Betty Turpin, sorry Betty Williams, is Coronation Street's most enduring barmaid and an all-round good egg. First appearing on the cobbled streets of Weatherfield in 1969, Betty has remained a firm fixture throughout five decades of the programme, experiencing the death of loved ones, the revelation of an illegitimate child, being Weatherfield's resident darts champion as well as cooking hundreds of portions of her infamous Lancashire hotpot.
How has Betty's life on Coronation Street shaped her into the strong and resilient woman that she is? Continue reading below to find out. [Ben]
When Betty Driver was cast as the domineering sister of corner shop owner Maggie Clegg, she was ready to give up on showbusiness completely, enjoying her retirement running a pub in Derbyshire. When she was approached by Granada, she was famously told by H.V. Kershaw "Instead of pulling pints here, why don't you come and do it at the Rovers?"
Betty's first appearance was on June 2 1969 and she was an instant hit with viewers and cast members alike. The production team had decided that Maggie and her sister were to be completely different, chalk and cheese, and the pair shared a sometimes fraught relationship. Maggie grew depressed as Betty seemed to take over her life in the corner shop, rearranging tins, jars and packets as well as Maggie's lovelife. When Annie Walker went away on holiday, Betty agreed to help out behind the bar of the Rovers and there she would remain!
Betty's husband, Cyril (always referred to as 'My Cyril' by Betty) soon appeared and the couple slotted into Coronation Street as if they had always been there. Cyril was a local policeman and in 1970, Betty was stalked by an ex-convict, Keith Lucas, whom Cyril had arrested a number of years back. When Cyril found out he attacked Lucas with some lead piping and was forced to leave the police force.
Life was quiet for Betty until 1974, when she had a very tough year indeed. In February Cyril died suddenly from a heartattack and Betty blamed herself for his death and suffered a nervous breakdown. Maggie and Alf planned the funeral and prepared to bury Cyril without Betty being there, but she turned up at the last minute. In July Maggie remarried and left Weatherfield for Zaire and evil Granny Hopkins unearthed Betty's darkest secret - Gordon Clegg was her son, not her nephew. The revelation knocked the family for six, with Gordon feeling betrayed and lied to (understandably!). In 1975 Betty celebrated at being voted the Newton & Ridley 'Personality of the Pub' but was devastated when a drunken Gordon revealed his true parentage to a packed Rovers.
After the tough mid-70s, Betty settled into life at the Rovers alongside Bet Lynch, Fred Gee and Annie Walker. In 1977 she stood as god-mother to Tracy Langton and in 1978 was embarrassed when rumours spread about a secret relationship between her and Alf Roberts. Betty's son Gordon was living in London and in 1982 arrived back in Weatherfield with his fiancee Caroline Wilson. Caroline was as snobby as Corrie characters get, and openly disapproved of Betty's job in a working-class northern pub. Betty was hurt when the couple got married privately and didn't invite her to the wedding.
Later in 1982 Betty was brutally mugged and after reading a newspaper article, Ted Farrell turned up to reacquaint himself with his wartime sweetheart. Ted was in fact Gordon's father, and Betty toyed with the idea of telling him the truth about his son. In the end she decided that the past was best left in the past and Ted left none the wiser. In 1983, the Rovers staff enjoyed an infamous outing to Tatton Park, with Annie Walker's Rover 2000 (and Betty and Bet) ending up in the middle of the lake.
Life would become extremely quiet for Betty until 1995 when she met another old flame from the war years, Billy Williams. The pair started an on-off courtship and were eventually married in October 1995. Betty's second marriage lasted just over two years when Billy died in 1997 of a heartattack.
Since Billy's death, Betty has enjoyed an easy life, living at her home on Hillside Crescent and continuing to work a few shifts at the Rovers. What have been your favourite Betty moments over the years?
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May I ask is Miss Nugent your next character study? Because all of the ideas I've mentioned (Rita, Betty) have appeared.
Lifon, Miss Nugent is coming up on Wednesday this week.
Very good. May I ask how does one make his own Corrieblog post?
Lifon, just keep suggesting and we'll keep writing. Sadly, you can't make your own Corrieblog pots but the four writers try to pick up on comments left and act on them when we can.
Fantastic read that. Really enjoyed it. Betty is a champion.She does need a storyline though. How i would love it if Maggie turned up again after all these years.
Thanks, I enjoyed that summary of Betty the "Queen of Hotpots" time on Coronation Street. The most memorable things for me about Betty are the fact that she supposedly made the hotpots for the Rover's as well as the character she has played on the show. She has a particular way about her when she gets upset about something that has been said or done. Don't think I can explain it very well, but I can see her facial expression and the way she strutts off in my mind's eye.
My most favourite Betty spot is a recent one...when she spoke Hungarian to Norris and Rita before they left for their trip...the old "amazing what you pick up during the War". Norris' face was priceless. (Remember - we in Canada are running about 9 months behind the UK.) Betty comes out with some real rippers sometimes. When I read an interview with her recently on the blog here, I couldn't believe her age. Hope if I reach that far, I'm in as good a nick as she is!
I love Betty and i wish we'd see more of her but i suppose she just works a bit now and then for her pin money!
She'll always be Betty Turpin to me. I'd love to see her name changed back. TURPIN is such a strong surname.
I really do think Maggie should Return to visit Betty, I wonder what she would make of the Corner Shop & Amber!
Having Maggie back even for a short time would give younger viewers or viewers who are fairly new to the street a chance to see Betty intaract with her family, & not just serving behind the bar at the rovers, plus its about time we paid a visit to Hillside Cresent again- is marmaduke still about!?
Blimey! The cat. I would put a lot of money on that we will never see inside Betty's house ever again.
Marmaduke died a couple of years ago. Sean took him to the vet to have an excuse to chat up the cute doctor but was told the cat was ill and had to be put down.
Oh yeah, another story that went nowhere.
I would love to see Betty's house... as I never have! When was it last shown I wonder?
Well Marmaduke's death wasn't really meant to be a storyline with depth. so to speak. Sean did try to get her a kitten but she couldn't be doing with it. The storyline was more about Sean trying to date the vet which he did but then got interrupted by the vet's boyfriend. Broken heart again.
I think the last time we saw Betty house was around the time she was married to Billy Williams- so some time between 1995-1997, I would think!
Betty has always been one of my favourite characters and while I lament the fact that she's not used much these days, she's well into her eighties and deserves a rest. Still, I agree with other posters that it would be great to bring Maggie back for a little while. What I particularly like about Betty is her complete ability to watch something being played out, then deliver one killer line and steal the scene. Classic!
This may seem weird but my family and I certain we saw an episode a few months ago where someone behind the bar at the rovers announced that Betty had taken ill and died suddenly. Then tonight a few months later she's back on it. Have we got it wrong somewhere.
I would love to know exactly how many times over the years has Betty quit/retired or was sacked from the Rovers. Some of her best bits were when a falling out with Alec or Vera lead to a walk out