Blanche Hunt
Encyclopedia
Blanche Hunt is a fictional character
from the ITV
soap opera
Coronation Street
. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts
; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones
took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and 2009, until her death. Blanche is the mother of Deirdre Barlow
, grandmother of Tracy Barlow
and great-grandmother of Amy. Her storylines have revolved around her family life, various romances and her "acerbic tongue". The character's "gallows humour" has been well received by critics, and saw Jones win the British Soap Award for "Best Comedy Performance" in 2005 and 2008. Blanche has been described as "a true Coronation Street icon".
; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in only two episodes. The role was re-cast and given to Maggie Jones
, who had also auditioned for the part. She accepted the role at short notice, as storylines for Blanche had already been written. Jones had previously appeared in the show in minor roles in the 1960s, as a policewoman and a shoplifter. She appeared in the soap as a series regular from 1974–1976, making brief reappearances in 1977, 1978, 1981, 1996 and 1997. She returned as a series regular in 1998.
It was revealed on 27 December 2008 that the Coronation Street production team were considering writing Blanche out of the series, but ultimately decided against it as they felt the character still had "a lot to give". A member of the production team explained: "It has been seriously considered and discussed at our latest forward planning meeting that the character of Blanche should be killed off. But we appreciate she's a great old, grumpy character and the chemistry between Blanche the Barlow clan and the other street regulars is superb so we felt we had to keep her."
stated: "I don't think Maggie ever realised how much she was loved not only by everyone on the show but by the millions of Blanche fans out there. She will be greatly missed." Coronation Street executive producer Kieran Roberts added: "Maggie was a much-loved colleague and a wonderful actress who turned Blanche into a true Coronation Street icon. She will be hugely missed by Coronation Street many millions of viewers and by everyone who works on Coronation Street." Blanche's final scene was broadcast on 11 December 2009, with the 3 December 2009 episode of Coronation Street dedicated to Jones.
Blanche first appears in Coronation Street as a recent widow. Her bank manager husband Donald died in January 1963 after being knocked down outside their house by a black Ford Prefect
. Blanche runs a corsetry business from her Victoria Road home. She later takes a job as a barmaid at The Rovers Return public house
, working for landlady Annie Walker
(Doris Speed
). She goes on to give up her corsetry business, instead helping Gordon Clegg (Bill Kenwright
) run the corner shop. In 1976, she encounters bookmaker Dave Smith (Reginald Marsh
), who she had a wartime romance with. She begins an affair with him, and decides to move away to help Dave run his country club in Kenilworth
.
Her affair with Dave Smith ended, Blanche returns to Weatherfield
in January 1977 to help care for her newborn granddaughter Tracy
(Christabel Finch). Warwickshire
vet Steve Bassett (Dennis Chinnery
) accompanies her. They become engaged, but split up in May 1977. In 1981, Blanche returns to Weatherfield again for the wedding of her daughter Deirdre
(Anne Kirkbride
) to Ken Barlow (William Roache
). In December 1993, Blanche has a stroke. She is ill for some time, but eventually makes a full recovery. She briefly returns to Weatherfield once more in 1997, when Deirdre becomes engaged to Jon Lindsay (Owen Aaronovitch
).
In 1999, Blanche returns permanently and begins matchmaking between a now estranged Deirdre and Ken. Tracy (Dawn Acton
) helps bring about a reconciliation between the two, and Blanche moves in with the reunited couple. In 2002, Blanche develops feelings for funeral director Archie Shuttleworth (Roy Hudd
). They ultimately break up, but remain friends. Blanche later meets supposed wealthy retiree Wally Bannister (Bernard Cribbins
) at a tea dance. Wally attempts to cheat on Blanche with Tracy (Kate Ford
), who discovered he is secretly married, and a gardener at the mansion he has been pretending to live in.
When Tracy becomes pregnant, Blanche encourages her to keep the baby, and buys a house for her to live in. However, when Tracy leaves to visit her stepbrother Peter
(Chris Gascoyne) indefinitely, Blanche sells the house, using the money for a private operation for a hip replacement in Poland
as the NHS
waiting list is too long. In 2007, Blanche supports Tracy when she is accused of murdering her lover Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward
). When Tracy is found guilty and Ken refuses to support her, Blanche worries that her family is disintegrating, and is relieved when Ken and Deirdre reconcile.
On 25 June 2007, Blanche holds a mock wake for herself, to gauge which of her friends truly appreciate her. She is upset by the low attendance, and hearing her friends castigate her negative traits. She resolves briefly to be nicer to everyone, but quickly reverts to type, believing people should accept her for who she is. In December 2008, Blanche shows her vulnerable side, becoming visibly upset when Peter turns up drunk to her step great-grandson Simon
's (Alexander Bain) nativity play. In May 2009, Deirdre discovers that Ken has been having an affair with actress Martha Fraser (Stephanie Beacham
). When Deirdre takes Ken back, Blanche is incredulous. Tired of her mother's interference, Deirdre orders Blanche to move out of their home. She moves in briefly with Peter, returning to live with Ken and Deirdre after apologizing a few weeks later. However, she later brought it up at Peters AA meeting ('Ken recently had an affair with an actress. Oh - it wasn't Nicole Kidman
or Glenda Jackson
. She lived on a tugboat
'). She also brought up the fact that Tracy killed her boyfriend, Charlie. Later that year, she once again humiliated the family when - during a get-together with Simon's maternal grandparents, she had one too many drinks and blurted out that Deirdre had been to prison, Ken had had numerous affairs with other women, Peter was an alcoholic and Leanne was a once a prostitute. Her final scene, which aired on 11 December 2009, saw her resolving the same Barlow family feud and arranging plans for Christmas Day.
In the subsequent episodes, it was revealed that Blanche had unexpectedly been offered a free holiday in Portugal
with her friend, May, from the one o'clock club, and that Blanche had accepted. She left off-screen, but remained in touch with the Barlows frequently by telephone. She was expected to return on 3 May; however, when Peter went to collect her at the airport, she had not caught her flight. Ken rang May's son, only to be told that Blanche had died earlier that day. Ken then broke the news to a devastated Deirdre. The following episode, May (June Whitfield
) arrived and explained how Blanche had met, fallen in love and had become engaged to a man named Arnold. She was planning to tell Deirdre about him upon her return.
At her funeral, her grand-daughter Tracy Barlow got a day release so she can attend. However, she caused a fight with Becky McDonald over her daughter Amy, and had to be taken away. Many of her friends from the One o'clock club attended her funeral and Simon's granddad George Wilson had left her flowers at her funeral, although Peter Barlow wasn't happy because George tried to take Simon away from him. Blanche was eventually buried and everyone toasted to her in the Rovers, even her old friend Archie.
At her will-reading, the following were left:
, long-suffering Rita
and saintly Emily
. But best of all there's Blanche Hunt, played by Maggie Jones, mother of Deirdre (formerly of the huge glasses) and tormentor of Deirdre's husband Ken..." BBC News
named Blanche "Weatherfield's best-loved battle-axe", praising her "brutal honesty and withering put-downs". The Daily Mirror lauded Jones' "superb comic timing" in the role. At the 2005 and 2008 British Soap Awards
, Maggie Jones won the award for "Best Comedy Performance" for her role as Blanche. She also won "Funniest Performance" at the 2009 Inside Soap
awards. Jones commented at the time that she did not find Blanche funny, explaining:
Pop star George Michael
has stated that Blanche is his favourite soap character, commenting: "When you're as old as her you can get away with saying anything." Following Jones' death, The Daily Telegraph
wrote in her obituary: "As a deft exponent of Blanche’s withering one-liners and put-downs, Maggie Jones made the part her own, stealing scene after scene as the acid-tongued widowed mother of Deirdre [...] Maggie Jones's portrayal of Blanche as a meddlesome busybody was beautifully judged and finely understated." They deemed Blanche "a long-term favourite of Coronation Street fans", appraising: "With her trademark scowl and folded arms, Blanche epitomised the tyrannical mother-in-law as portrayed on the seaside postcard." Tim Teeman of The Times
appraised: "To many Coronation Street fans Blanche was a finer battleaxe than the legendary Ena Sharples
(Violet Carson
). To many (including myself), Blanche [...] was our favourite character. She gleefully defied the maxim that if you hadn’t anything nice to say about somebody, you shouldn’t bother saying it. Instead, she broadcast her malevolence from the rooftops and to her victims' astonished, deeply offended faces." Teeman called Jones a "brilliant actress" and noted: "Blanche could be kind, but not often. She and Norris were the great gossip-mongering tag team of the Street, revelling in others' misfortune. Blanche often didn’t have to say anything at all. She’d just purse her lips. That was withering condemnation enough." Low Culture columnist Ruth Deller praised the work of the late Maggie Jones by stating: "even from beyond the grave, she delivered one of Corrie’s best storylines, with the reading of her will providing some classic Blanche moments. She’ll be sorely missed."
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 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...
. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts
Patricia Cutts
Patricia Cutts was an English film and television actress.-Biography:Born in London, Cutts was the daughter of the writer-director Graham Cutts. Her first roles were small parts in American films such as I Was a Male War Bride and The Man Who Loved Redheads and the television shows Alfred...
; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones
Maggie Jones (actress)
Margaret "Maggie" Jones was an English actress, best known for playing Blanche Hunt in the British soap opera Coronation Street, a role which she first portrayed in 1974 and played regularly from the late 1990s until shortly before her death.-Career:Jones graduated from the drama school RADA and...
took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and 2009, until her death. Blanche is the mother of Deirdre Barlow
Deirdre Barlow
Deirdre Anne Barlow is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV Granada soap opera, Coronation Street...
, grandmother of Tracy Barlow
Tracy Barlow
Tracy Lynette Barlow is a fictional character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. She is currently portrayed, since 2002, by Kate Ford, the latest in a series of actresses who have played Tracy at various ages...
and great-grandmother of Amy. Her storylines have revolved around her family life, various romances and her "acerbic tongue". The character's "gallows humour" has been well received by critics, and saw Jones win the British Soap Award for "Best Comedy Performance" in 2005 and 2008. Blanche has been described as "a true Coronation Street icon".
Casting
Blanche was originally played by Patricia CuttsPatricia Cutts
Patricia Cutts was an English film and television actress.-Biography:Born in London, Cutts was the daughter of the writer-director Graham Cutts. Her first roles were small parts in American films such as I Was a Male War Bride and The Man Who Loved Redheads and the television shows Alfred...
; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in only two episodes. The role was re-cast and given to Maggie Jones
Maggie Jones (actress)
Margaret "Maggie" Jones was an English actress, best known for playing Blanche Hunt in the British soap opera Coronation Street, a role which she first portrayed in 1974 and played regularly from the late 1990s until shortly before her death.-Career:Jones graduated from the drama school RADA and...
, who had also auditioned for the part. She accepted the role at short notice, as storylines for Blanche had already been written. Jones had previously appeared in the show in minor roles in the 1960s, as a policewoman and a shoplifter. She appeared in the soap as a series regular from 1974–1976, making brief reappearances in 1977, 1978, 1981, 1996 and 1997. She returned as a series regular in 1998.
It was revealed on 27 December 2008 that the Coronation Street production team were considering writing Blanche out of the series, but ultimately decided against it as they felt the character still had "a lot to give". A member of the production team explained: "It has been seriously considered and discussed at our latest forward planning meeting that the character of Blanche should be killed off. But we appreciate she's a great old, grumpy character and the chemistry between Blanche the Barlow clan and the other street regulars is superb so we felt we had to keep her."
Departure
Blanche was written out of the series in October 2009, while Jones recovered from an operation. On 2 December 2009, Jones died after a long period of illness. Co-star William RoacheWilliam Roache
William Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
stated: "I don't think Maggie ever realised how much she was loved not only by everyone on the show but by the millions of Blanche fans out there. She will be greatly missed." Coronation Street executive producer Kieran Roberts added: "Maggie was a much-loved colleague and a wonderful actress who turned Blanche into a true Coronation Street icon. She will be hugely missed by Coronation Street many millions of viewers and by everyone who works on Coronation Street." Blanche's final scene was broadcast on 11 December 2009, with the 3 December 2009 episode of Coronation Street dedicated to Jones.
Storylines
Ford Prefect
Ford Prefect may refer to:* Ford Prefect , a line of British cars produced by the UK section of the Ford Motor Company from 1948 - 1961* Ford Prefect , a character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, named after the car...
. Blanche runs a corsetry business from her Victoria Road home. She later takes a job as a barmaid at The Rovers Return public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, working for landlady 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...
(Doris Speed
Doris Speed
Doris Speed, MBE was an English actress, best known for her role as snooty Rovers Return landlady Annie Walker on Coronation Street, a role she played from 1960 to 1983.-Early life and career:...
). She goes on to give up her corsetry business, instead helping Gordon Clegg (Bill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright CBE is a leading West End theatre producer and film producer.He is also the Chairman of Everton Football Club, an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool....
) run the corner shop. In 1976, she encounters bookmaker Dave Smith (Reginald Marsh
Reginald Marsh (actor)
Reginald Marsh was an English actor who is best remembered for starring in many British sitcoms from the 1970s onwards.-Early life and career:...
), who she had a wartime romance with. She begins an affair with him, and decides to move away to help Dave run his country club in Kenilworth
Kenilworth
Kenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
.
Her affair with Dave Smith ended, Blanche returns to Weatherfield
Weatherfield
Weatherfield is a fictional town, based on Salford in North West England, which serves as the setting for the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street...
in January 1977 to help care for her newborn granddaughter Tracy
Tracy Barlow
Tracy Lynette Barlow is a fictional character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. She is currently portrayed, since 2002, by Kate Ford, the latest in a series of actresses who have played Tracy at various ages...
(Christabel Finch). Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
vet Steve Bassett (Dennis Chinnery
Dennis Chinnery
Dennis Chinnery is a British actor, noted for his performances in television.His credits include: Hancock's Half Hour, Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, Softly, Softly, The Saint, The Avengers, The Prisoner, The Champions, Public Eye, Special Branch, Oh Brother! 'The Laughter of a Fool' and...
) accompanies her. They become engaged, but split up in May 1977. In 1981, Blanche returns to Weatherfield again for the wedding of her daughter Deirdre
Deirdre Barlow
Deirdre Anne Barlow is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV Granada soap opera, Coronation Street...
(Anne Kirkbride
Anne Kirkbride
Anne Kirkbride is an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street which she has played for thirty-nine years.-Coronation Street:...
) to Ken Barlow (William Roache
William Roache
William Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
). In December 1993, Blanche has a stroke. She is ill for some time, but eventually makes a full recovery. She briefly returns to Weatherfield once more in 1997, when Deirdre becomes engaged to Jon Lindsay (Owen Aaronovitch
Owen Aaronovitch
Owen Aaronovitch is an English actor, known for portraying Jon Lindsay in Coronation Street.-Background:Aaronovitch was born in Parliament Hill Fields, London. He is the son of the late economist and Communist Sam Aaronovitch, brother of the journalist David Aaronovitch and writer Ben Aaronovitch...
).
In 1999, Blanche returns permanently and begins matchmaking between a now estranged Deirdre and Ken. Tracy (Dawn Acton
Dawn Acton
Dawn Jean Acton is an English actress and DJ, most notable for playing Tracy Barlow in the long-running British soap Coronation Street for periods between 1988 and 1999....
) helps bring about a reconciliation between the two, and Blanche moves in with the reunited couple. In 2002, Blanche develops feelings for funeral director Archie Shuttleworth (Roy Hudd
Roy Hudd
Roy Hudd, OBE is an English comedian, actor, radio host and author, and an authority on the history of music hall entertainment.- Early life :...
). They ultimately break up, but remain friends. Blanche later meets supposed wealthy retiree Wally Bannister (Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
) at a tea dance. Wally attempts to cheat on Blanche with Tracy (Kate Ford
Kate Ford
Kate Connerty is a British actress best known for playing the role of Tracy Barlow in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2002 to 2007. Kate returned to Coronation Street on Christmas Eve 2010....
), who discovered he is secretly married, and a gardener at the mansion he has been pretending to live in.
When Tracy becomes pregnant, Blanche encourages her to keep the baby, and buys a house for her to live in. However, when Tracy leaves to visit her stepbrother Peter
Peter Barlow (Coronation Street)
Peter Francis Barlow is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode aired on 15 April 1965...
(Chris Gascoyne) indefinitely, Blanche sells the house, using the money for a private operation for a hip replacement in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
as the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
waiting list is too long. In 2007, Blanche supports Tracy when she is accused of murdering her lover Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward
Bill Ward (actor)
Bill Ward is an English actor who played Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street.-Biography:He completed a degree in History at Bristol University. He is a former advertising executive. After Coronation Street, he had a role in the ITV series Cold Blood with Pauline Quirke...
). When Tracy is found guilty and Ken refuses to support her, Blanche worries that her family is disintegrating, and is relieved when Ken and Deirdre reconcile.
On 25 June 2007, Blanche holds a mock wake for herself, to gauge which of her friends truly appreciate her. She is upset by the low attendance, and hearing her friends castigate her negative traits. She resolves briefly to be nicer to everyone, but quickly reverts to type, believing people should accept her for who she is. In December 2008, Blanche shows her vulnerable side, becoming visibly upset when Peter turns up drunk to her step great-grandson Simon
Simon Barlow
Simon Barlow is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and has been played by Alex Bain since 2008. The character was played by twins Jake and Oscar Hartley on his birth in 2003.-Character development:...
's (Alexander Bain) nativity play. In May 2009, Deirdre discovers that Ken has been having an affair with actress Martha Fraser (Stephanie Beacham
Stephanie Beacham
Stephanie Beacham is a British television, film and theatre actress. Making her film debut in 1971's The Nightcomers opposite Marlon Brando and becoming more well-known on British television in the BBC series Tenko and the ITV series Connie , her worldwide breakthrough came as a result of playing...
). When Deirdre takes Ken back, Blanche is incredulous. Tired of her mother's interference, Deirdre orders Blanche to move out of their home. She moves in briefly with Peter, returning to live with Ken and Deirdre after apologizing a few weeks later. However, she later brought it up at Peters AA meeting ('Ken recently had an affair with an actress. Oh - it wasn't Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
or Glenda Jackson
Glenda Jackson
Glenda May Jackson, CBE is a British Labour Party politician and former actress. She has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, and currently represents Hampstead and Kilburn. She previously served as MP for Hampstead and Highgate...
. She lived on a tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
'). She also brought up the fact that Tracy killed her boyfriend, Charlie. Later that year, she once again humiliated the family when - during a get-together with Simon's maternal grandparents, she had one too many drinks and blurted out that Deirdre had been to prison, Ken had had numerous affairs with other women, Peter was an alcoholic and Leanne was a once a prostitute. Her final scene, which aired on 11 December 2009, saw her resolving the same Barlow family feud and arranging plans for Christmas Day.
In the subsequent episodes, it was revealed that Blanche had unexpectedly been offered a free holiday in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
with her friend, May, from the one o'clock club, and that Blanche had accepted. She left off-screen, but remained in touch with the Barlows frequently by telephone. She was expected to return on 3 May; however, when Peter went to collect her at the airport, she had not caught her flight. Ken rang May's son, only to be told that Blanche had died earlier that day. Ken then broke the news to a devastated Deirdre. The following episode, May (June Whitfield
June Whitfield
June Rosemary Whitfield, CBE is an English actress, well known in the United Kingdom since the 1950s for roles in radio and television comedy series....
) arrived and explained how Blanche had met, fallen in love and had become engaged to a man named Arnold. She was planning to tell Deirdre about him upon her return.
At her funeral, her grand-daughter Tracy Barlow got a day release so she can attend. However, she caused a fight with Becky McDonald over her daughter Amy, and had to be taken away. Many of her friends from the One o'clock club attended her funeral and Simon's granddad George Wilson had left her flowers at her funeral, although Peter Barlow wasn't happy because George tried to take Simon away from him. Blanche was eventually buried and everyone toasted to her in the Rovers, even her old friend Archie.
At her will-reading, the following were left:
- Her dog Eccles to Ken; she said he shouldn't try and take Eccles to theatres or libraries;
- Her jewellery to daughter Deirdre, as she knew Deirdre had had her eye on them for some time;
- Her music box to her great-granddaughter Amy, although it is broken;
- Her late husband Donald's fobwatch to her great-grandson Simon;
- The fact that she had all the knowledge and he will always know that, to Norris;
- The rest of her estate and all her savings to her granddaughter Tracy Barlow.
Reception
Blanche has been well-received by critics and Coronation Street fans. TV critic Patrick Freyne has said of the character: "...Blanche is all curmudgeonly gallows humor and insensitivity; she gets all the best one liners...." In the same article he also praised the quality of writing for the older characters on Coronation Street: "with all the young people wandering around on TV nowadays, with their slang, texting and hippity-hop, it's great to see Coronation Street can still write fantastic older characters. There's prissy, kvetching NorrisNorris Cole
Norris Benjamin Cole is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Malcolm Hebden, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 11 March 1994 and remained until his departure on 14 April 1997, only to return on 1 December...
, long-suffering Rita
Rita Sullivan
Rita Sullivan is a long-standing character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
and saintly Emily
Emily Bishop
Emily Bishop is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
. But best of all there's Blanche Hunt, played by Maggie Jones, mother of Deirdre (formerly of the huge glasses) and tormentor of Deirdre's husband Ken..." BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
named Blanche "Weatherfield's best-loved battle-axe", praising her "brutal honesty and withering put-downs". The Daily Mirror lauded Jones' "superb comic timing" in the role. At the 2005 and 2008 British Soap Awards
British Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards is an annual awards ceremony to honour the best of British soap operas.The first event took place in 1999 and takes place in May each year. Although it is an ITV production, the events were held at the BBC Television Centre, in London until 2010. The 2011 awards relocated to...
, Maggie Jones won the award for "Best Comedy Performance" for her role as Blanche. She also won "Funniest Performance" at the 2009 Inside Soap
Inside Soap
Inside Soap is a weekly UK magazine, released every Tuesday. It covers current and future storylines in soap operas shown in the United Kingdom....
awards. Jones commented at the time that she did not find Blanche funny, explaining:
Pop star George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
has stated that Blanche is his favourite soap character, commenting: "When you're as old as her you can get away with saying anything." Following Jones' death, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
wrote in her obituary: "As a deft exponent of Blanche’s withering one-liners and put-downs, Maggie Jones made the part her own, stealing scene after scene as the acid-tongued widowed mother of Deirdre [...] Maggie Jones's portrayal of Blanche as a meddlesome busybody was beautifully judged and finely understated." They deemed Blanche "a long-term favourite of Coronation Street fans", appraising: "With her trademark scowl and folded arms, Blanche epitomised the tyrannical mother-in-law as portrayed on the seaside postcard." Tim Teeman of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
appraised: "To many Coronation Street fans Blanche was a finer battleaxe than the legendary Ena Sharples
Ena Sharples
Ena Sharples is one of the original characters from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and was played by Violet Carson.-Development:...
(Violet Carson
Violet Carson
Violet Helen Carson OBE was an English actress, best known for playing Ena Sharples, one of the original characters in the British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life and career:...
). To many (including myself), Blanche [...] was our favourite character. She gleefully defied the maxim that if you hadn’t anything nice to say about somebody, you shouldn’t bother saying it. Instead, she broadcast her malevolence from the rooftops and to her victims' astonished, deeply offended faces." Teeman called Jones a "brilliant actress" and noted: "Blanche could be kind, but not often. She and Norris were the great gossip-mongering tag team of the Street, revelling in others' misfortune. Blanche often didn’t have to say anything at all. She’d just purse her lips. That was withering condemnation enough." Low Culture columnist Ruth Deller praised the work of the late Maggie Jones by stating: "even from beyond the grave, she delivered one of Corrie’s best storylines, with the reading of her will providing some classic Blanche moments. She’ll be sorely missed."
External links
- Blanche Hunt at itv.comItv.comitv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 11 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV1 brand. The website offers on-line streaming, ITV archive, news, sport, entertainment, games, soaps, lifestyle, drama and an interactive TV...