Barbara Knox has confirmed her Cobbles future
The 89-year-old star has played Rita Tanner in the show since 1964 and is the soap's second longest serving cast member behind William Roache's Ken Barlow. Fans were thrilled this week as it was confirmed Barbara's stint on the show is set to continue as she signed a year's contract extension.
She told TV Times Magazine: "She's a real pro. Every year, she thinks she's not going to get another contract. I'm like, 'Seriously, Barbara?' If she ever forgets a line, which is very rare, she won't sleep that night – she's terrible. I tell her off all the time. Not many people can!" In the early parts of Barbara's legendary career she also also worked on Sir Ken Dodd's Funny You Should Say That sketch show. The soap star revealed she used to ask the iconic comedian for permission to appear in Corrie due to filming clashes.
She said: "I’ll tell you a story out of school. We got word that the ladies were going to work in Majorca for a week and the men in the cast, the silly beggars, they wouldn’t speak to us. So off we went to Majorca and everyone thought they’re having a great time - but it was dreadful." She initially denied the charge but changed her plea to guilty as she was due to be tried at Crewe Magistrates Court. According to the Mirror, Barbara admitted making a “terrible error of judgement” and apologised for driving after a boozy lunchtime session with her daughter Maxine Ashcroft.
A source told the Sunday Mirror: "Barbara felt bad that she had to go, but she explained it was in no way a serious health issue and that she'd be back. We had no option but to rewrite storylines and also shoot a scene in the Rovers Return to explain why she wouldn't be around for a while."
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