Coronation Street legend breaks silence on coming out of retirement 27 years after soap exit for new film
A CORONATION Street legend has addressed coming out of retirement 27 years after leaving the soap.
The 95-year-old star had a 26-year stint on the cobbles before leaving in 1997.
Actress Thelma Barlow – known to Corrie viewers as Mavis Wilton – has come out of retirement for a new film.
Titled Sleepless in Settle, the 22 minute film sees Thelma star as Barbara.
The character tries to find a romantic partner for her middle-aged son Alan (Graham Turner) – but with comedic hijinks along the way.
Speaking to Radio Times, Thelma addressed what tempted her to join the project.
It comes as the star’s friend, writer/director Judy Flynn, created the part of Barbara specifically for her.
Thelma said: “I was familiar with her work and knew it would be good.
“The characters are so well drawn, it was a joy.
“Good writing is easy to learn, there are some lovely lines that reminded me of when I joined Coronation Street.”
The premise sees Barbara worried that she has not got much time left on earth and scared her son will be left completely alone after her passing.
After watching hit film Sleepless in Seattle, she decided that she needed to find her son a nice wife to keep him company.
Unfortunately she gets a lot more interest than she was expecting and it’s not long until he found out.
It’s set in the North Yorkshire town of Settle, which the star moved to after she departed the award-winning serial drama.
The film was shot in three days, on location in Rye, East Sussex, with a small crew.
As for Coronation Street, Thelma’s character Mavis was originally intended to be a one-off appearance.
She became a regular after impressing both viewers and producers – establishing a long-running partnership with Rita Sullivan (Barbara Knox).
Following the death of husband Derek Wilton (Peter Baldwin), Mavis left Weatherfield to run a guest house in the Lake District.
Viewers may also recognise Thelma for playing Dolly Bellfield in BBC sitcom Dinnerladies.
She featured in all 16 episodes, spanning from 1998 until the show concluded in 2000.