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
Matt Carter (Coronation Street) played a part in other character's storylines. When Mellor was not allowed three months off to join a touring theatre production, he realised that it was time to leave. Mellor added that it was "a shame" Matt would not get an exit storyline, but as he is not being killed off, there was a chance he could return in the future. A "Virgin Media" writer called Matt a "hunky doctor". "Inside Soap" readers voted Matt their favourite doctor in soap opera in August 2011. Matt Carter (Coronation Street) Doctor Matt Carter is a fictional character from the British ITV soap