Elsie Tanner Elsie Tanner Elsie Tanner (also Grimshaw, Howard and Gregory) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, "Coronation Street", played by Pat Phoenix from the series inception in 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on "Coronation Street" and appeared in the first episode. She is considered something of an icon in soap history and regarded as one of "Coronation Street's" greatest ever characters. Her final appearance came in January 1984, when Elsie emigrated to Portugal. Phoenix decided to quit the series in 1983 to pursue other projects.
Katherine Parr (actress) two days later. Parr played Mrs Penny in the BBC radio drama "David Wade - Power of Attorney" which was broadcast in 1990. Katherine Parr (actress) Katherine Parr was a British actress, best known for playing the recurring role of Irene Holloway, commonly known as Auntie Irene, in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders", between 1986 and 1987, when her character was killed off. Parr's television appearances date back to the late-1950s, when she made her screen debut as Joan Stringer on the series "Emergency – Ward 10". She went on to appear in several popular television shows including "Coronation Street"