The life and times of Bet Gilroy

Thanks to Corrieblog reader Seanie, for writing this piece about a Coronation Street legend.

Bet first arrived in Coronation Street on 23rd of May 1966 and made her first appearance peeking through the Rovers' doors. She stayed for about 6 weeks or so and was brought back in 1970.

In 1966 she gave Lucille Hewitt a black eye but when she came back in 1970, they didn’t remember the punch and became friends! She was taken on as a barmaid by Billy Walker and at first Annie Walker and Betty Turpin didn’t like her, but Annie Walker said she’d give her a weeks trial. Annie saw that her charms to the customers were increasing business and kept her on. When the three became friends, they formed a popular trio. Also, in 1970, Bet moved in with her friend Irma Barlow into the Corner Shop flat.

1973, at Hilda Ogden’s dance party; she nearly kissed Ken Barlow until they were disturbed by Stan Ogden, drinking booze, in the outside toilet.

In 1974, she won a holiday for two. Somehow she managed to bring along Hilda Ogden, Mavis Riley, Rita Littlewood and Annie Walker. In the same year she also had a feud with Hilda Ogden over a cheap sideboard that Betty Turpin sold to Hilda, but Bet said Betty sold it her. It ended up in a brawl outside No.13 and Bet refused to get off the sideboard. Annie Walker told her to give the sideboard to Hilda Ogden or she’d lose her job.

In 1975, Bet's son, Martin Downs, whom she put up for adoption when she was sixteen, came looking for his mother . When he was told she was a barmaid and a tart, he stormed out of the pub and when news reached her that he had died in a car crash, she tried suicide but she was saved by Eddie Yeats.

In 1977, she occupied No. 5 with Mike Baldwin, her ‘lover’. When he said he was married, Bet stormed out of the house and found that he wasn’t married, but only with a girlfriend, he forced her to move out. Bet she said she wouldn’t go without a fight. Mike changed the locks and Bet’s items were thrown outside in garage bags.

In 1980, she embarrassed herself by wearing Annie Walker's dress back to front in front of the whole pub. In 1983, Fred Gee organised a trip out to the Lakes with Bet Lynch. He wanted to romance her but Betty Turpin ended up coming too. When the brakes failed on the car, Betty and Bet ended up in the lake. Fred Gee, of course, took Bet on his back and laid her down while he got Betty. Then she said he had laid her down in cow dung!

In 1985, she signed herself up to be the manager of the pub but she was told she had no chance since she was single. But with the support of the regulars, Bet was made first single manageress of the pub. She was nearly killed in 1986, when Jack Duckworth tried to fix a fuse in the pub, and the Rovers caught fire. Kevin Webster tried to rescue her but he found the smoke too much and he and Bet had to be saved by the fire brigade.

The Rovers re-opened. But she soon fell into debt and borrowed money from Alec Gilroy. She fell into debt again, and this time, fled the country. She came back and married Alec to secure the pub and was given the pub as a wedding present. In 1988, she suffered a miscarriage. When Alec left in 1992, she still had the pub and in 1994 she started dating country and western long-distance driver Charlie Whelan. When barmaid Tanya Pooley slept with him, Tanya and Charlie left the area. In 1995 Newton and Ridley wanted to sell some of their smaller pubs and the Rovers was one of them. Bet fell into debt and Rita Sullivan, her best friend, was going to go into partnership with her, but realising she wasn’t a great business women, pulled out last thing. She left in October 1995. She was in a special in 1999 with Reg Holdsworth and Vicky McDonald, Alec’s granddaughter, helping her in a second marriage. She came back in 2002 and in 2003.

Written by Seanie. Dates and details from Corrie.net and 40 Years of Coronation Street by Daran Little