Bet Lynch
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Theresa "Bet" Lynch (previously Gilroy) is a fictional character
from the UK television ITV
soap opera
, Coronation Street
. The character is no longer part of current storylines. Portrayed by actress Julie Goodyear
the character first appears onscreen during the episode airing on 23 May 1966. The character returned in 1970 and continued until 1995. She made brief comebacks in 1999, 2002 and 2003.
Bet strikes out on her own at a young age, choosing a life of factory and bar work and living in digs in Weatherfield. She is out to enjoy herself and felt most at home behind a bar, where she lavishes in the attention of men, although she only tends to attract men who treat her badly or use her. At sixteen she gives birth to a son, Martin, but gives him up for adoption as she isn't ready to be a mother and the father, Joe Mason, has fled after hearing she was pregnant.
Most of Bet's key relationships are with men, and over time she becomes more cynical about their intentions, with a jaded outlook on life but usually able to hide any pain behind a smile. She likes to dress in a way she considered glamorous, and has a fondness for leopard print clothes and a beehive hairstyle. There has been speculation about Goodyear reprising her role for a one-off episode for Betty Williams
' funeral, however nothing has been confirmed.
Bet arrived in Coronation Street
in 1966 when working at the PVC factory. She had an affair with her boss John Benjamin and gave Lucille Hewitt a black eye, because of her jealousy of Lucille's speed of welding. She moved away from the area a few weeks later.
Bet arrived back in Coronation Street in 1970 when she bumped into Irma Barlow, who she worked with in the factory back in 1966. Later in the year, Bet was appointed a junior barmaid in the Rovers Return Inn
by Billy Walker
, a place she would work at for the next twenty-five years.
She had numerous relationships with many people, including well known Street residents such as Len Fairclough and Mike Baldwin. In 1975, Bet got news that her son Martin (who she gave up for adoption when he was a baby) was a soldier and died in a car crash. She also found out that he tracked her down, but was disgusted by her overt sexual nature she left without telling her who he was.
When Annie Walker
retired in 1983 after 46 years, her son Billy Walker took over license of the Rovers Return. He was involved in various dodgy things and screwed up frequently. He was the landlord for less than a year; he got in trouble with the brewery, and the tenancy was purchased back by Newton & Ridley.
The brewery decided to appoint a manager rather than sell the licence. Sarah Ridley appointed Bet manageress. Bet was flabbergasted, but ecstatic. She moved out of the corner shop flat into the Rovers in January 1985. Bet was involved in a fire at the Rovers in 1986, but was saved by Kevin Webster
. The place was gutted but eventually done up and she moved back in a few weeks later.
When the tenancy of the Rovers was being sold up by the brewery in 1987, Bet couldn't come up with all the money in order to buy it. Club owner Alec Gilroy
offered her a loan. However, she couldn't pay him back so fled out to Spain
and disappeared for a few weeks. Alec managed to track her down to bring her back, and then proposed to her. They later got married.
The marriage went better than expected, and Bet had fallen pregnant in 1988, however she had a miscarriage
and lost the baby.
In 1991, Alec got a job on a cruise and wanted to sell the Rovers back to the brewery, however Bet didnt want to leave her pub behind, so stayed and let Alec go by himself. Bet became manageress of the Rovers and continued to run the pub for the next 5 years by herself.
When the brewery decided to sell up the Rovers again, Bet couldn't come up with the large sum they demanded. She tried to ask some of her friends, especially close friend Rita Sullivan
, for a loan. Rita thought about it, but had to turn it down. Bet also tried to ask step-granddaughter Vicky to borrow some money; Vicky turned down the offer, but later said she would buy Bet a house for her to stay in. Bet got upset and threw everyone out the pub. She then left in the back of a taxi in her leopard-skinned clothing, not knowing where to go next. With a twist of fate, Alec had returned to Weatherfield shortly after her departure and started working for the Duckworths when they took over the pub. Bet didn't return for Betty's wedding to Billy Williams later in the year.
Bet arrived back in Coronation Street in June 2002 for Betty Turpin retirement party, which delighted her. Bet revealed that she had made up with Vicky and had been running different pubs across the country for the last seven years, before finally settling down in Brighton
. Audrey Roberts
offered Bet a room at her home so she would have somewhere to sleep for the night, although Bet intended on staying for two weeks. Rita went to visit Bet the day after to try and make amends over not buying the pub for her, but Bet didn't care as she had moved on from the pub and changed, and said all Rita did was run The Kabin. This insulted Rita, who told Bet she should just push off as she had changed and was now bitter. It was later revealed that the reason Bet was back so she could testify against a former lover called Bruce who stole money from her. Mike Baldwin and Audrey went to the court to give Bet support, however she had lost her court case.
In November 2003, Bet crossed paths with Liz McDonald
in Blackpool
. Bet got involved in Liz's problems as her husband Jim had escaped prison and was on the run. Bet was also due to get married to former Brewery boss Cecil Newton, but he had later died of a heart attack. Bet had returned back to Brighton along with Liz. Bet is rumoured to be returning for the on screen funeral of legendary character Betty Williams in 2012.
The character then first appears in 1966 (as presumed) as a factory worker who gives Lucille Hewitt (Jennifer Moss) a black eye
. She quickly departs with the explanation she has moved away (actress Patricia Phoenix was also rumoured to have told Goodyear to return to the programme when she gained a little more acting experience). Bet returns in 1970, when she shares a flat with Irma Barlow (Sandra Gough
), who put a down payment on it with the help of Len Fairclough (Peter Adamson
) and Ray Langton
(Neville Bushwell). Bet begins work as a barmaid at the Rover's Return. The earlier incident with Lucille is not mentioned again and the two became good friends.
In March 2010 it was reported on Digital Spy
that Bet was set to make a comeback in an attempt by the newly appointed Phil Collinson
producer to try and restore the show to its 'golden days'. However this was denied the following day by Coronation Street bosses. A spokesperson said "At the moment there are no plans for Bet to return. The new producer hasn't even started yet, he's not made any decisions."
Goodyear has stated on different occasions that she would research the typical salary her character would be on for her barmaid job, as she wanted her character only to appear in outfits that she could realistically afford. This was to make her character credible and believable. This was where the leopard skin style of clothing came from because it was considered naughty, racy and very sexy in her character's early days and was deemed very affordable, staying true to her character.
As actress Julie Goodyear got older, Bet's physical appearance matured. No longer the one to wear miniskirt
s and wear her hair long, she adopted a somewhat infamous wardrobe in that many of her outfits were leopard skin
print, which to this day is one of Bet's defining attributes. As Goodyear's hair turned white, she also started to bleach her hair and style it in a beehive
fashion. In a survey published in the Manchester Evening News
in April 2007, Bet's beehive was voted the worst haircut in soap history. In the early years of her beehive hair do Goodyear would have her real hair combed back and sprayed a large amount of hair lacquer onto it, though after a few years she received a false hairpiece to keep up the image onscreen.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the UK television ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. The character is no longer part of current storylines. Portrayed by actress Julie Goodyear
Julie Goodyear
Julie Goodyear, MBE is an English television actress and media personality, best known for playing the long-running role of pub landlady Bet Lynch on British soap opera Coronation Street.-Biography:...
the character first appears onscreen during the episode airing on 23 May 1966. The character returned in 1970 and continued until 1995. She made brief comebacks in 1999, 2002 and 2003.
Bet strikes out on her own at a young age, choosing a life of factory and bar work and living in digs in Weatherfield. She is out to enjoy herself and felt most at home behind a bar, where she lavishes in the attention of men, although she only tends to attract men who treat her badly or use her. At sixteen she gives birth to a son, Martin, but gives him up for adoption as she isn't ready to be a mother and the father, Joe Mason, has fled after hearing she was pregnant.
Most of Bet's key relationships are with men, and over time she becomes more cynical about their intentions, with a jaded outlook on life but usually able to hide any pain behind a smile. She likes to dress in a way she considered glamorous, and has a fondness for leopard print clothes and a beehive hairstyle. There has been speculation about Goodyear reprising her role for a one-off episode for Betty Williams
Betty Williams (Coronation Street)
Elizabeth "Betty" Williams is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by former music hall star Betty Driver. Driver was cast as Betty in 1969, after first auditioning for the role of Hilda Ogden...
' funeral, however nothing has been confirmed.
Storylines
Bet Lynch was born to parents Patrick and Mary Lynch. Her father left when she was six months old, and Bet had received a strict Roman Catholic upbring by her mother, but didn't stop her becoming Miss Weatherfield in 1955. When she was sixteen, she met a man called Joe Mason at a party, who was twelve years older than her. After getting pregnant, Joe fled and she gave birth to a baby boy called Martin. However, she was forced to give him up for adoption. A family called the Downes adopted Martin.Bet arrived in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
in 1966 when working at the PVC factory. She had an affair with her boss John Benjamin and gave Lucille Hewitt a black eye, because of her jealousy of Lucille's speed of welding. She moved away from the area a few weeks later.
Bet arrived back in Coronation Street in 1970 when she bumped into Irma Barlow, who she worked with in the factory back in 1966. Later in the year, Bet was appointed a junior barmaid in the Rovers Return Inn
Rovers Return Inn
The Rovers Return Inn is a fictional public house on the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. The Rovers Return occupies the corner of Coronation Street and Rosamund Street. Since the first episode it has been the principal setting in the show and many of its most memorable moments...
by Billy Walker
Billy Walker
William Henry "Billy" Walker was a prominent English footballer of the 1920s and 1930s. He is considered by many to be the greatest footballer to ever play for Aston Villa Football Club-Biography:...
, a place she would work at for the next twenty-five years.
She had numerous relationships with many people, including well known Street residents such as Len Fairclough and Mike Baldwin. In 1975, Bet got news that her son Martin (who she gave up for adoption when he was a baby) was a soldier and died in a car crash. She also found out that he tracked her down, but was disgusted by her overt sexual nature she left without telling her who he was.
When Annie Walker
Annie Walker
Anne "Annie" Walker is a long-standing fictional character in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by actress Doris Speed from the series' first episode in 1960 until Speed retired from the role 23 years and 1,746 episodes later in 1983.The character of Annie has been noted as...
retired in 1983 after 46 years, her son Billy Walker took over license of the Rovers Return. He was involved in various dodgy things and screwed up frequently. He was the landlord for less than a year; he got in trouble with the brewery, and the tenancy was purchased back by Newton & Ridley.
The brewery decided to appoint a manager rather than sell the licence. Sarah Ridley appointed Bet manageress. Bet was flabbergasted, but ecstatic. She moved out of the corner shop flat into the Rovers in January 1985. Bet was involved in a fire at the Rovers in 1986, but was saved by Kevin Webster
Kevin Webster
Kevin John Webster is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Michael Le Vell, the character first appeared onscreen on 19 October 1983...
. The place was gutted but eventually done up and she moved back in a few weeks later.
When the tenancy of the Rovers was being sold up by the brewery in 1987, Bet couldn't come up with all the money in order to buy it. Club owner Alec Gilroy
Alec Gilroy
Alexander "Alec" Gilroy is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Roy Barraclough. The character made several appearances in the show as a small-time talent agent, the first in 1972, and later as a series regular from 1986 to 1992. He reappeared briefly in...
offered her a loan. However, she couldn't pay him back so fled out to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and disappeared for a few weeks. Alec managed to track her down to bring her back, and then proposed to her. They later got married.
The marriage went better than expected, and Bet had fallen pregnant in 1988, however she had a miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
and lost the baby.
In 1991, Alec got a job on a cruise and wanted to sell the Rovers back to the brewery, however Bet didnt want to leave her pub behind, so stayed and let Alec go by himself. Bet became manageress of the Rovers and continued to run the pub for the next 5 years by herself.
When the brewery decided to sell up the Rovers again, Bet couldn't come up with the large sum they demanded. She tried to ask some of her friends, especially close friend Rita Sullivan
Rita Sullivan
Rita Sullivan is a long-standing character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
, for a loan. Rita thought about it, but had to turn it down. Bet also tried to ask step-granddaughter Vicky to borrow some money; Vicky turned down the offer, but later said she would buy Bet a house for her to stay in. Bet got upset and threw everyone out the pub. She then left in the back of a taxi in her leopard-skinned clothing, not knowing where to go next. With a twist of fate, Alec had returned to Weatherfield shortly after her departure and started working for the Duckworths when they took over the pub. Bet didn't return for Betty's wedding to Billy Williams later in the year.
Bet arrived back in Coronation Street in June 2002 for Betty Turpin retirement party, which delighted her. Bet revealed that she had made up with Vicky and had been running different pubs across the country for the last seven years, before finally settling down in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. Audrey Roberts
Audrey Roberts
Audrey Roberts is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Sue Nicholls, the character first appeared during the episode aired on 16 April 1979....
offered Bet a room at her home so she would have somewhere to sleep for the night, although Bet intended on staying for two weeks. Rita went to visit Bet the day after to try and make amends over not buying the pub for her, but Bet didn't care as she had moved on from the pub and changed, and said all Rita did was run The Kabin. This insulted Rita, who told Bet she should just push off as she had changed and was now bitter. It was later revealed that the reason Bet was back so she could testify against a former lover called Bruce who stole money from her. Mike Baldwin and Audrey went to the court to give Bet support, however she had lost her court case.
In November 2003, Bet crossed paths with Liz McDonald
Liz McDonald
Elizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Beverley Callard, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989 and remained on the series until Callard opted to leave in 1998...
in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. Bet got involved in Liz's problems as her husband Jim had escaped prison and was on the run. Bet was also due to get married to former Brewery boss Cecil Newton, but he had later died of a heart attack. Bet had returned back to Brighton along with Liz. Bet is rumoured to be returning for the on screen funeral of legendary character Betty Williams in 2012.
Background
Information about the character first surfaced to the public on 2 June 1966, when the Heywood Advertiser ran the story that Coronation Street was going through 'a little facelift' and the character of Bet Lynch was to be introduced. The publication that gave a little background to the character prior to appearing onscreen said: "Julie aged 22 has been working for a model sometime, but has also been on the files at Granada. When it was decided to inject more life into the series, she was offered the part as Bet, a typical Lancashire mill girl, who will be working at the new factory which is opening in 'the Street'."The character then first appears in 1966 (as presumed) as a factory worker who gives Lucille Hewitt (Jennifer Moss) a black eye
Black eye
A black eye , or or 'shiner', is bruising around the eye commonly due to an injury to the face rather than eye injury. The name is given due to the color of bruising. The so-called black eye is caused by bleeding beneath the skin and around the eye...
. She quickly departs with the explanation she has moved away (actress Patricia Phoenix was also rumoured to have told Goodyear to return to the programme when she gained a little more acting experience). Bet returns in 1970, when she shares a flat with Irma Barlow (Sandra Gough
Sandra Gough
Sandra Gough is an English actress, best known for her role as Irma Ogden in the soap opera Coronation Street, which she played from 1964 to 1972....
), who put a down payment on it with the help of Len Fairclough (Peter Adamson
Peter Adamson
Peter Adamson was a British stage and television actor. He is best known for playing the character of Len Fairclough in the long-running television series Coronation Street from 1961 to 1983.-Life and career:...
) and Ray Langton
Ray Langton
Raymond Anthony "Ray" Langton was a major character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. He was played by Neville Buswell. An ex-borstal boy, Ray built up a reputation as a troublemaker. He first appeared in the Street in 1966 but was forced out by Len after he threatened Lucille...
(Neville Bushwell). Bet begins work as a barmaid at the Rover's Return. The earlier incident with Lucille is not mentioned again and the two became good friends.
Casting
Actress Julie Goodyear was offered the supporting role of Bet Lynch for a period of six weeks by Lucy Clayton, which she took without hesitation. Goodyear was convinced that she would continue in the role on a permanent basis and was shocked when they let her go at the end of her originally contracted period. When actress Goodyear filmed a part for a drama series called 'Family At War', the director June Howson complimented her and said she was impressed. Howson later went on to produce Coronation Street and offered Goodyear a six month contract to reprise her role as Bet, which she took up. She then became a permanent cast member.'In March 2010 it was reported on Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
that Bet was set to make a comeback in an attempt by the newly appointed Phil Collinson
Phil Collinson
Philip "Phil" Collinson is a British television producer. He was initially an actor, before switching to working behind the cameras in the industry as a script editor and writer on programmes such as Springhill and Emmerdale, later becoming the producer of Peak Practice, Doctor Who and Coronation...
producer to try and restore the show to its 'golden days'. However this was denied the following day by Coronation Street bosses. A spokesperson said "At the moment there are no plans for Bet to return. The new producer hasn't even started yet, he's not made any decisions."
Personality and identity
Goodyear described her character as "busty, raunchy, voluptuous; a woman who knew how to flirt and manipulate, and give as good as she got. But she was also vulnerable. Unlucky in love, she could cry. Rejected by those who got nearest to her, she could hurt" and noted that it was this mix that viewers got hooked on. She has been described as having a feisty personality and has learned through the hard knocks in her life how to fight her corner, a survivor, somewhat wary of men, she can get her teeth into most things then gives as good as she gets.Appearance
The character has had some well known looks and styles throughout her time on the show, many have made her instantly recognisable. Goodyear spoke about how her appearance was shaped in the character's early days, stating: In the early days I never stopped researching the character of Bet on the streets of Salford with Tony Warren, and every time we went out, we would see a Bet at the market shopping, and either Tony or I would say 'Look at that silver mac/hairdo/earrings.' You could see Bet's everywhere and we took inspiration from each of them. Bet was based on women we saw in real life. As time went by people said 'too much', 'too over-the-top even for Bet', but Tony and I always knew it wasn't, and Bet's fan mail proved us right." She has also said that Bet was always dressed in a 'common as muck way'.Goodyear has stated on different occasions that she would research the typical salary her character would be on for her barmaid job, as she wanted her character only to appear in outfits that she could realistically afford. This was to make her character credible and believable. This was where the leopard skin style of clothing came from because it was considered naughty, racy and very sexy in her character's early days and was deemed very affordable, staying true to her character.
As actress Julie Goodyear got older, Bet's physical appearance matured. No longer the one to wear miniskirt
Miniskirt
A miniskirt, sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees – generally no longer than below the buttocks; and a minidress is a dress with a similar meaning...
s and wear her hair long, she adopted a somewhat infamous wardrobe in that many of her outfits were leopard skin
Leopard (pattern)
Leopard is a term used to describe a spotted color pattern, particularly in the hair coat or skin of animals, but also used to describe spotting patterns in plants and fabrics...
print, which to this day is one of Bet's defining attributes. As Goodyear's hair turned white, she also started to bleach her hair and style it in a beehive
Beehive (hairstyle)
The Beehive is a woman's hairstyle that resembles a beehive; it is elegant and it is also known as the B-52, for its similarity to the bulbous nose of the B-52 Stratofortress bomber. It originated as one of a variety of elaborately teased and lacquered versions of "big hair" that developed from...
fashion. In a survey published in the Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
in April 2007, Bet's beehive was voted the worst haircut in soap history. In the early years of her beehive hair do Goodyear would have her real hair combed back and sprayed a large amount of hair lacquer onto it, though after a few years she received a false hairpiece to keep up the image onscreen.