Betty admitted to hospital

[Perdita]

Coronation Street legend Betty Driver's funeral will take place on Saturday, it has been announced.

The popular actress, who played Rovers Return barmaid Betty Williams for 42 years, passed away last weekend following a period of ill health. She was 91.

Driver's funeral will be held at St Ann's Church in St Ann's Square, Manchester at 11.30am on Saturday.

The service will be attended by hundreds of the star's friends and colleagues who worked with her throughout her career on Coronation Street, and previously as a big band singer and film actress.

Details of speakers at the service are expected to be announced on Saturday.

Tributes have been pouring in for Driver over the past few days following the news of her passing. On Monday evening, ITV1 screened documentary The Betty Driver Story in the star's memory.

Coronation Street bosses have also promised to give the actress a "brilliant and magnificent" send-off when her departure is written into scripts in the New Year.

[Perdita]

Family, friends and colleagues of Coronation Street star Betty Driver gathered in Manchester today for her funeral.

Hundreds of fans also gathered outside St Ann's Church in the city centre to pay their respects to the actress, who died peacefully last week at the age of 91.

Images Tweeted by Granada Reports and reporter Ben Schofield show stars of Coronation Street both past and present attending the funeral, as well as those who worked with her during her time as a big band singer and film actress.

Flowers were laid outside the church ahead of the service, which was broadcast to onlookers on a big screen outside the venue.

Coronation Street co-star Helen Worth, who plays Gail McIntyre, paid tribute to "91 glorious years of our Betty Driver", who "just wanted the whole world to be happy". She added that the Rovers Return would never be the same.

West End producer Bill Kenwright, who once played her character Betty Williams's on-screen son Gordon, said he was the "luckiest man in the world" to have worked with Driver and described her as a "big, big star, a juggernaut of love".

The hymns 'Lord Of The Dance' and 'Jerusalem' were sang by the congregation and Driver's wartime track 'The World Will Sing Again' was played into the church.

[alan45]

Betty Driver's funeral took place in St. Ann's Church in Manchester this morning. There was a marching band through the streets and in St. Ann's Square, a large video screen was in place so the general public could hear the service. Cast and crew members past and present attended the funeral as did Coronation Street creator, Tony Warren.

Speakers at the service were long time friend and personal assistant, Charles Orr, and cast member Helen Worth and former cast member Bill Kenwright who played Betty's son, Gordon Clegg. Helen said "She was the ultimate professional and knew everything there was to showbusiness, including stealing your scene without any words, A perfect look timed to perfection which lit up the screen." and she is right. Betty really did steal every scene!

Bill Kenwright said "She was never ever in the most volatile of story lines. She was the bedrock of it. A juggernaut of love." and spoke of his mother-son relationship with Betty. Even near the end, when she was semi-conscious, she knew he was by her side during one of his visits.

Charles Orr recalled a recent incident where Betty brought out the inner fan of a group of young lads they encountered in a car park. "All the black hooded crows had gone and we left with this glorious sight of young men, jumping about doing high-fives. You could hear them on the phone, 'I've just met Betty Driver! I've just met Betty!' What can you say about that magic?" And magic she was, indeed.

Betty herself had planned the service and music including Tchaikovsky, Verdi, and with Lord of the Dance and Jerusalem closing off the service. There is more detail about the service and a slide show at the Manchester Evening News site and more photos at the Daily Mail.

[Perdita]

JULIE Goodyear wants to return to Coronation Street as legendary landlady Bet Lynch for the funeral of Weatherfield icon.

Street stars past and present — including Julie — gathered for actress Betty Driver's funeral in Manchester at the weekend after she died aged 91.

And now soap bosses are working out how to give barmaid Betty — who appeared in 2,800 episodes over 42 years — a fitting send-off on screen.

A source told TV Biz: "Julie worked with Betty for 25 years and wants to be part of her exit.

"She's not coming back permanently but she's up for doing an episode.

"Nothing is set in stone yet — but a funeral with stars past and present would be really fitting.

"She deserves a tribute episode and everyone wants to honour her memory and her work."

Last week Julie, 69, paid tribute to her pal, saying: "She was a true icon and legend and a dear friend. We laughed together, we cried together.

"We never once had a cross word."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...s-funeral.html

[Perdita]

Coronation Street star Jennie McAlpine has shared her memories of her late colleague Betty Driver, saying that it was a "pleasure" to have known her.

Driver, who played Rovers Return barmaid Betty Williams for 42 years, died peacefully in hospital earlier this month at the age of 91. Her funeral took place in Manchester on Saturday.

McAlpine, better known as Weatherfield's Fiz Stape, told This Morning today: "It was obviously such sad news for us. However, we had a real celebration for her on the weekend just gone.

"It was her funeral and it was wonderful. Helen Worth spoke and Bill Kenwright, who of course came in and played the lovely Gordon - he spoke beautifully. And they put a big screen up in St Ann's Square in Manchester, so that the fans could watch."

The actress added that plans to give Betty a fitting send-off on screen on Coronation Street in the New Year are likely to take a similar form.

"I know that they're definitely planning to do something," she explained. "Obviously I think they'll take some time to think about how to do it. It'll be similar to the celebration that we had of Betty's real life, I'm sure. I really do think so. They'll mark it in a respectful way.

"People say this about everyone, but she really was the most loving person. The Street was like her family, and she always asked how your dad was, or she'd ask people, 'How's your kids?' and she'd know all the kids' names. It was a pleasure to have known her, it really was."

Coronation Street's producer Phil Collinson recently promised that Betty's on-screen send-off will be "brilliant and magnificent".

[alan45]

A HOST of Coronation Street favourites will make a one-off comeback for soap legend Betty Driver’s emotional on-screen send-off.

Street boss Phil Collinson has vowed “do something brilliant and magnificent” to say goodbye to the 91-year-old actress who played Betty Williams for more than 40 years until she died two weeks ago. The roll-call of past stars is thought to include Jean Alexander (downtrodden Hilda Ogden), Julie Goodyear and Roy *Barraclough (brassy Bet Gilroy and henpecked hubby Alec), Sarah *Lancashire (dizzy barmaid Raquel Watts) and Cheryl Murray (good-time girl Suzie Birchall).

It is also understood that Everton Football Club chairman Bill Kenwright, who used to play Betty’s son Gordon, will make an *emotional on-screen announcement telling Street *residents his mum has passed away.


A Corrie source said: “It is one of the most spectacular episodes to have ever been *discussed for someone’s final farewell.”

Producer Collinson will meet *scriptwriters this week to plan Betty’s exit, to be screened next February or March.

An insider said: “Everyone loved Betty Driver and, if asked, people would no doubt jump at the chance of being brought back to pay this incredible tribute.”

The emotional scenes will be followed by a real-life farewell knees-up.



Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/...#ixzz1cDi9PF64

[Chloe O'brien]

Oh Hilda. I loved Hilda. What about Themla Barlow

[Dennis tanner]

Betty's episode sounds great

[Perdita]

Coronation Street legend Betty Driver left behind almost £1 million in her will, a report has claimed.

Probate records show that the Weatherfield veteran's total estate was worth £987,900 and stood at £938,198 after liabilities were paid, according to The Sun.

Driver, who had no children, is believed to have left her Cheshire home, car and most of her personal possessions to close friends Charles Orr and Brian Lynch.

Her cousin Rosemary Hirst and a handful of other friends also reportedly benefited from the will.

Driver passed away at the age of 91 in October last year following a period of ill health. Family, friends and Coronation Street colleagues past and present gathered for her funeral in Manchester later that month.

Coronation Street bosses are planning to give Driver's character Betty Williams "a brilliant send-off" later this year. I am sure they will do a very good job of it

[Perdita]

Coronation Street bosses have revealed the first details of Betty Williams's send-off from the show - promising that fans will discover a long-held secret kept by the much-loved character.

Betty Driver, who played the role of Betty for 42 years, passed away in October at the age of 91 following a period of ill health. Show chiefs are now working on a fitting exit for her alter ego.

Coronation Street's producer Phil Collinson told the Daily Star that the scenes will air in three months' time - with a surprise in store for viewers.

Collinson commented: "Betty's funeral will be shown in April and the scenes will be a treat for fans as they will be a celebration of what the Street does best.

"We will be paying tribute to Betty, but behind the scenes will be the revelation of a secret she has kept hidden. I cannot tell you what it is, but it's a secret that Betty has taken to the grave with her and I can promise you that fans will be surprised.

"There is no love child or anything like that. The secret has something to do with the show's history but I am saying no more."

The newspaper also suggests that there are no plans to bring back former characters for the funeral episode.