Bev Callard on Liz losing the Rovers Return

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)


This week we saw Liz McDonald sign over the Rovers Return to recovering alcoholic Peter Barlow and his girlfriend Toyah Battersby.

And in this week's Inside Soap magazine, Beverley Callard, who plays Liz in Corrie, says that she's looking forward to Liz's future away from the pub.

Beverley told Inside Soap: "Instead of turning left in the studio, now I just turn right. It's great for me as an actress, as Steve and Liz end up living together in the flat above Streetcars.

"We're getting some proper McDonald scenes and they're so funny! I can't tell you much, apart from Steve is with a woman and Liz doesn't see any chemistry. She tells him: 'Steve, she's a nice girl, but if she doesn't put a snap in your celery, she isn't worth having'.

"And then Liz goes: 'I've seen more romantic kisses at Liza Minnelli's last wedding!' They do write some classics for Liz!"

But... Peter taking over the Rovers Return? I can only imagine what Blanche would have had to say to that!

---

Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Pics: Tom Jones in the Rovers Return

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog January 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

It's not unusual to see Liz McDonald behind the bar of the Rovers Return, but she was accompanied this week by Sir Tom Jones of the valleys.

Tom was joined by his fellow judges on The Voice, as ITV cross-promote their new show on the set of Coronation Street.

But I'm loving Will.I.Am's look behind the bar there and reckon Corrie should sign him up quick sharp as the new Blanche.

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Liz McDonald's Achilles Heel

(This post was originally posted by Tvor on the Coronation Street Blog in July 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Cross posted with permission from State of the Street.

We always hear rumours surfacing from time to time suggesting that Charlie Lawson may bring Big Jim McDonald back to Coronation Street. When that happens, there are fans jumping for joy and other fans cringing. I'm one of the former. People accuse the character of Jim as being a "one trick pony", coming in to do the same things over and over. He'll try to get Liz back, she'll be tempted, he'll mess up, argue with Steve, probably do something stupid and leave. Lather, rinse, repeat.

And it often does go down like that, with lots of Jim's sayings to pepper the pot. "The Big House", "So it is", "I'll tell ye this and I'll tell ye no more", "Ach to be sure" and calling Liz "Elizabeth". It ought to be a drinking game! Fans of Jim squeal when one of his familiar sayings slips out. You feel let down if one's missing, in fact.

As far as being a one trick pony, when I look back, there are many, many characters that are just the same. Stan Ogden, anyone? (Drink, cower under Hilda's wrath, cook up schemes, evade work where possible. Repeat. And the same could be said about Jack Duckworth)

But the main reason I would love to see Jim back for a visit is the chemistry that has always been there between Lawson and Bev Callard as Jim and Liz McDonald. It's there with Simon Gregson as his son, as well. They all three just leap off the screen when they're in scenes together. It's not just familiarity that comes with acting together for a long time, either because it was evident even in the early days of the McDonald clan.

Jim and Liz were always a fiery couple. Jim had a quick temper but Liz had a volatile one as well. She was never cowed by him and stood up to him frequently, especially if she was defending one of her lads against their father's rages. It became too much, Liz started to look elsewhere, and they divorced but Jim is the love of Liz's life. He's edgy and a bit dangerous and she likes that in her men. I think that's why she seemed so suited to Tony Stewart. They are exciting and she knows they're probably going to let her down in the long run but she just can't resist.

Jim swept her off her feet as a teenager and they married when she got pregnant. She may have regretted that she was more or less a single parent because of his duties in the army but they had that passion that never really left and that's the passion she remembers when he comes around, even after years away. They fit together like two halves of a pair of scissors. 

Will we see Jim return? There's always a possibility as long as Jim is alive and the producer and writers cook up a story but there are currently no plans to do so.  As much as Steve and Liz keep washing their hands of Jim and his monumental mistakes, Jim is still Steve's dad and Liz will always be in Jim's heart. She'll always be tempted even though she knows he's not good for her. Jim is Amy's granddad and they love each other. I think conversations between Jim and Amy as she is these days would be a joy to behold.

I'm definitely in the Yay camp. I'll tell you this and I'll tell you no more, Bring Back Big Jim!

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Beverley Callard reveals suicidal thoughts after breaking down

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog September 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

I have long admired Beverley Callard for being so open and honest about her mental health problems. Being open, and talking about, mental health makes it less of a stigma. Beverley is now an ambassador for the mental health charity Mind.

In an interview with a woman's magazine this week, she talks about her most recent bout of mental health problems which saw her taking time away from work at Coronation Street. And she reveals that she felt so bad that she was even having suicidal thoughts.

The actress, who plays Liz McDonald, “crashed” with severe clinical depression while on the famous Weatherfield set, and considered taking her own life at her lowest point. Bev had her illness under control until the company that made her medication stopped producing it.

After her breakdown she was signed off from her Coronation Street duties for two months, but thankfully was able to return after trying out some new experimental drugs.

She told a women’s magazine: “I don’t want anyone else to suffer in the way I did. Me, a person with endless energy, was suddenly suicidal and unable to get out of bed. Talking about your illness does help people who are suffering to know they are not alone.”



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Bev Callard back at work on Coronation Street next month

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog April 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Beverley Callard, who plays Liz McDonald on Coronation Street, was interviewed on ITV's This Morning today where she spoke openly about battling her depression.

She said: "There is still a stigma, people can still think you're flaky or unreliable, but depression can happen to people the opposite of that. They are often people pleasers."

Since 2009 Beverley has battled with severe depression and just last month she was signed off work after she was taken ill.

Beverley spoke to This Morning about her latest bout of depression, how it was brought on by an unexpected stop in her medication, and why she credited her make-up artist friend for saving her life. She also assured fans that she'll be back on set soon.

Beverley told This Morning: "I lose confidence totally. To be honest, to play Liz - you've got to be very brave to put those clothes on, I have to tell you!  It was a PVC miniskirt and I just thought: 'Oh my goodness me'. Some days I think: 'Do I really have to wear this?' But that day I just thought: 'I just feel idiotic and maybe I'm not up for doing this anymore'. My confidence had just totally gone.

"Then I looked around on the set and there were all these beautiful females and I just thought: 'I can't do it'. I sat on the Rovers stairs for a little while, while they were moving cameras. I was just crying silently and one of the make-up girls said: 'You need to go home'."

She went to see her doctor and a consultant, but struggled to get the help she needed until her former Coronation Street co-star Denise Welch - (Natalie Horrocks) who has herself battled depression - recommended a London-based expert.

"I came to see a Professor John Studd and he's saved my life. He just got the [medication] balance right and he told me how I was feeling and he was bang on.  Denise Welch recommended him. We can go a year without talking to each other and then one of us will say: 'Hi, how are you?' She was amazing."

Beverley urged anyone suffering depression to speak up and seek help. 

She said: "I'm back [filming] on the 1st of May - in a PVC skirt I'm sure!"




Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


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Beverley Callard speaks out about her depression battle

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog April 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Beverley Callard has given an interview to The Mirror about her depression battle and explains how she broke down on the set of Coronation Street

Beverley says that she sunk into such a deep depression that she’d lost all her confidence.

“At first no one knew I was struggling. I wanted to keep it a secret.But I was getting worse and worse each day. I was getting ready in my dressing room and I couldn’t take it any more. Liz had to be dressed up for a certain scene – she had to wear a PVC outfit. Fear took over and I started to cry. I thought, ‘I’m not confident enough to put this on. I can’t do it’.”

“A few days later, I was behind the bar in the Rovers when depression swamped me like a big blanket,” she says. “I thought, ‘I’m not brave enough to do this today'. I was crying and one of the make-up girls said, ‘You’re not well, are you, darling?’ ‘No’, I said. ‘I’m really not’. Bosses then sent me home.”

That was two weeks ago and today Beverley, speaks about her torment for the first time in an exclusive interview to the Mirror given to help other sufferers of clinical depression.

Please read it, it's here.

Beverley hopes to return to work next month. “The bosses have been fantastic, they’ve told me to take my time,” she says. “They want me well and firing on all cylinders. I want to say to people like me, ‘You will get better – the only thing is, you’ve got to be strong enough to ask for help.

"The stigma surrounding mental health is not as bad as it used to be, but we have a long way to go – and we’ve got to keep on fighting.

“If I can do it, anyone can.”




Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


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Beverley Callard takes Corrie break to battle depression

My heart goes out to Beverley Callard today, who has been signed off on sick leave from Coronation Street with depression.

Beverley, who plays Liz McDonald in Coronation Street revealed on twitter that she's been "battling the demons of depression", and one of the drugs she was taking has been withdrawn.

She's now taken some time off the show while doctors look for alternative medication.

A source told Mirror Celebs: "Bev has taken some time off after one of the medications she takes for her depression was discontinued without warning causing her to have some problems. She is taking some time off whilst her doctors look for a suitable alternative."

Been battling the demons of depression! One of the meds I'm on, has been stopped by pharmaceutical company, apparently it doesn't make money

— Beverley Callard (@Beverleycallard) March 30, 2016

Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


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Beverley Callard pays tribute to Anne Kirkbride

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog November 2015, reposted to this blog with permission.)

There's a wonderful tribute to Anne Kirkbride in today's Guardian. It's written by Anne's Coronation Street co-star, and friend, Beverley Callard, who plays Liz McDonald in the show.

Beverley calls Anne her "work sister" and says that Anne never once blew a take or fluffed a line on set.

It's a funny, moving and touching tribute to one of soap's greatest actresses -  and you can read it here.





Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


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The Undoing of Tony Stewart

(This post was originally posted by Emma Hynes on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2015.)

Tony Stewart, an alpha-male cocktail of menace and charisma, with a seemingly endless pot of money and an even greater reserve of self-confidence, sadly bid his farewell to the cobbles this week. Since his return in January 2014 in the form of Terence Maynard, it has been a rollercoaster ride of threats, deception, dodgy dealings, violence and infidelity. Far from a one dimensional ‘villain’, however, Tony’s charm, sense of humour and fearlessness in the face of pretty much anything made him rather endearing, as did his penchant for taking matters into his own hands, particularly when avenging his loved ones.

He returned with one aim: to make up for all the years he’d been an absent father to Jason. This noble aspiration ensured we knew from the off that he couldn’t be all bad, despite the wealth of evidence to the contrary. Within a couple of months he had gotten Jason the gym contract by dubious means, threatened Steve to back off so he could pursue Liz, and started supplying dodgy goods to Barlow’s Buys. He swaggered, schemed, seduced and splashed the cash, and it was great.

A man of questionable means, during this stint on the street Tony bought both the builders yard and a house for Jason, paid Fiz and Tyrone off to prevent them taking his son to court for negligence, bought a 50% share in Barlow’s Buys, compensated various shady characters for trashing the shop and threatening Liz, forked out for Steve’s wedding, and paid his tax bill, but later got the money back and more besides by conning him into selling his 50% share in the Rovers to the fictitious Travis Limited, AKA the inimitable Tony Stewart.

In addition to Tony’s brilliant portrayal by Terence Maynard, what I enjoyed about his return was the trajectory from January 2014 to now and how the storylines which played out revealed his depth of character. While cocksure and confident from the off, Tony was prone to the odd error of judgment. Various well meaning but ill thought out gestures angered Jason who resented his father’s interference. Seeing Tony baffled at how he’d managed to offend revealed a weakness in his otherwise confident demeanour. It showed that when Tony allowed his emotional urges to inform his dubious actions, the outcome wasn’t always as he might have intended. 

As time progressed, his urges and emotions began to dominate, and his life began to unravel. It’s hard to know which was a worse error of judgement for a man like Tony, moving in with Liz, or having an affair with Tracy. While the exposure of his infidelity would prove to be his ultimate undoing, I think his emasculation while living in the Rovers was the real driver for much of his subsequent behaviour.

Finding himself funding Steve’s wedding and getting none of the credit as well as being asked to pay his tax bill saw him mocked by Tracy for being a doormat. This wounded Tony's ego and saw him rail against the situation he found himself in, as if intent on restoring his masculinity. Fake assaults, imaginary debt collectors and plans for a non-existent trip to Spain ensued, all of which saw Tony trick Steve out of his share of the Rovers.

When his infidelity and betrayal was revealed by Tracy on Steve and Michelle’s wedding day, he disappeared.

While he received a frosty reception on his return, everything changed when Jason was hospitalised after a beating from Callum. Eileen and Tony united over their son, and we saw Tony crying for the first time, revealing his guilt at abandoning his son and his upset at failing to protect him now. 

Once Tony’s lowest ebb had been reached, and we had seen the full breadth of his character, he began to regenerate, gaining his lost power and agency. Angry, frustrated and hell bent on revenge, he turned full alpha-male once more, and exacted his punishment on Callum with a violent beating. We were reminded of the risks attached to his combination of emotion and action when Liz interrupted to tell him “You can still be a good father to him, but not like this”. After letting Callum go, Tony revealed that he was concerned that it was the only way he knew how, and that it was all he could do for his son. 

Motivated by his desire for revenge and to protect his son, Tony was back to himself, saving the day at Callum’s flat when Jason sought his own revenge, and torching Callum’s car. But his emotions were about to betray him a final time when Liz duped him into extracting himself from Barlow’s Buys, and signing Steve’s share of the pub back to him. As Tony found himself on his knees proposing, he was stunned to learn he’d been conned himself. 

You might ask how such a shrewd man would allow himself to be duped in such a manner, but when you look back at his almost two year return to the cobbles, the answer is clear; when it comes to matters of the heart, Tony’s clever, calculating ways take a back seat, and he pays for it every time, because the combination of emotion and deeds borne out of a head full of questionable morals has proven a deadly mix.

I get the strong impression, however, that Tony is going to be okay. The fact that he's resourceful and a survivor makes his character infinitely interesting and unpredictable; and the fact that he also lets his heart do the talking endears him. "Try not to kill anyone", his parting retort to Tracy's "try not to pine for me", sums up Tony's attitude and ability to pick himself up and dust himself off, and must rank as one of the best parting lines uttered on the street.

Tony will be very much missed, and I sincerely hope we haven't seen the last of him. Not only are we at the loss of of Terence Maynard’s great performances, but characters of Tony’s ilk are in short supply. Coronation Street needs that strong, brooding, seductive, yet flawed, alpha-male, and while it may not be the time to introduce any more new characters considering the number that have joined of late, this is most certainly a role which needs filling.

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.wordpress.com

Twitter: @ELHynes

Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


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Liz McDonald - Corrie's Fashion Queen

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog June 2015, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Beverley Callard, who plays Liz McDonald on Coronation Street, tweeted today that she thought Liz deserved her own range of clothing for sale. I couldn't agree more.

Let's have a look at some of the fashion dishes and disasters from our favourite Corrie landlady. 

No animals were hurt in the making of this blog post, or Liz's coat.

Biker chic.

Taking the leopard print look to a whole new level.

The zig-zag necklace. Bring it back!

Animal prints ahoy.

D-red-ful dress.

From the Liz McDonald exercise clothing range.

Liz goes Spanish Barbie.

My personal favourite, her outfit she wore for her wedding to Vernon "don't fall into the Mason's arms" Tomlin.

And our latest favourite, the fascinating wedding outfit.


If I've missed out your favourite howler of a Liz outfit, email a pic in and we'll stick it on the blog post!



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Corrie cast members sign new contracts

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2015, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Here's some cast contract news, which comes from The Sun.  As there's no official Coronation Street source for this tabloid snippet, as always take with a pinch of extra salt with your Curry Sauce.

The Sun reports this week that Kate Ford and Bev Callard (Tracy and Liz) have been given 'generous new contracts' to stay on the Street.  After Corrie favourites recently exiting (and a few more to come, but no spoilers!), The Sun says Corrie bosses are keen not to lose any more characters.

Mr Curry Sauce tells the paper: “With so many cast members quitting recently, the bosses have been panicking that others may follow in their footsteps. They can’t afford to lose any more favourites, so they have wasted no time handing out these new contracts, some of which are very generous."

Other characters reportedly staying on the street include Alan Halsall (Tyrone Dobbs), Jimmi Harkishin (Dev Alahan) and Antony Cotton (Sean Tully).

Debbie Rush (Anna Windass) and Mikey North (Gary Windass) have reportedly been given new contracts. 

Newbies Tisha Merry (Steph Britton), Oliver Farnworth (Andy Carver) and Daniel Brocklebank (Billy Mayhew) will be on the soap for another year.  Daniel's contract has already been confirmed - read here.



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Return of the Queen

(This post was originally posted by Scott Willison on the Coronation Street Blog in September 2013.)

“He was in his second day on the job,” Beverley Callard remembers about producer Stuart Blackburn, “And he said: I want Liz back in the Rovers.”

We’re on the third floor of ITV’s building in Quay Street, the historic centre of Granadaland, and Beverley is explaining why she decided to return to Corrie.  She’s looking forward to the move to MediaCity.  “The building’s getting a bit tired now.  And we’ve always felt a bit out of it, over there [she waves at the set].  At MediaCity, we’ll all be together - writers, actors, everyone.”

She already knew Blackburn from his days story-editing the show, so when he made overtures, she was keen to listen.  “It had to be done in complete secrecy,” she said.  “There had been negotiations with another former cast member which ended up in the papers so they didn’t want it leaked.  I was doing Little Voice at Manchester Opera House and Stuart came to my dressing room and laid it out for me.”

Liz is back, back, back in Weatherfield, and she’s landlady of the Rovers again.  She’s done well in Spain - “Liz speaks Spanish now!  With a Weatherfield accent, mind,” - and somewhere along the line Liz managed to invest in a spa and it’s paid dividends.  She has enough money to buy back the Rovers which is, after all, where her heart is.

“But she’s got a bit of money now so she’s gone up market.  She can finally dress like she’d like to dress, instead of how she can afford.”

Which doesn’t mean the end of the legendary miniskirts and cleavage flashing tops.  “They’re just a better class of outfit.  She’s not buying stuff off the market any more.  Wardrobe did turn up with a necklace made of five capital L’s and I just said, ‘No!””

Her wardrobe plays a big part in her entrance too.  “The script said my first shot was just a close up of this gorgeous leather stiletto.  It really was a gorgeous shoe, though it was so high I could only wear one of them for the shot!  We got it all set up for lighting and the camera and I nipped and borrowed Ryan Thomas’s big work boots.  So the first shot was actually my stockinged leg with this huge leather boot on the end!”

Beverley’s feet are actually a source of fun on set: as the owner of size two and a half feet she’s used to Simon Gregson (Steve) leaving Barbie shoes around the set to make her laugh.  “In the till, in a hotpot.  And now Kym Lomas has joined in as well.”

She’s always been close to Simon, and recalls that he knew about the possibility of her return before her.  When she agreed, he sent her a text: O. M. G.

One of the conditions of her return was that she didn’t just go over old ground.  “Liz didn’t like Michelle, she didn’t like Tracy, she didn’t like Becky.  Every eighteen months I was just doing the same scenes again.  Now she really gets on with Michelle - they have a great relationship with each other.  They know they’ve got this idiot trapped in between them!”

She’s enjoying working with Kym and Michelle Keegan.  “We don’t wear those big high shoes behind the bar though.  We have an agreement for when they come off and all three of us put our Uggs on.  Otherwise we’d be at different heights.”

How does she find the new look Rovers?  “To be honest with you it doesn’t look much different!  Michelle Collins and I would love to have more scenes together; there’s just been a couple so far.  Stella and Gloria said ‘I wouldn’t have done it that way’ about something and Liz replied ‘I wouldn’t have killed a punter and set fire to the pub, either’!”

Beverley is committed to the Rovers and how it looks.  “As an actress I’m very 100%.  Like if it’s lunchtime in the pub, I’ll say, ‘where’s the ketchup on the tables for people’s dinners?’  Liz is a very good landlady - it’s the best thing she does.”

The set for the Rovers isn’t perfect though.  “Only two of the pumps work!” she laughs.  “The other day I had a scene where I had to pour a lager.  I was acting with one hand and stirring this non-alcoholic beer with the other so it didn’t look flat!  I said, can we get another pump working round the other side of the bar so I can act that way as well?”  She’s stunned to hear that the pumps in Emmerdale are said to dispense real beer.  “We’ll have to work on that!”

The Street hasn’t changed in the two and a bit years since she was last here, but over her twenty five years she’s seen huge changes.  “It’s so much more glamorous now.  Which Liz would love.  You know she’s had satellite in Spain and has watched every episode of TOWIE.  But I think there needs to be a balance on the Street.  I like it when the older characters get big storylines.  The country loves them.  I want Emily to get a boyfriend!”

Perhaps Liz could flirt with Dennis?

“No.  I think she reckons she deserves someone a bit younger.  There’s a bit of a flirtation with Owen again, and she has a moment with Lloyd.  She also spends a lot of time talking to someone in Spain called ‘Luis” a lot.  But right now she’s single.  You can tell because she’s wearing a onesie. The minute a man appears she’ll be swapping that for the lingerie.”

While she’s been away, Beverley has been in the theatre, in a production of Little Voice.  “Jim Cartwright, who wrote the play, directed it, because while he loved the previous productions there was always something not right about them.  I loved it.  He said I was the first actress to make Mari a real person.”

She adored being back in the theatre, and would love a return to it, perhaps with her actress daughter Rebecca Callard.  Rebecca had a stint on Corrie as Fizz’s cellmate in prison; would she like to work with her in the Rovers?  

“I’m not sure about that.  When she did it she came home and said, ‘I don’t know why you say it’s hard!’  I said - you’re in one set you’re only acting with Jennie (McAlpine).  Wait til you’re on the cobbles!”

When asked how long she’s in Corrie for, she says “the long term” but quails at the suggestion of another decade.  “I think I would have to do a play in the middle of that,” she says.  “A comedy.  Or perhaps one at the Royal Exchange so I can do both.”

Until then Liz is firmly back where she belongs - dishing out Newton & Ridley’s finest to the legends in Weatherfield.

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Video: Beverley Callard talks about returning to Corrie as Liz McDonald

Beverley Callard will be returning to work on Coronation Street soon when Liz McDonald comes back to the cobbles.  Beverley was interviewed on ITV's Loose Women today and here's what she said, in a nutshell.

First off, there's a lovely clip of Liz's very early scenes in Corrie. She says she's missed the show and returning is "sort of going back home."

She talked about playing the character of Mari Hoff in the national theatre tour of Little Voice, which finishes on Saturday this weekend.  She's loved being in the theatre but can't wait to have her own bathroom when the show ends and stop living out of a suitcase.  After Little Voice ends, Beverley will take a few weeks off as a berak and then starts filming Coronation Street on August 5th.

However, she won't return to our screens until October as she revealed that Corrie are 'banking' some episodes anticipating the Street's move to Media City.

Asked about what she can reveal of Liz's return storyline, Beverley laughed it all off saying she knows what's in store but she can't tell.

She said that when new Corrie producer Stuart Blackburn took over the reins of the show, on his second day in his new job, he met Beverley in Manchester to ask if she'd be interested in returning to Corrie. Stuart laid out his plans for Liz, saying "we're going to do this, and this, and this" with the character, but she wouldn't say what any of it is, except that it's all exciting.

Having played Mari Hoff in Little Voice, Beverley has had to put on two stone and now has to lose the weight before returning to Corrie so she can fit into Liz's skirts again.

And the interview ended with Beverley saying she was feeling good, very good, about life and in herself, and that was great to hear.

You can watch the full interview here.



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Review: Bev Callard in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog September 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)

(While this blog post concerns a stage production in the U.K., There are often many of our Canadian readers that go on vacation across the pond. I certainly do! I'm posting this in case any of you are in the U.K. over the next few months and get the chance to see this. I'm going to the U.K. in November but unfortunately, I'll be leaving on the night it opens in Blackpool which would be the closest location to where I will be staying!)

The last time we saw Bev Callard on Coronation Street as Liz McDonald she was leaving to go to Spain to help son Andy with his bar.  In real life, Bev's finally back on the stage, currently acting in a touring version of Jim Cartwright's The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.

We caught up with the show this weekend in Scarborough and I can't recommend it highly enough.  Bev Callard plays the role of Little Voice's mother, Mari Hoff.  And while the clothes Mari wears on stage are the short-short skirts and tight-tight tops in the style of Liz McDonald, this is a different character altogether to the one we've seen Bev play in Corrie.

Bev's character Mari Hoff carries the show from start to end.  She's on stage more than any other character and her role is one that gets the audience on her side straight away. She plays a comedy blinder with her on-stage friend Sadie - and in one moment that had tears of laughter rolling down my face, Bev does a hand stand while Sadie (played by Sally Plumb) opens and closes Bev's legs while they're both dancing to a Jacksons' hit.  Wonderful stuff.

As well as the comedy, Bev played the role with emotion and pathos, it really was fantastic.  The rest of the cast are pretty darn good too, not least Jess Robinson who plays and sings her way through the show as Little Voice.  It's a wonderful play, I highly recommend it and it more than deserved its standing ovation.

Find out more about Little Voice the tour and book tickets online at http://littlevoicetour.com/



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Door's Open for Liz's Return?

(This post was originally posted by me on the Coronation Street Blog in August 2012.)

There's no immediate return for Liz McDonald, but Bev Callard has said that one never knows. "The door is still open." As long as her son Steve and granddaughter Amy are still around, there's always a chance in the future that Liz could return since her character was not killed off when she turned off the lights of the Rovers.

Meanwhile, according to the Express,  Bev is on stage in Guildford, Surrey for The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice. She's playing Little Voice's mother and has had to gain weight for the role of the blowsy alcoholic. Bev has had a rough time over the past 10 years, battling depression and dealing with bankruptcy. We wish her well and I for one, would love to see Liz back, even just for a visit. Someone needs to take Tracy in hand and, while she's at it, show St. Ella what a classic Rovers Landlady is made of! 

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is playing from August 31 to Sept. 8 at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford.  Tickets from a very reasonable £15.00. If this week isn't good for you, Little Voice is on tour around the U.K. Check out the schedule here.


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Bev Callard gets her kit off in protest

(This post was originally posted by me on the Coronation Street Blog in September 2011.)

Seems getting your kit off isn't restricted to the young actresses! Four women in their 50s, two of them former soap stars and two from the talk show, Loose Women, have posed nude in protest, upset because there are so few good roles for women as they age. One of them is former Corrie star, Beverly Callard, who played Liz McDonald. Now, the way I see it, Bev had a great role but gave it up. It was her choice to leave Coronation Street, after all. I suppose she's finding it difficult to get another good role and that's probably the reason she participated.

Bev says she's less confident as she gets older because, these days, it seems like women over 35 are having less opportunities, much less women in their 40s and 50s. There are good parts but sometimes they have to be self-created and produced like the recent Scott and Bailey. It seems like the soaps are still writing for women of all ages but still focus on the younger women.

What do you think? Are they right?

Beverley Callard on leaving Liz McDonald and Corrie

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog March 2011, reposted to this blog with permission.)

There's a good, long, honest interview with Beverley Callard, Corrie's Liz McDonald, in The Mirror today.  Beverley talks about leaving Liz McDonald behind when she bows out from the soap this year and says she's looking forward to spending more time with husband John, reveals more about her depression, and talks about working with Charlie Lawson, as Jim McDonald.

She says: “I can’t give too much away, but Jim basically turns up when Liz needs him most – he’s her knight in shining armour and they have the most amazing chemistry! I’ve loved working with Charlie again. We’re like the Liz Taylor and Richard Burton of the Street!

So, will this be the end of Liz McDonald on Coronation Street? Beverley tells the paper: “I’ll never say never to playing Liz again, I think it’s going to be a shock that she leaves the Rovers because it’s in her blood. And I can’t rule out ever playing Liz again as she’s in mine. She’s a fantastic character for any actress to play but I’m ready for some much-needed time off. I’ll always be loyal to the show because I love it though.”

See also: Liz McDonald's final scenes revealed
See also: The mystery of Liz McDonald's back necklace

Life is looking up for Bev Callard

Bev Callard has had a very rough year. But things are looking up. She's released a best selling autobiography (The bookstore in the UK where I bought it last year had autographed copies so I bought myself one!) and now she's gushing with excitement. She's going to marry the man that has been a rock of support to her, Jon McEwan, her boyfriend of 7 years (and she's got one diamond in her engagement ring for every year!). He proposed on the beach in Spain and she's been giddy ever since.

Aw, isn't it nice to see her so happy after the nightmare she managed to get through? This will be her fourth marraige and she's determined to have a blow out big party this time around, including 18 bridesmaids, so she says. Maybe she's exaggerating a bit, but she sure sounds happy and we wish her all the best! Check out the interview in the Mirror, there's lots of background on Bev and on her thoughts about Liz McDonald, her character on Coronation Street.

And in related news...

 The Mirror serialized Beverley Callard's autobiography and in one edition, Bev spills the beans on her work colleagues at Coronation Street. The whole article's worth a read as she comments on many more not listed below.

BEV ON ANNE KIRKBRIDE
She's gorgeous! We're in so many scenes together. The sets are so small and so we often have to get quite close to each other. We joke: "Here's Liz and Deirdre's lesbian moment!"

BEV ON JULIE GOODYEAR
My mentor and idol. She taught me so much. Her one-liners in the script were fantastic - and Julie's own were even funnier. She often had me crying with laughter.

BEV ON SIMON GREGSON AND NICK COCHRANE
They are my boys! They have a special place in my heart. I'd love them and Jim to come back to the Corrie fold so we can all be a proper family again.

BEV ON BETTY DRIVER
The woman is an absolute phenomenon. She is 90 years old and still has fabulous skin and is word-perfect as Betty Turpin. She is the real queen of the Street.

MY FAVOURITE OUTFIT
My favourite is also Liz's worst. It's the skin-tight red top with holes cut out of the shoulder. Harry Hill loves it. Although Liz has a belter of an outfit coming up for Audrey's birthday party...

And of course there's Liz's beloved zigzag necklace which she has had from the very early days. It's been repaired three times and the wardrobe department get letters each week asking where we got it. A viewer even sent me some earrings to match.

MY FAVOURITE STREET SCENES
When Jim beat up Liz. I knew those scenes would have a huge impact. There were protests outside the studios and I had sacks of letters from battered wives. The scenes were so well written that one week viewers would have sympathy for Liz, the next Jim, then Liz. Opening those scripts gave me a buzz. And the viewing figures, 24 million, were massive.

CAST MEMBER I SECRETLY FANCY....
Keith Duffy. He is gorgeous! You wouldn't be normal if you didn't fancy him. He's a lovely bloke and is always in a good mood. Ciaran and Liz quite fancy each other, and that might go on for some time...