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
Paul Clayton (Coronation Street) invest in Jack's savings. The character was considered for a worst soap villain title which would be published in a television magazine. Paul's character was nominated following his intentions to take Jack's money and prior to his plan to commit arson on "Valandro's". Paul's investment in Jack's savings marked the character the shows first identity theft. Paul Clayton (Coronation Street) Paul Clayton is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, "Coronation Street". Portrayed by Lee Booth, the character first appeared on-screen during an episode that aired on 29 November 2000. When the character returned in 2007, Paul was