Will Hilda get screen death she never had?
IT HAS been almost 30 years since Hilda Ogden turned her back on the famous cobbles of Coronation Street.
But ITV bosses are planning a special reference to Britain’s most famous char lady – as part of a series of tributes to actress Jean Alexander who died on Friday, aged 90.
The first of tomorrow night’s two episodes of Coronation Street will be preceded by an on-screen tribute to Alexander which will include a photograph of her character complete with trademark rollers and headscarf. But bosses are also considering marking the actress’s 23 years on the soap – which started on July 8, 1964 – by including a special reference to Hilda’s death in a future episode.
Sharp-tongued Hilda was not killed off when Liverpool-born Alexander – who never married or had children – left the soap in 1987. One option is that former husband and wife Sally Metcalfe and Kevin Webster, who at one time lodged with Hilda, will learn that their former landlady has passed away.
A spokesman for ITV said: ‘The episodes are recorded six to eight weeks previously so it’s not going to happen right away.
‘What will happen next week is that the producer and the executive producer will discuss when it might be possible. They would obviously have make a decision about whether it will work.’
Social media was awash last night with tributes from fans after the star’s death at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital. Many recalled memorable moments in the drama, including the 1984 scene of Hilda returning home from hospital following the death of on-screen husband Stan. The harrowing scene ended with Hilda sobbing as she sat alone clutching his spectacles case.