Coronation Street Elsie and Bet. Other recurring archetypes include the war veteran such as Albert Tatlock (Jack Howarth), Percy Sugden (Bill Waddington) and Gary Windass (Mikey North), the bumbling retail manager like Leonard Swindley (Arthur Lowe), Reg Holdsworth (Ken Morley), Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden), quick-tempered, tough tradesmen like Len Fairclough (Peter Adamson), Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson), Tommy Harris (Thomas Craig) and Owen Armstrong (Ian Puleston-Davies), and the perennial losers such as Stan and Hilda, Jack and Vera, Les Battersby (Bruce Jones), Beth Tinker (Lisa George) and Kirk Sutherland (Andrew Whyment). Villains are also common character types such as Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford),
Coronation Street achievement was the introduction of Hayley Patterson (Julie Hesmondhalgh), the first transsexual character in a British soap. Some viewers were alienated by the new "Coronation Street", and sections of the media voiced their disapproval. Having received criticism of being too out of touch, "Corrie" now struggled to emulate the more modern "Brookside" and "EastEnders". In the "Daily Mirror", Victor Lewis-Smith wrote: "Apparently it doesn't matter that this is a first-class soap opera, superbly scripted and flawlessly performed by a seasoned repertory company." One of "Coronation Street"'s best known storylines took place in March/April 1998, with Deirdre Rachid (Anne Kirkbride) being