Thelma Barlow thinks Corrie needs more laughs and less murders!
Coronation Street icon Thelma Barlow has said it’s a “shame” there’s not much to laugh about on the soap anymore.
The 91-year-old actress became one of soapland’s true legends as Mavis Wilton, who was a hugely comedic character. She played Mavis for a whopping 26 years between 1971 and 1997.
Mavis and her husband Derek were at the heart of one of Corrie’s funniest ever storylines when their neighbour Des Barnes kept hiding Derek’s garden gnomes!
But when Thelma tunes in to catch up with Corrie thesedays, she feels there’s not enough light-hearted moments to enjoy.
“I think the Street when I was in it had this wonderful thing of comedy, the comedy characters,” she told the Distinct Nostalgia podcast.
“I don’t watch it regularly now. I occasionally have a look but I don’t see much to laugh at now. I think it’s a shame.
“We used to get scripts where you’d talk about nothing important at all, nothing to do with the plot, but they could be so real and so funny. It was normal conversation without having great meaning and drama.”
Thelma added that she didn’t see why all these “terrible things” happen to characters the fans love.
“I’d think, ‘Who wants to buy a house on a street with so many murders?’ I just think it is such a pity.”
Thelma has spoken to us before about her time on Coronation Street and how much she enjoyed it.
“Overall it was a wonderful experience on Coronation Street. I never thought I could stay for that length of time, as I’d loved the differences in theatre. But it was perfect for me at that time.
“I have good friends in the cast and the crew, too. I’m still in touch with the make-up artists. It was divine – good friends from it and work.”
