Late hubby told Maureen to join Corrie
CORONATION Street’s new “battleaxe” Maureen Lipman has revealed she took the role after her late husband sent her a “sign” from beyond the grave.
Maureen, 72, was yesterday unveiled as the newest star on the cobbles, where she will play outspoken busybody Evelyn Plummer, the grandma of Tyrone Dobbs.
Mother-of-two Maureen was married to Jack Rosenthal – who wrote more than 100 early episodes of Coronation Street – for 30 years until his death in 2004.
She revealed yesterday that she dithered over accepting the role until she was persuaded by a “sign” from her late husband.
She said: “I got the call from Coronation Street and I thought I can’t do this because I’ve got a show in the Edinburgh Festival fringe.
“I’ve got a picture of my late husband and there are lights above it. I was saying, ‘It sounds like a great part but I really don’t think I can do it’ and then the light came on – above his picture.
“I saw it as a sign. So I thought OK... and I am now a character in the Street and a pretty nasty one at that. I’m playing a monster.”
Maureen is the latest in the list of Coronation Street “battleaxes”, which includes such classic characters as Vera Duckworth.
Withering
She joins several other big names to have appeared on Coronation Street, including Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Ben Kingsley, Nigel Havers and Stephanie Beacham.
The Hull-born actress and comedienne made a brief appearance in Corrie in 2002, as snooty Rovers relief landlady Lillian Spencer.
Her new character – appearing on our screens next month – comes into Tyrone’s life when he researches his family history after the death of his mother, Jackie.
She will “ruffle a few feathers on the Street”, according to ITV, much to the dismay of Tyrone’s girlfriend Fiz.
The show’s producer, Iain MacLeod, said: “I am beyond thrilled that we are introducing such a great new character, played by someone of Maureen’s pedigree.
“Her character Evelyn is eye-wateringly withering and will add a fresh dollop of Northern humour to the show as she turns Tyrone and Fiz’s lives upside down.”
Maureen appeared in Roman Polanski’s Oscarwinning film The Pianist and was also in Educating Rita.
She also played the character Beattie in TV adverts for British Telecom and was made a CBE in 1999.
ABIG welcome to actress Maureen Lipman who will be treading the cobbles on Coronation Street as “outspoken battleaxe” Evelyn Plummer. She says that a light coming on above a picture of her late husband, playwright Jack Rosenthal, who wrote 250 episodes of the show, was a deciding moment. We are sure Maureen will lose no time in lighting up the screen too.