Coronation Street - Elsie leaves 1984

[FAWLTYWORZELMELDREW]

Pat Pheonix as Elsie Tanner was remarkable as was Doris Speed (Annie Walker), Violet Carson (Ena Sharples), Jean Alexander (Hilda Ogden), Fred Feast (Fred Gee) and Julie Goodyear (Bet Lynch). All Greats that we seldom see on the Street anymore unless of course it's Bill Roache (Ken Barlow), Eileen Derbyshire (Emily Bishop) Betty Driver (Betty Turpin) or Barbara Knox (Rita Fairclough) who have been there donkeys years as it is. Thank God for them.

[pcarr1960]

Just look at the cast list: every one of them was a character in their own right, enjoyable to watch even when there wasn't much going on with the plots. Nowadays they have to come up with ever more titillating stories and gimmicks to make up for the lack of characters. The show has never recovered from the loss of Pat, God bless her, or of the many other great actors in the series in the 1960s and 1970s.

[radiodj1520]

In This Clip, From 2:43 To 3:33, It Was "Coronation Street" Video Close From January 4, 1984.

[radiodj1520]

In This Clip, From 0:04 To 0:26, It Was "Coronation Street" Video Open From January 4, 1984.

[Feisty1967]

Pat Phoenix sadly died 2 years after her exit from Corrie.

[CarlD2]

Isn't it nice to remember a soap exit that is not endless histrionics and sensationalism?

[MrBuckley123]

good old corrie are the best

[newfypearl]

I would love to see Rita and Elsie in a scene together. Two redheads....was the street really big enough for two of them. lol

[dramaticguy]

@newfypearl Granda Plus ran old Corrie from 76 when Elsie comes back to the street,Elsie and Rita didn't like each other at the start as they both wanted Len.

[MeBenHalpin]

@dramaticguy Yeah remember those repeats on Plus, remember one scene where massive slanging match took place between the two of them in the Rovers, with Len just standing there, almost amused that two women were competing for him.

[MsFanmail]

elsie was g8 in coronation st and hilda as well i miss those characters

[MeBenHalpin]

@MsFanmail Yeah used to love watching the repeats on plus and Elsie and Hilda's rowells were some of the best.

[MeBenHalpin]

@CorrieClassics Yeah it is Eileen's place now number 11, so hard to believe its the same house though that Elsie Tanner spent 24 years living in on and off.

[MeBenHalpin]

Very moving this scene, but amazing acting from the legendary Pat Phoenix.

[aBritaBroad]

I remember Pat......... (Elsie Tanner) Now that brings back childhood memories for me. I remember seeing her on tour. Brilliant actress.

[TAMWORTHFAN]

Always loved forever remembered-God bless Pat and Elsie.

[MsFanmail]

elsie was tough as hard nails g8 strong woman

[mmaconachie]

At 0:34, the light went out before she flicked the switch.

[MrBuckley123]

the good old days love the old corrie

[brightonking69]

Jessie Wallace's portrayl as Elsie in The Road to Coronation Street was AMAZING!

[addie603]

i'm looking for a clip of my cousin who appeared on Corrie in 1984/5 - she played a barmaid and then Alec Gilroy took her to the Graffitie Club ?????

[pufferfishish]

@CorrieClassics I think so. The McDonalds lived there too from 1989 and before that Audrey and Alf Roberts.

[pufferfishish]

I've always wondered why the end credits always merely said: 'based on an idea by' (Tony Warren)- he was the creator of the programme and nothing less! The credits are so small on screen now I don't know if they've re-phrased it. They should.

[NickLotay]

@pufferfishish I don't know how long ago it was changed, but yes, the credit has been amended since; it now reads "Created by Tony Warren".. I only noticed it recently as I never pay much attention to the credits anymore. All thanks to ITV's bizarre penchant for massively-oversized programme promotions...!

[pufferfishish]

@NickLotay cheers for that. Glad they finally saw sense!

[RICHARDTOMLEY10WHARF]

did elsie drop len off at the swimming baths ?

[SebCrawford]

In Corrie world she's still serving up pints in Portugal.

They didn't let Ena die until fairly recently (2007 I think)

[pufferfishish]

@SebCrawford I hardly think that's likely about Ena Sharples as she was written in as 70 when it began in 1960, so that would have made her nearly 120 years old.

[NickLotay]

@pufferfishish Ena wasn't exactly 70 when the programme began in 1960. The character was born in 1899 so she would have been 61 in December 1960. But yes, she would have been a grand old age (108 to be precise) if she had died in 2007!

I prefer to think of the characters as having passed on with the actresses. There were a number of straight-to-video Street programmes made in the '80s that referred to Ena as having died in 1983 (when Vi Carson died) and Elsie in 1986 (as with Pat Phoenix).

[pufferfishish]

@NickLotay Yep, I agree; even if the character is not seen to die on-screen I think it's only right to kill them off once the actor/actress dies. The idea of re-casting wouldn't be very sensitive to the actor who died and this usually only works better with younger cast members anyway.

[cheekybugger]

Pat Phoenix, the Queen of Manchester.

[PM1970]

@ingravegreen I remember watching this Corrie! This was one of the many iconic moments of the soap! R.I.P, Pat Phoenix :)

[MeBenHalpin]

@ingravegreen Just looked it up and this episode aired on 4th January 1984, guess it was new years resolution or something to leave dreary Weatherfield behind and move on to pastures new as they say.

[frodoireland]

Such a powerful emotional scene. Best exit ever in a soap.

[stecarroll27]

Its amazing how fresh the outdoor set looks, it would only have been about 2 yrs old at this satge. Its becoming a bit grubby thesedays

[foccha]

"Ah, now there's a question"

I love her approach to life, she was very tough.

[no1zgrl4eva]

Yikes, looks like a man in drag!

[newr97y57]

Pat is my great grandma!! and yes u guys are right she died of lung cancer in 1986! I agree corrie will be interesting when Ken leaves!! hope Elsie appears as a ghost!!

[squidwood10]

@newr97y57

What a woman. xx

[MegaDave1973]

@newr97y57 l thought Pat played a wonderful part in Coronation Street a fantastic actress

[ulsterballs]

annie walker died few months ago over 90 elsie tanner died not long after with cancer when she left the show

[gallafey]

the last flash momant on coranation street was in november december 2000 when show celabrated it's 40th anniversry, there is scene where we ken barlowe cast his mind to his younger days

[newr97y57]

What a great way of leaving the show! a true corrie legend like no other!!

[c17productions2008]

Did Elsie Tanner ever die off-screen in the series?

[soapfunclassics]

I dont think she did?

[mattfrye1]

@soapfunclassics Her death was never a storyline but present day charectors refer to her as having died. When Mike had amnesia he thought Elsie was running his factory and he had to reminded that Elsie had passed away.

[unclemort1960]

@soapfunclassics we need closure

[heat000]

@soapfunclassics When Dennis Tanner came back early this year, he said Elsie and Bill Gregory died in a car crash, I think it was Portugal.

[matthewperry1982]

there was reference made in a 1987 video, the life and loves of elsie tanner, but also like ena shaples, and annie walker, elsie tanner's death was never made reference too in the show its self, but we can asumme that annie walker and ena sharples are now dead, as they would nearly be 110!

[mattfrye1]

@matthewperry1982 Your right, When Mike lost his memory, he thought Elsie was running his factory and had to reminded Elsie had died. In 1989, when the new factories were built, Deirdre said "Ena Sharples is probaly rolling her grave", thus confirming Ena had died. Ena was also mentioned as having died by Emily in 2004 when it was thought Vera was haunting the Kabin. Annie Walkers fate to my knowlege has never be revelead.

[h8thatcherluvblair]

The main one I remember was Fred Gee, when his missus, Eunice, came back.

[dramaticguy]

@c17productions2008 They did a special video "The Life And Loves Of Elsie Tanner",full of clips and Linda Tanner visiitng the street follwing Elsie's death.

[CarlD2]

@c17productions2008 Just in the spinoff video from 1987. Hopefully it will be mentioned now that Dennis is returning.

[matthewsomethingteen]

@c17productions2008 her actress did die in 1986 and she would be 88 now if alive i mean betty is 91 so its not too late for her to come back by a different actress. she'd look different anyway wouldnt she

[JoeyDPro2009]

@c17productions2008 yeah she did die off screen, dennis told rita when he returned in may

[Sextimus23]

Coronation street will be interesting to see the day that William Roache leaves.

[BeatleboyOZ]

he has said he will never leave so he's there till he dies

[imalittlemidget]

Love her to bits!

[jiggarypokery]

That was a really nice little scene. They dont do things like those voice over/flashback things anymore do they. If Pat left in 1984 when did she first appear in the series?

[matthewperry1982]

see appeared in the very first episode on the 9th December 1960!

[mistofoles]

Shortly After leaving Coronation Street, Pat made her last ever TV series, the short-lived comedy "IN CONSTANT HOT WATER",sadly, she died soon afterwards.

[matthewperry1982]

Pat is a legend, NO ONE has ever been of her stardom since with the expection of Violet Carson!

[BeatleboyOZ]

pat phoenix a legend

[morgansifer82]

1984 turned out to be a year of real change for the programme in terms of losing many legendary members of the cast. Pat Phoenix left, and Jack Howarth as Albert Tatlock sadly died, as did Bernard Yoens as Stan Ogden. The year before Doris Speed as Annie Walker also left. Listening to those classic lines that Elsie uttered over the years makes me realsie that today's ensemble (apart from a few of the stalwarts and a couple of newer ones) pale into insignificance.

[WorldNews92]

I always find it strange that characters like Curly Watts, Kevin Webster, and Terry Duckworth appeared in the series when Annie Walker, Albert Tatlock, and Elsie Tanner were still in the series - even if the last three would leave later in the year.

[BNCA70]

yeah and Kevin and Sally were Hilda's lodgers when I was a teen.

[unclemort1960]

@BNCA70 i remember that storyline hilda tried to stop sally creeping down stairs in the dead of night as they were`nt `wed`