The Road to Coronation Street the character of Annie Walker, and Lynda Baron played the role of Violet Carson, who played one of "Coronation Street"s most iconic characters, Ena Sharples. John Thomson and Michelle Holmes, who had previously been members of the Coronation Street cast, appeared as H.V. Kershaw and Harry Elton's secretary respectively. The drama achieved a peak of 852,000 viewers on its first transmission, making it the second most popular programme in BBC Four's history, behind 2008's "The Curse of Steptoe" at 1.41m viewers. Sam Wollaston, a critic for "The Guardian", gave a positive review, stating ""The Road to Coronation Street" is fond,
Coronation Street new sponsor. In July 2007, an ITV press release announced that Harveys was the new sponsor of "Coronation Street" on the ITV Network. Harveys' sponsorship began on 30 September 2007. In the "Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday" film, Roy and Hayley Cropper are filmed in front of a Harveys store. In "Coronation Street: A Knights Tale", a Harveys truck can be seen driving past Mary Taylor's motor-home to further promote the brand. On 11 April 2012, it was announced that Harveys had decided not to renew their contract and ceased sponsorship in December 2012. Compare The Market were named as the