Cilla Battersby-Brown

[Perdita]

Over on Coronation Street, Fiz Stape and Chesney Brown get a big surprise when their mum Cilla arrives back in Weatherfield.

When it becomes apparent that Roy Cropper doesn't like being alone in his flat following a shock break-in, Tyrone (Alan Halsall) and Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) invite him for dinner with Chesney and Sinead.

However, their evening is interrupted by a knock at the door and everyone is stunned when Cilla enters.

Cilla returns to Weatherfield.
© ITV
Cilla returns to Weatherfield.

Fiz and Chesney are shocked to see Cilla.
© ITV
Fiz and Chesney are shocked to see Cilla.

Clutching an overnight bag with her wrist in plaster, Cilla's arrival takes everyone by surprise, but Fiz and Tyrone reluctantly agree that she can stay on their sofa for the night.

The next morning, Cilla's behaviour baffles everyone as she plays the doting granny to Hope and Joseph and is utterly charming towards her family.

Fiz and Chesney are both convinced that she is up to something, but Sinead later discovers that there could be another reason for Cilla's return when she spots her convulsing in pain…

It was previously announced that Wendi Peters would be returning to the show for a six-week guest stint as Cilla.

Peters portrayed the role of Cilla between 2003 and 2007. Cilla's arrival will pave the way for Fiz's temporary departure from the show due Jennie McAlpine's maternity leave.

Coronation Street airs Cilla's return on Wednesday, October 22 at 7.30pm on ITV.

[swmc66]

Have they not got a three bed house. Why the sofa?

[Perdita]

Coronation Street welcomes back one of its most memorable characters next week as Cilla Battersby-Brown makes a shock return to the cobbles.

Cilla turns up in Weatherfield unexpectedly and displays a whole new attitude as she tries to play the doting mum and grandmother, leaving Fiz and Chesney deeply suspicious.

Here, Wendi Peters - who plays Cilla - reveals why she was lured back for a short guest stint and what fans can expect from the storyline.

What was your reaction when you first heard that Corrie wanted to bring Cilla back?
"It was a bit of a shock, really! I was driving in the car when my phone went off on the hands-free. When I answered my agent said, 'I've just had Granada on the phone'. It was a complete shock because I'd put Cilla to bed. I'd moved on, done lots of theatre, lots of TV and also had a bit more time at home with the family.

"Coming back to the show was something that I hadn't really considered, so it was a pleasant shock. It's lovely just to come back for a short time to find out where Cilla has been and what she's up to. Then we'll just leave it open again."

Had there never been a point where you thought you might like a return?
"There really never was a point where I thought, 'I'd quite like to come back'. It's not that I'm not thrilled to be back, but I suppose I have been very lucky - I haven't stopped since I left. I've done a lot of theatre and lots of different things, so I never really had that point where I'd been out of work for a couple of months and was wondering what I was going to do.

"This return stint was just the perfect opportunity. It fitted in perfectly with other stuff that I'm doing. It's also lovely coming back with the purpose of getting Jennie out for her maternity leave. I feel like I'm really going to be a granny! (Laughs.)

"It's so lovely to come back and see Jennie out, but I have no idea how they're going to turn that one around and have Cilla and Fiz end up liking each other! Fiz is not liking her at all at first, and Chesney especially isn't liking her."

Were you nervous about coming back?
"So nervous! At first I came back like a little schoolgirl. I think it's partly because the show is now filmed in a new building as well. I'd seen people over the last seven years outside of work, but it was a bit like the first day back at school. It wasn't until I got two or three scenes under my belt that I relaxed and thought, 'This is going to be okay now'.

"Up until coming up to the set, I really wasn't certain that I'd done the right thing by agreeing to come back. It was scary to come back and just being expected to get straight back into it because the turnaround is so quick here. It could have been awful, but I hope it isn't!"

How did you prepare to play Cilla again?
"I didn't speak out loud as Cilla until I got back on set. I obviously learned my lines at home, but I didn't read them out to anybody. I just thought I'd keep it to myself, so the first time Cilla actually spoke again was when I stepped on set and said, 'Well aren't you pleased to see me?'

"Cilla just came out then and it gradually just came back. It's really weird because after that I felt like I was back in full swing. It's like riding a bike. We also went shopping just before I started filming again. Not many people have the same wardrobe seven years on, so we had to go and get some new stuff! That was fun too."

Have her clothing tastes changed?
"Cilla has gone a bit more upmarket! There's still lots of gold and clothes that are a little bit too tight for her, but it was fun picking things out and thinking about what we could and couldn't do.

"Of course we still have the essence of Cilla and she's never going to change, but we just wanted to bring her a little bit more down to earth. I hope she isn't quite as brash in the wardrobe department. She's still got the gold jewellery, which I got from my loft. I'd taken some of her things as keepsakes. I have a 'Cilla box' at home with a few scripts and my last continuity photos, her jewellery and the hat from her last scene. It's all been up in the loft for the last six years."

Did you watch any old Cilla episodes?
"I did, and I shouldn't have done it! I watched Cilla's last week of episodes before she went to Vegas and I hated her! I watched them with my husband and I thought, 'What am I doing? Why am I going back to this?'

"But before I'd even watched that, I wanted to tone Cilla down a bit. She is seven years older now - she's nearly 50. I loved playing her and really had a great time, but I just felt that we needed to find a little bit more reality in her.

"Over the four years, Cilla got a little bit too much at certain times. In the last week of episodes, they did pull it back a little bit and we did see a bit of a nicer side to her, but I just felt that I wanted to try and bring her back a little bit and do something a little bit more real."

Where has Cilla been?
"Cilla has been in Wolverhampton! I thought it was going to be somewhere exotic! (Laughs.) Obviously she went to Vegas and she went to South Africa too, which we saw in a spinoff DVD, but she ended up 100 miles down the road. That did make me giggle - she's no better off than she was before!"

How is Cilla when she comes back?
"Initially Cilla is the same is ever. She just says, 'I'm here! I'm back! You don't look very pleased to see me!' - as if they were all going to run towards her with joy! Just for the first day, Cilla is chirpy and full of joy, but underlying behind that is something else. She's Cilla - she's not back just to say hello, she's back for a reason. There always has to be a reason with Cilla and it's one that involves herself rather than anyone else."

Do Fiz and Chesney suspect that could be the case?
"Straight away they do! They're both grown up now and they're completely aware of what Cilla is like. They just assume she's there for a reason and anything she says will be a lie. They think she's there for her own gain - not just to see her children and her grandchildren."

Does Cilla give them a reason?
"Cilla just says, 'Do I need a reason to see my children and my grandchildren?' She insists she doesn't need a reason - she's just popped up the road to see them."

What kind of grandmother does Cilla turn out to be?
"On the front, Cilla is very pleased to see the kids. She's thrilled with Joseph. She thinks he's very bonny and takes after his nana, so she loves him and thinks he's great! Chesney was always Cilla's blue-eyed boy and I think when she did leave, she was quite upset at leaving him. She sees Joseph as the new Chesney and he's the apple of her eye!"

What are the other reactions to Cilla's return?
"Tyrone is Tyrone - he's fine about it, because he doesn't really know Cilla to a great extent. He says, 'We'll cope - she's better than my mother!' The only person who really takes to Cilla but doesn't really know her of old is Sinead. She's the only one who likes her, because she doesn't really know anything about Cilla. Sinead thinks that Chesney should give his mother a chance."

What do you think of people making comparisons between Cilla and Beth?
"It's an odd one, this! I think you have to say that we're both the typical strong Corrie woman. I suppose there's also a slight resemblance! When Lisa started in the role of Beth, I got so many people phoning and texting me saying, 'You're back in Corrie!' I had to say, 'No it's not me!'

"We are similar in that respect, but I think that might also have a bit of a twist on what people are expecting. That's fun, because all I've been getting on Twitter is people saying, 'We can't wait to see the arguments and fights with Beth!'"

Is Cilla crushed when it becomes clear that Fiz and Chesney want her to leave?
"A little bit. They can't wait to get rid of her and I think that is a huge shock to Cilla, but she tries to buy her way back in a little bit. She's not as surprised by Fiz's reaction because they always had that arguing streak between them, but I think Chesney is the one who really knocks her for six because he is so hostile towards her. Cilla can't take the fact that her little boy, who she used to be in complete control of, has now cottoned on to her."

Do you think Cilla has redeeming features?
"I do. I think she's had a sad life. She's probably never been loved herself by parents or certainly relationship-wise. She's just gone for any fellas who have given her a second look. She's just gone off with them without thinking of the consequences of it. She's probably never had a proper relationship."

Do people still recognise you as Cilla?
"They do and I'm always really surprised by that. Every time it happens, I can't believe it. They say, 'It is you, isn't it? Chesney's mum?' It's obviously not to the extent of when you're in the show, but I'd always thought that you'd walk away and in a couple of years you'd be fine. I don't think there's ever anything that will give you the exposure that a soap will."

Did you ever find that you were typecast after Corrie?
"Yes, completely. In a way, that's why I went back to theatre - it's where I came from and what I love doing. I'm also going back to theatre after Corrie. That was my way of moving away from Cilla and getting back to what I do. I'd never want to shift away from her completely because she's part of my life, and if it wasn't for her, chances are that I wouldn't have been doing half of my theatre stuff. You can't say that you want to get rid of her, but it's lovely to move on and do all kinds of different things.

"It's funny that just now in this last year, I've started doing a few different bits of TV. I've just done a CBBC thing called Hetty Feather. I've been doing bits of things and now I'm back, I wonder is it going to stop again next year?! It was also great to do MasterChef as myself because even now you get people who say, 'Oh, you're nothing like her!' I say, 'I know!'"

Are you anything like her?
"Oh yeah, I think there always has to be a bit of you in any character that you play. I'm very impatient and a bit of a control freak. I'd like to think I'm a much, much nicer version of Cilla, but who knows! (Laughs.)"

After Corrie, were you offered TV roles that were too similar to Cilla?
"Yeah, I went for auditions after Corrie and I had one piece sent to me which said, 'Mother's character name, son's character name and a dog'. The scene was the mother running across a playground in a short skirt screaming at the child and the dog getting scared. I thought, 'I can't even go and meet them for this, it's ridiculous, it's so similar!' (Laughs.) So there were certain things and the stuff I have chosen to do have hopefully been completely different from Cilla."

What were your favourite Cilla storylines?
"I always remember when I'd been there for three months and was told that I was going to put Rita in the cells for the night! I couldn't believe it, but it was lovely. I really liked Cilla when she was like that - proper evil! There were so many other storylines. Cilla falling through the ceiling is always the one that people mention! We also had Status Quo at the wedding. Cilla dragging Chesney off and him trying to hang onto the postbox was great but heartbreaking!"

What are you doing next?
"I'm doing the White Christmas musical at the Dominion Theatre in the West End. I play the general's housekeeper. I've done it the past two Christmases, so I must love it! It's lovely to be in the West End for Christmas."

Could you see Cilla ever returning again after this stint?
"I have no idea! Never say never. If they phoned up with an idea for a storyline, who knows? For me, it's always been dependent on what the story is and the way Cilla is going to be. When I left the first time round I always said 'Never say never'. You can never say never, because you never know how your life is going to pan out in the future."

[Perdita]

As first announced in June, Cilla will be returning to the cobbles next week for a short guest stint, shocking her daughter Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) and son Chesney (Sam Aston).

Cilla's diagnosis is the reason for her return, but she only feels brave enough to confide in Chesney's girlfriend as she fears that her children won't believe she is genuinely ill.

Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens the bones, making them fragile and more likely to break.

Discussing her return storyline, Wendi Peters - who plays Cilla - commented: "The first thing I did was check whether larger ladies can have osteoporosis. I learned that it often affects people who are slightly larger because it's due to bad diet, excess alcohol and all kinds of things like that - probably everything that you would associate Cilla with!

"That's quite interesting as well because you might get people saying, 'Oh that's ridiculous', but hopefully they'll start Googling it as well. It could raise awareness of osteoporosis. I've learned more about it myself because I always thought that it was just an old ladies' thing, but it turns out it's from menopause through to any age upwards."

Cilla's condition is also the reason why she displays a change in attitude as she settles back into Weatherfield, attempting to play the doting mum and grandmother.

Will Cilla admit the real reason for her return to Sinead?
© ITV
Cilla confides in Sinead

Peter continued: "For the first time, Cilla is having to face something for real. We have no idea if she's facing that alone or not, or whether she has a fella. She could be sat in a bedsit with absolutely nothing, realising she needs to think about her life.

"I don't know exactly what Cilla wants from her return to Weatherfield, but I think she knows that if she suddenly said she's not very well, Fiz and Chesney would tell her to go away. She's hoping to ease her way in before that happens, and she's not going to tell anybody about this until Sinead gets it out of her.

"Sinead says, 'That's terrible - you must tell them', but Cilla says there's no point because they're not going to believe her, or they'll think she's getting what she deserves.

"I'm not sure whether Cilla is expecting to move back in or have someone come to look after her, but she has faked stuff before and she's certain that she's not going to be believed."

Coronation Street airs Cilla's return on Wednesday, October 22 at 7.30pm on ITV.

[swmc66]

Ok its a long term condition but not as fatal as I thought although I have not googled it yet!

[chartreuse]

I have a friend who was anorexic during her teenage years and was diagnosed in her mid-twenties with osteoporosis - so it can happen at any time if you eat badly etc.

[Dazzle]

Yes, people who suffer, or have suffered, from anorexia are very prone to osteoporosis.

However, I don't think it's true that larger people get it much. In fact, a close relative's GP recently told her that she wasn't at risk of osteoporosis as she's a larger lady. He told her that it was small, bird-like women that tend to get it, something I've since noticed to be true.

[Perdita]

Would not call Cilla a small, bird-like woman ...

[Dazzle]

Would not call Cilla a small, bird-like woman ...

No lol...which was my point as Wendi Peters calls herself a larger lady in your post (# 44).

[Perdita]

Former Corornation Street star Wendi Peters has teased a possible return to Weatherfield for her gobby character Cilla Battersby-Brown.

Wendi, who first hit the soap in 2003, appeared on ITV's Lorraine earlier today (October 26) and revealed all to Helen Skelton, who was standing in for Lorraine Kelly.

She told Helen "never say never" regarding a return to the cobbles, explaining: "She brings back such happy memories, but she just looked a bugger didn't she – she was awful. But she was fun."

"The thing is, it's lucky that the door is open. Fiz and Ches are still there," Wendi added. "I'm a firm believer in never say never... you never know what is around the corner.


© ITV

"I went back a couple of years ago for a few weeks and I had a lovely time."

"I love doing what I do now, to be honest," she continued.

Talking of Cilla being "awful" – why not take a look at her hot tub horror with Les in our nauseating list of soap sexytime scenes that we just can't unsee.

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