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) her to move to South Africa with him, to which she agrees. After saying good bye to her friends in The Rovers, Mary and Jude leave for the airport. However, she changes her mind and tells Norris that she wants to stay in Weatherfield. Clare has been recognised for her comic scenes and storylines on "Coronation Street". In 2011 the actress was nominated for 'Funniest Performance' at the Inside Soap Awards and won 'Best Comedy Performance' at the British Soap Awards. More "funniest female" nominations followed for Clare at the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 "Inside Soap" Awards. The character's