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) 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 the episode airing on 26 November 2008. Mary's storylines have included: trying to seduce Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) and kidnapping him when he refuses to give her attention, yet later becoming close friends; falling in love with Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin); an affair with Brendan Finch (Ted Robbins); and revealing that she gave birth to a son after being raped when she was fourteen years old. Producers