also had a shoe shop in Prestwich. Pre
Bill calle called Jim and asked if wan wanted him to drop into the shop to help boo boost sales.
“I said I had no budget for publicity. He said ‘who said owt about money?’ came, stayed all day and made it a great su success.”
J Jim was born in Salfo Salford in 1942. He told his school careers off officer he wanted to be a journalist. j li They told him there was no chance of that and dispatched him to Salford docks to work as a clerk, where his blundering paperwork once sent a car to Vancouver instead of Florida.
His first acting part was at North Salford Youth Club.
“I was a very sensitive, unconfident boy, with no feeling of worth.
“Suddenly on stage I was a different lad, confidently striding around. I realised later that it wasn’t me up there, I was being a character,” he said.
After ten years as an amateur at Salford Players and Altrincham Garrick he asked agent Zena Sharpe to see him perform. She took him on, telling him he had ‘a modicum’ of talent.
But first, he had to get an Equity card by working professionally.
He got one by singing in pubs and clubs and soon landed parts as an extra - his first being in the epic Family at War television series.
“My first Corrie was as an extra in
The Rovers in the mid 1960s. I did many more over the next five to six years.”
His first speaking part in The Street, for which he got a name credit, was in 1973 - when he popped into the corner shop and bought some corn plasters from Rita Fairclough - then Barbara Mullaney, now Knox. He knew her from their time at Oldham Rep.
“The tension that went on at the recording was unbelievable. I had never known anything like it.
“My role was to walk into the shop and say my lines to Rita Fairclough and Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix).
“I opened the shop door and the bell did not ring. I knew this was not my fault, but it still threw me. I stumbled through my lines, thinking I had ruined the entire thing.
“Everybody appeared satisfied, and when I saw the episode three weeks later a ding had been added to make the shop bell sound. That was my first speaking part.
“It gave me an insight into the pressures of performing week after week to such high standards. I had four lines and was wiped out afterwards. No wonder some high profile performers don’t last.
“One of the extras, a girl I knew who was a club turn in Yorkshire, came up and said ‘well done kid, that was really funny, you never know, you might get kept on’. That was a nice thing to do. Her name was Liz Dawn.”
Jim was the postman who delivered the letter to Jack and Vera telling them they had inherited money from Jack’s brother. They used the cash to buy The Rovers.
“I was grabbed in an embrace by Vera because she was so grateful.”
Jim said: “The most memorable episode for me was the wedding of Steve and Karen. It was the biggest non-sport rated programme of 2004 - 17m watched it. It was a joy to act with Simon Gregson and Suranne Jones. A close second was Vera’s funeral with my old mate, Bill.
He said: “I loved Bill Tarmey, Roy Barraclough, and Suranne is a sublime actress.”
There was one person on ‘The Street’ Jim was not so fond of - Johnny Briggs, who played factory owner, Mike Baldwin.
“I came on set one day to find him berating a poor props man. The poor man was in fear for his job and could not answer back.
“This went on for several minutes and left a terrible atmosphere with the cast and crew. I decided to steer well clear of him.”
As well as Coronation Street, Jim has appeared in numerous television shows, including Last of the Summer Wine, The Liver Birds, Heartbeat, City Central, Brookside, and along Ray Winstone in the Manchester City fantasy There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble.
Jim, who moved from Bury to Eastbourne five years ago, confessed: “I don’t watch Corrie anymore, I can’t commit to six times a week.”