Corrie's forgotten characters - Dave Smith

Dave Smith is a name that I think most Coronation Street viewers have heard or know vaguely, but like Norma Ford and to some extent Des Barnes, he is forgotten about. The character is often described as being a precursor to Mike Baldwin, yet while Baldwin had a distinct human edge, Smith was staunchly selfish with no let-up. Cockney Smith was played intermittently by Reginald Marsh from 1962 until 1976 and was arguably Corrie's longest-standing villain.

Click below for more about Dave Smith, today's forgotten character.

Dave was a bookmaker, a businessman and, as Ena Sharples suggested in 1969, a local gangster: 'You're supposed to be the king of this area aren't yer? You've got y'runners and the men who get in fights for you. Them 50-year-old errand lads who're on the dole.'

When Smith first appeared in 1962 and he quickly involved himself with Elsie Tanner from No.11, a relationship that would be on-again, off-again for a number of years. When Elsie and Dave first showed signs of a romance, Len Fairclough was outraged and the two men ended up fighting in the Rovers.

Dave remained rather quiet until 1966 when he showed an intention in buying the corner shop and converting it into a betting office. Dave's interest in the shop coincided with the return of Dennis Tanner from Carlisle, £95 in debt and desperate for help as his life was threatened if he did not pay. Elsie begged Dave for a loan, which he refused unless she slept with him. When Dennis heard of Dave's proposition he refused to let his mother be prostituted and stood firm when a bunch of heavies arrived to beat him. Len stepped in at the last minute, paid the debt and gave the heavies a good seeing to!

By 1967 Dave's main shop was on the corner of Rosamund Street and looked strikingly similar to the shop we have today. When Albert Tatlock was knocked unconscious when two thugs tried to rob the shop, Ena Sharples started a campaign to get the bookies closed down. Dave used his wallet to save his bacon and paid Albert £25 in compensation.

In spite of his indecent proposal, Elsie started another affair with Dave in 1967 when he proved that he had saved Elsie's grandson, Paul Cheveski, from drowning the Weatherfield canal. Elsie ended the relationship within a matter of weeks as she couldn't stand Len Fairclough's jealousy. Later that year Elsie would go on to marry American serviceman Steve Tanner.

The Tanner marriage failed and by 1968 Elsie had returned to Britain, yet by mid-summer Steve Tanner had returned to a local army base and tried to win Elsie back. Steve's attempts at a reconciliation were short-lived, and in September he was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Many of the residents were suspects, including Dave Smith when the police discovered that Steve owed Smith £1,000.

When Dave bought the old Gamma Garments shop, he installed Elsie Tanner as his manageress and his lover, but Dave was left startled for once when his estranged wife, Lillian, turned up and demanded a divorce. When Dave found out that a divorce would mean that he would lose a third of his income, he decided to fight the case and took Elsie to court with him. Lillian Smith paid Hilda Ogden to spy on the couple but ended the divorce case the when Dave offered to give her a pay-off.

When Minnie Caldwell went missing in 1969 after running up large gambling debts, the residents turned on Dave and blamed him for the disappearance. Even the usually timid Miss Emily Nugent shouted at Dave: 'we all know you're not the area organiser for Oxfam!' Minnie was found

In 1970 David Barlow and his son, Darren, were killed in a car accident in Australia. The Ogdens could not afford the £600 aeroplane ticket for Hilda to visit her daughter, Irma, so Dave loaned them the money. The residents rallied round and raised enough money for the Ogdens to pay-off Dave Smith, but Stan being Stan instead used to cash to buy Irma a share in the corner shop and gave Dave Smith the deeds to No.13 as means of payment. Irma started a relationship with Dave and gladly returned the deeds to the Ogdens, but when Irma found out about the arrangement, she dumped Dave.

Smith had employed Lucille Hewitt as a cashier at his betting shop in 1968, and in 1971 Lucille was robbed of the shop's takings while she was on the way to the bank. To the shock of the residents, namely Annie Walker, Dave blamed Lucille for the robbery and sacked her. By 1972 Dave had sold the betting shop and went silent until he moved away from Weatherfield in 1976, moving to Kennilworth with none other than Blanche Hunt! Watch this excellent YouTube from 1976 featuring Dave and Blanche.