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Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Coronation Street star Maureen Lipman considering plastic surgery after soap role
Dame Maureen Lipman returned to Coronation Street back in 2018, which is sixteen years after she first starred as Lillian Spencer, and she now plays the role of Evelyn Plummer Dame Maureen Lipman has opened up about how starring in Coronation Street has made her think about getting plastic surgery. The actress first step foot on the cobbles in a guest appearance as Lillian Spencer and has now been a regular face since 2018 playing Evelyn Plummer. The 79-year-old talked about how she felt about how she looked in an interview three years ago. She has said that she hasn't thought about really going under the knife but there is one thing that she'd like to tweak. In a resurfaced interview, Maureen said that while watching herself back on the ITV soap, she had noticed bags under her eyes. Pointing these out, she said this is an area she'd like to have "tidied up". It comes after a Coronation Street and Mrs Brown's Boys actor dies after short illness. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she was asked if she'd have plastic surgery to which she said: "No, but I might have the bags under my eyes tidied up. I sometimes watch myself under the harsh lightning of Coronation Street and I can get a bit neurotic about how I look." The star has also shed light on some of the challenges when it comes to being an actress on a popular soap. Fans have noticed that she has been absent from recent episodes due to her taking a break from filming. Maureen said that she has no plans to retire, insisting she'll "carry on as much as I'm wanted" or until she can't physically continue. Despite loving her role on the soap, she acknowledges there's a "big problem" with the nature of filming for such a popular ITV series. On the 20 Questions podcast, Maureen revealed: "One of the problems of being in a soap, for example, is that because you are doing eight or 10 scenes a day, you read it, you move it, and then you film it. Thank you." Explaining the rapid pace of production, she said: "You might get another crack if something has gone wrong technically, but on the whole, that's it. It's almost like radio but there are cameras there, so you can't do anything. People are just talking heads." Maureen has had an impressive career which first started back in 1971. Her first job was with the National Theatre Company before she later transitioned to television, making her debut in the sitcom The Lovers in 1975. Her breakout role came four years later in the sitcom Agony. In 1987, she landed the part of Beatrice "Beattie" Bellman in the adverts for BT. She particularly rose to fame with the iconic "You Got an Ology" advert, which became so popular that people would shout it back to her on the streets.
Daily Mirror
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Coronation Street's Maureen Lipman says 'it's hard' as she addresses 'problem' with soap
Dame Maureen Lipman has been a much-lo on Coronation Street since she first appeared as Evelyn Plummer in 2018, but the actress has admitted there is a 'big problem' with starring on the soap Dame Maureen Lipman has shed light on the challenges of working on Coronation Street, despite being a fan favourite since her 2018 debut as Evelyn Plummer. Having graced the cobbles over twenty years ago in a different role, Maureen's character Evelyn has been noticeably absent from recent episodes due to her taking a break from filming. The esteemed actress has declared she has no plans to retire, insisting she'll "carry on as much as I'm wanted" or until she can't physically continue. Despite relishing her role on the soap, Maureen acknowledges there's a "big problem" with the nature of filming for such a popular ITV series. On the 20 Questions podcast, Maureen revealed: "One of the problems of being in a soap, for example, is that because you are doing eight or 10 scenes a day, you read it, you move it, and then you film it. Thank you." She explained the rapid pace of production, saying: "You might get another crack if something has gone wrong technically, but on the whole, that's it. It's almost like radio but there are cameras there, so you can't do anything. People are just talking heads," reports Belfast Live. Highlighting the lack of realism, she added: "They're standing there saying, 'Don't you talk to me like that' if it's EastEnders, or, 'I'll have a word with you' if it's Coronation Street, but you know, nobody is picking their nose or scrubbing their sink down while they're talking, or making three martinis – it's all just heads talking. That's not what life is like." Maureen revealed that she was "picking her phone up" intermittently during her chat with interviewer Matt Stadlen, who was jotting down her words. She remarked: "It's very complicated, a human life – we never just do one thing." The actress, confessing to being "very bad at continuity", shared an amusing mishap from her first day on the set of Coronation Street. Maureen recounted: "My first day, I think, on Corrie, I took my coat off – and I'm very bad at continuity, because you have to do the same thing every time. I took my coat off and then I put it on again, and she gently said to me, 'We don't do anything – there's no time to do anything.' But to me, acting is doing, so it's hard." Boasting an impressive career in acting that kicked off on stage in 1971 with the National Theatre Company, Maureen later transitioned to television, making her debut in the sitcom The Lovers in 1975. Her breakout role came four years later in the sitcom Agony. In 1987, she landed the part of Beatrice "Beattie" Bellman in the adverts for BT, achieving fame with the iconic "You Got an Ology" advert, which became so popular that people would recite it back to her on the streets. She even penned a book about the experience.
Metro
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Coronation Street legend Maureen Lipman reveals difficulties she has on set
Coronation Street star Dame Maureen Lipman has spoken about the challenges she's faced on the ITV soap. The legendary actress, 78, has appeared as harridan Evelyn Plummer in the long-running serial drama since 2018, but since January has only appeared in a recurring capacity. Her exit story saw her depart for a university law course, prompted by best pal Roy Cropper (David Neilson). Maureen revealed that the reason behind her contract change was in order to 'have a bit of a life.' She last appeared on screen in March after learning that daughter Cassie (Claire Sweeney) had been cast out by the locals after being caught out for drugging and stealing from Ken Barlow (William Roache). Now, speaking on the 20 Questions podcast, Maureen has addressed the fast-paced environment working on Corrie, plus her distaste at the show's direction and scripts. 'One of the problems of being in a soap, for example, is because you're doing eight or 10 scenes a day, you read it, you move it, and then you film it,' she said. 'Boom, boom, thank you, and have another crack at it if something has gone wrong, but on the whole that's it. It's almost like radio, but there's cameras there.' She continued: 'You can't do anything. People are just talking heads. They're standing there going, 'Don't you talk to me like that…' if it's EastEnders. Or, 'I'll have a word with you…' if it's Coronation Street.' 'Nobody is picking their nose or scrubbing the sink down while they're talking, or making three Martinis. It's all just heads talking. 'That's not what life is like. You're in a bedroom somewhere and you're talking to me, you're listening, you're making notes … I'm picking up my phone… 'It's very complicated a human life, you never just do one thing.' She also noted that on her first day on set, show icon Barbara Knox told her that there's 'no time to do anything'. Maureen went on to comment about receiving very little direction in scenes. 'As far as directors are concerned it's a curious egg. I would love to work with somebody who knows more than I do about what you do on stage,' she added. Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! 'That happens, but not always. Particularly in television, certainly on something like Corrie, you hardly get any direction at all.' Speaking about her late husband Jack Rosenthal, who penned 130 scripts between 1961 and 1969, she continued: 'You can only be as good as your writer.' More Trending 'So often you are making things work on television particularly. Slightly altering the words. 'Think about Coronation Street, which I love doing and I'm very fond of it, and I love the fact I can pop in and out. 'But every episode is a different writer so you basically never get, what you used to get when Jack wrote it, you would write a block of six, so the same voice, the same rhythms and you didn't have to worry about whether the words suited your character, it was there, it was a single voice. View More » 'A lot of the time now, in a series, you've got a different writer each one. You're sort of having to fit it into your mouth like a big fur glove and make it in character. That can make you a bit unpopular if you do it too much.' If you've got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@ – we'd love to hear from you. Join the community by leaving a comment below and stay updated on all things soaps on our homepage. MORE: Steph's dramatic Emmerdale exit story revealed – and it's very soon MORE: Jess Glynne finally meets Jet2 voiceover artist taking over our summer MORE: Coronation Street icon opens up on 'imposter syndrome' after 34 years on TV
Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Coronation Street's Maureen Lipman reveals retirement plans as she makes 80th birthday vow
Maureen Lipman reaches a significant milestone next year, but the Coronation Street star has no plans to call it a day even though she says the ITV soaps has some faults TV legend Maureen Lipman will never retire and she has vowed to keep working until she loses her mind or her movement. The 79-year-old actor is a regular on TV thanks to her role as Coronation Street 's Evelyn Plummer, and still treads the boards on a regular basis. Speaking on the 20 Questions podcast ahead of her 80th birthday next year, she said: 'I will carry on, as much as I'm wanted, I'll carry on until my brain goes - or my legs! 'You can only take what you're offered. It's not been a career where I've thought, 'Shall I take the Bond film? Or shall I do the play The Cherry Orchard?' I'm more likely to be asked to be in Carry On Columbus. That's because I'm a bit light entertainment. So a lot of work is not coming my way, am I bitter? No, I'm not, I've always worked, I've worked though two pregnancies and young children, I've worked through good times and sad times.' The actress plays Weatherfield matriarch Evelyn on the ITV soap and is one of the soap's most popular characters with viewers. But she also criticised Corrie for its lack of good directors, filming time and consistent scripts, saying that working on Corrie came with a multitude of challenges. Saying she had to use her experience to make her character shine on screen, she said that a lot of the filming and writing was not up to scratch. 'One of the problems of being in a soap, for example, is because you're doing eight or 10 scenes a day, you read it, you move it, and then you film it. Boom, boom, thank you, and have another crack at it if something has gone wrong, but on the whole that's it. It's almost like radio, but there's cameras there. 'You can't do anything. People are just talking heads. They're standing there going, 'Don't you talk to me like that…' if it's EastEnders. Or, 'I'll have a word with you…' if it's Coronation Street. Nobody is picking their nose or scrubbing the sink down while they're talking, or making three Martinis. It's all just heads talking. That's not what life is like. You're in a bedroom somewhere and you're talking to me, you're listening, you're making notes … I'm picking up my phone … It's very complicated a human life, you never just do one thing. 'My first day on Coronation Street I took my coat off and then I put it back on again and Barbara [Knox} gently said to me, 'We don't do anything.' I said, 'What do you mean?' She went, 'There's no time to do anything. For me, acting is doing, so that is hard.' Maureen said she loved being told what to do by a strong production team. 'As far as directors are concerned it's a curious egg. I would love to work with somebody who knows more than I do about what you do on stage. That happens, but not always. Particularly in television, certainly on something like Corrie, you hardly get any direction at all.' Maureen insists one of the major challenges for the drama is that the episodes are penned by aa variety of people who write differently for Evelyn, meaning she often changes the words to make her lines work. Lipman – who was married to late Coronation Street writer Jack Rosenthal – told 20 Questions: 'You can only be as good as your writer. 'So often you are making things work on television particularly. Slightly altering the words. Think about Coronation Street, which I love doing and I'm very fond of it, and I love the fact I can pop in and out. But every episode is a different writer so you basically never get, what you used to get when Jack wrote it, you would write a block of six, so the same voice, the same rhythms and you didn't have to worry about whether the words suited your character, it was there, it was a single voice. 'A lot of the time now, in a series, you've got a different writer each one. You're sort of having to fit it into your mouth like a big fur glove and make it in character. That can make you a bit unpopular if you do it too much.' Despite Maureen's criticisms, she has nothing but praise for the casting director Gennie Radcliffe who she says fills the soap with actors who are perfect for their parts. She said: 'One of the good things about Coronation Street is that the casting is absolutely brilliant, we very rarely get a dud, they're cast perfectly. There's a big pool out there, a lesser casting director would get it wrong.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
15 Fun Road Trip Games for That Will Make the Miles Fly by
Long hours in the car can feel endless—especially once the excitement fades and the snack supply starts to dwindle. But a few road trip games can turn even the longest drive into a fun and memorable part of your journey. Whether you're heading out on a family vacation or a weekend escape with friends, a great game can spark laughter, ease boredom, and help the miles pass on by. Classic picks like I Spy and 20 Questions are always crowd-pleasers, but we've also included a few clever twists and fresh ideas to keep everyone, including little kids entertained. Best of all, most of these fun car games don't require screens, supplies or extra prep—just a little creativity and a willingness to play. So before you queue up your playlist or finalize your route (check out these affordable travel spots in the U.S. and road trip packing tips), make sure you've got a few of these boredom-busters ready to to Play: Starting with "A," spot words on signs, billboards, or even cars that begin with each letter of the alphabet, in order. The first person to spot a word for "Z" wins! Example: "A" for "Arby's," "B" for "Burger King," "C" for "Chevron." Pro-Tip: Proper nouns count! (e.g., "McDonald's" for M)How to Play: One person says, "I spy with my little eye something..." and gives a color or other simple clue about an object they see. Others guess until someone gets it right. That person then becomes the "spy." Example: "I spy with my little eye something blue." (Could be the sky, a car, or a sign) Pro-Tip: Make sure the object will be visible for a reasonable amount of timeHow to Play: One person thinks of a person, place, or thing. Others ask "yes" or "no" questions to try and guess what it is. They have 20 questions to figure it out. Example: "Is it alive?" "No." "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" "Yes." Pro-Tip: Start with broad categories (e.g., "Is it alive?")How to Play: One person starts a story with a sentence. The next person adds another sentence, and so on. See where your collective imaginations take you. Example: "Once upon a time, a squirrel decided to open a five-star restaurant." "Unfortunately, his first customer was a very hungry bear." Pro-Tip: Encourage silly and unexpected turnsHow to Play: Try to spot license plates from as many different states as you can. Keep a running tally, or simply see who can find the most unique states. Example: "Got a New York plate! Anyone see a Florida one yet?" Pro-Tip: Look for out-of-state plates at rest stops or gas stationsHow to Play: One person hums a tune (no words!). Others guess the song. The person who guesses correctly gets to hum the next tune. Example: (Hums the tune to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star") "Is it 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'?" Pro-Tip: Stick to well-known songs for easier guessingHow to Play: This one is simple: everyone tries to stay silent for as long as possible. The last person to make a sound wins. Example: (Everyone is quiet for 3 minutes, then someone sneezes.) "Achoo! Oh no, I lost!" Pro-Tip: This is great for a quick reset when energy levels are running highHow to Play: Each person holds up five fingers. One person says, "Never have I ever..." followed by something they've never done. If someone has done it, they put one finger down. The last person with fingers still up wins. Example: "Never have I ever eaten sushi." (Anyone who has eaten sushi puts a finger down)How to Play: Everyone tries to count aloud, in order, from 1 upwards, but only one person can say a number at a time, and there's no designated order. If two people say the same number at the same time, you have to start all over again from 1. Example: (Silence) "1." (Silence) "2." "3!" "3!" (Both said "3" at once, so you restart)How to Play: One person says a word. The next person immediately says a word that they associate with the previous word, then continue around the car. Example: "Car." "Road." "Trip." "Snacks." "Chips."How to Play: The first person says, "I went to the grocery store and bought an A-something..." (e.g., "apples"). The next person says, "I went to the grocery store and bought an A-something and a B-something..." (e.g., "apples and bananas"). Continue through the alphabet, trying to remember all the previous items. Example: "I went to the grocery store and bought an avocado." "I went to the grocery store and bought an avocado and some butter."How to Play: One person starts singing a line from a song. The next person has to sing a line from a different song that starts with the last word of the previous line. Or, simply pick a song and everyone sings along, points for whoever knows the most lyrics. Example: Player 1: "Sweet Caroline, oh oh oh." Player 2: (quickly finds a song starting with "oh") "Oh, what a night!"How to Play: One person thinks of a movie and describes its plot in a terrible, but technically accurate, way. Others try to guess the movie Example: "A young boy finds a magic ring, and he and his friends walk for ages to throw it into a volcano." (Answer: Lord of the Rings)How to Play: Before you start driving, pick 3-5 common words that are likely to be said during a road trip (e.g., "car," "road," "are we there yet?"). If anyone says one of the forbidden words, they lose a point (or get a silly penalty). Example: Forbidden words: "car," "rest stop," "hungry." "I think we should stop at the next rest stop." (Oops, lost a point!)How to Play: One person thinks of a specific person, character, or even a famous animal that everyone in the car would likely know (e.g., a family member, a character from a popular movie, a well-known historical figure). Others ask "yes" or "no" questions to narrow down the possibilities Example: (Player 1 thinks of "Scooby-Doo") "Are you human?" "No." "Are you from a cartoon?" "Yes." "Are you a dog?" "Yes." "Are you Scooby-Doo?" You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
