The Daily Mirror have a double page spread today (pages 14 and 15 if you're interested) with pictures of 63 of the barmaids who have worked in the Rovers Return.
I've always enjoyed Liz McDonald. She is fiery, she's fierce, she's strong, she's tough. She's a classic Corrie woman who can snap the lid of a smile over a scream and carry on serving. She's got a terrible sense of fashion but she can pull it off with the confidence of a runway model.
I think she's probably the best landlady of the Rovers Return that we've seen since Bet-Lynch-Gilroy. They're very much cut from the same cloth though I think Liz is probably a bit stronger in that Bet always seemed like, underneath it all, she expected everything to be taken away from her, like she didn't really deserve to own and run the pub, not really.
Liz believes she's meant to be the landlady and nobody's going to get the better of her. Well, they didn't until Tony managed to wear her down - but that was just a
blip.
Her tenure at the pub has been rocky, to say the least. Liz has had several lengthy retreats to Spain causing a bit of upheaval behind the bar at times. I've written more about Liz and the interim landladies / managers over here on State of the Street.
Liz, at the moment, may or may not be one of the owners of the
pub, but I have confidence that she will be once again and it won't be
long coming.
(This post was originally posted by Tvor on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2014.)
Now then. I've been thinking about Coronation Street, as you do, (don't you? I do!). Now that Katy's decided she hasn't got the stomach to be a paramedic, she doesn't know what her next move will be. I think I've got an idea what it's going to be and I'm going to speculate that Katy will soon be pulling pints behind the bar at the Rovers.
It's not really a stretch. She's young and pretty. She's got a job at the gym but it's probably not that fiscally rewarding. Over at the pub, Steve is absent more than he's there and Michelle and Liz together can't cover all the shifts. Liz replaced Tina with Eva but we know that Catherine Tyldesly is going to be on her maternity leave pretty soon. My money is on a visit to New York to see Stella and they're going to need part time help behind the bar.
Enter Katy. She can work evenings and Chesney can mind Joseph. I don't imagine it will be long term, just until Eva returns because we also know that Georgia May Foote is going to be leaving as well. It's inevitable, really. Most of the attractive young Weatherfielders in the neighbourhood work at the Rovers. There really isn't anyone else. Sophie might be old enough but she's really not barmaid material, is she, not with her cheerless demeanor.
(This post was originally posted by Llifon on the Coronation Street Blog in April 2013.)
A Rovers barmaids reunion
Since 1960, there have been 56 barmaids serving behind the Rovers bar. Some have only lasted a few weeks or months, while others have served for many years. Their storylines usually involve a complicated love life where they are manipulated by the men in their lives and hide behind the public façade of being a barmaid.
Concepta Riley was the first barmaid and served until 1962.
Betty Turpin/Williams holds the record for longest serving barmaid, clocking 43 years behind the bar. Famed for her hotpot, she began in 1969 and worked for 11 licensees. She became a mother figure and shoulder to cry for her young fellow barmaids and her customers.
Fellow barmaid Bet Lynch served for 15 years between 1970 and 1985 and rose to become landlady before leaving in 1995. During her stint as barmaid, she was famed for her beehive, earrings and flirting with customers. Without a doubt, she is Corrie’s most famous barmaid, and indeed soap’s famous barmaid.
Other barmaids who’ve been behind the bar include Lucille Hewitt (1967-1974), Gloria Todd (1985-1988), Liz McDonald (1990-1996, 2004-2010), Raquel Wolstenhulme (1991-1996), Shelley Unwin (2001-2006), Violet Wilson (2004-2008), Michelle Connor (2006-2010) and Becky Granger/McDonald (2008-2011). Tina McIntyre is the current Rovers barmaid.
Some Corrie veterans have been Rovers barmaids including Emily (1968-1970), Blanche (1974), Gail (1976) and Sally (1986).
Who's your favourite Rovers barmaid? Vote now and also leave your comments!
