Top 50 Countdown of Favourite Corrie Characters – No 36

No. 36 Len Fairclough The late Peter Adamson portrayed builder and councillor, Len Fairclough, from 1961 until 1983. Len liked a drink and thought of himself as a bit of a hardman. In 1962, Ken Barlow described him as a "loud-mouthed, beer-swilling moron" and they came to blows in the Rovers (they later made up and went on to become the best of buddies in the 1970s).

Elsie Tanner always held a special place in his heart, and Len was a frequent visitor to No.11. Although there was a certain chemistry between them, they were never anything more than friends. Nevertheless, his wife, (the never-seen) Nellie, left him for another man taking their son, Stanley, with her. He proceeded to buy No.9 and gave lodgings to Ray Langton and Jerry Booth. From there, he led the life of a bachelor, dating a number of Weatherfield ladies, beginning an on/off relationship with singer, Rita Littlewood, in 1972. They later married in 1977 and had a number of happy years together, fostering John Spencer and Sharon Gaskell along the way, until Len was killed in a car crash in 1983 (on his way to see his fancywoman, as Rita was to discover later).
Most famous for : Drinking, fighting and rebuilding No.7. Check our our Top 50 so far. [Sky Clearbrook]