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Wales Online
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Iconic Coronation Street star returns to screens at 95 after retirement
Iconic Coronation Street star returns to screens at 95 after retirement Thelma Barlow played Mavis Riley on Coronation Street from 1971 to 1997 Thelma Barlow will once again be seen on screens (Image: Justin Goff, UK Press via Getty Images ) Thelma Barlow, the esteemed actress who portrayed Mavis Riley on Coronation Street from 1971 to 1997, has discussed her decision to leave the iconic ITV soap as she steps out of retirement for a new acting role. Following Helen Worth's recent departure from her long-standing role as Gail Platt, Barlow, 95, reflected on her own exit from the show during an appearance on the Conversation Street podcast. She expressed that leaving was the correct choice for her at the time, saying: "It was the right thing for me. Helen's just left, and it's probably the right thing for her too. You just know, I think. I couldn't be doing it now." Barlow also reminisced about returning to theatre work after her stint on television, stating: "But, no, I just felt that I just had to get back to theatre and that happened, fortunately." Thelma Barlow became a household name due to her role in Coronation Street (Image: Ferdaus Shamim, WireImagevia Getty Images ) During her tenure in the cobbles, Barlow's character Mavis became a beloved figure, especially known for her marriage to Derek Wilton (played by Peter Baldwin) and her partnership with Rita Tanner (Barbara Knox) at The Kabin newsagents. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter When asked about the enduring appeal of Mavis's on-screen friendship with Rita, Barlow highlighted the contrasting personalities of the two characters: "Well, they were such opposites to begin with, weren't they? Article continues below "Everyone caved in rather heavily on Mavis to begin with, but it gradually rubbed off on her, this little bit of spirit and she got more strength." The Manchester Evening News reports she continued to describe their dynamic, noting how Mavis often exasperated Rita: "They were really good friends, although there was a lot of stick coming from Rita! I think [Mavis] probably irritated Rita, 'Get some spine, woman, stand up for yourself!', because she was being very soppy with all these menfolk. She had so many men in her life over the years, it never came to anything, though." The former Dinnerladies actress has made a return to the screen in the short film 'Sleepless in Settle', taking on the role of an elderly mother intent on finding the perfect match for her 72-year-old son. Despite originally having no plans to jump back into acting, she was persuaded by a friend to take on the project. Reflecting on her unexpected comeback, she said: "I had no intention of working again, but a friend who had written a lot of things, she's an actress, and a very good one, Judy Flynn, she asked if she could write something for me. "I was delighted, I don't think I hesitated at all. She wrote this lovely piece, and we talked about it quite a lot. We were very much on a wavelength, and we did it about a year and a half ago now. "It was just the best thing ever because I started off in theatre, and it was like being back in my first job with young people. Young technicians, everyone had this great feeling of trying to do the best they could." In a recent interview, following her emergence from retirement to take part in the short film 'Sleepless in Settle', where Thelma plays the character Barbara who embarks on a mission to set up her middle-aged son Alan with a woman, yielding many comedic scenes. Chatting with Radio Times, Thelma shared her reasons for embracing this new role, revealing how her old colleague and friend, the talented Judy Flynn, who is both a writer and director, crafted the character of Barbara expressly with her in mind. Article continues below Thelma expressed: "I was familiar with her work and knew it would be good. The characters are so well drawn, it was a joy. Good writing is easy to learn, there are some lovely lines that reminded me of when I joined Coronation Street."
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
ITV Corrie legend admits they couldn't do soap now almost three decades after exit
Thelma Barlow, 95, who famously portrayed Mavis Riley in ITV's Coronation Street from 1971 to 1997, has admitted she "couldn't" be part of the soap now as she steps out of retirement for a new role. Following the recent departure of Helen Worth, who played Gail Platt for half a century, Barlow confessed that she knew it was the "right thing" for her to leave the ITV soap when she did. In an interview on the Conversation Street podcast, she stated: "It was the right thing for me. Helen 's just left, and it's probably the right thing for her too. You just know, I think. I couldn't be doing it now." She added: "But, no, I just felt that I just had to get back to theatre and that happened, fortunately." During her tenure on the cobbles, Mavis notably married Derek Wilton (Peter Baldwin) and formed a dynamic duo with fellow Street legend Rita Tanner (Barbara Knox), running The Kabin newsagents together as reported by the Manchester Evening News . When asked about the success of her on-screen friendship with Rita, she explained: "Well, they were such opposites to begin with, weren't they? Everyone caved in rather heavily on Mavis to begin with, but it gradually rubbed off on her, this little bit of spirit and she got more strength. "They were really good friends, although there was a lot of stick coming from Rita! I think [Mavis] probably irritated Rita, 'Get some spine, woman, stand up for yourself!', because she was being very soppy with all these menfolk. She had so many men in her life over the years, it never came to anything, though." The ex-'dinnerladies' actress has ended her retirement to feature in the new short film 'Sleepless in Settle', portraying an elderly mother orchestrating a romance for her 72-year-old son. Despite previously having "no intention" of returning to acting, she was convinced when her friend, the talented actress and writer Judy Flynn, offered to create a role specifically for her. Commenting on the opportunity, she revealed: "I had no intention of working again, but a friend who had written a lot of things, she's an actress, and a very good one, Judy Flynn, she asked if she could write something for me. "I was delighted, I don't think I hesitated at all. She wrote this lovely piece, and we talked about it quite a lot. We were very much on a wavelength, and we did it about a year and a half ago now. "It was just the best thing ever because I started off in theatre, and it was like being back in my first job with young people. Young technicians, everyone had this great feeling of trying to do the best they could." In a recent interview coinciding with her return to acting in 'Sleepless in Settle', Thelma portrays Barbara, who plots comically to pair her middle-aged son Alan, played by Graham Turner, with an ideal partner in the 22-minute production. Speaking with Radio Times, Thelma discussed what drew her back to acting, crediting her friend Judy Flynn, who not only wrote but directed the film, as the one who tailored the character of Barbara specially for her. Thelma expressed: "I was familiar with her work and knew it would be good. The characters are so well drawn, it was a joy. Good writing is easy to learn, there are some lovely lines that reminded me of when I joined Coronation Street." Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
