Coronation Street reached a low of eight million in February 1973, when Pat Phoenix quit as Elsie Tanner, Violet Carson (battleaxe Ena Sharples) was written out for most of the year due to illness, and Doris Speed (haughty landlady Annie Walker) took two months' leave due to bereavement. The audience of ITV's other flagship soap opera "Crossroads" increased markedly at this time, as its established cast, such as Meg Richardson (Noele Gordon), grew in popularity. These sudden departures forced the writing team to quickly develop characters who had previously stood in the background. The roles of Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear), Deirdre Hunt
Mary Taylor (Coronation Street) delivery that induces side-splitting hilarity – and, brilliantly, hilarity laced with a sense of the sinister." A writer from the "Belfast Telegraph" branded Mary "the wonderful sidekick of Norris" and found her "a joy to watch" compared to other characters. They added "Mary is the gloriously comic yet poignant creation of the brilliant actress Patti Clare who plays her - she conceived the misfit spinster character herself." Mary Taylor (Coronation Street) Mary Cole (also Taylor) is a fictional character from the British television ITV soap opera, "Coronation Street", portrayed by actress Patti Clare. The character first appeared on screen during