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
Charlie Stubbs (Coronation Street) Charlie Stubbs (Coronation Street) Charlie Stubbs was a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, "Coronation Street", played by Bill Ward. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 10 November 2003 and last appearance on 15 January 2007. Charlie first appeared, along with another builder, when Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) refused to move his car to allow them to park. In retaliation, they used a bulldozer to move Mike’s car and it was narrowly saved from being smashed up. Charlie later began dating Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay), which further escalated into a relationship. However, Charlie was