Her episode of Desert Island Discs was wonderful. I'd urge anyone who is a fan of hers (or the show) to give it a listen. Broadcast originally in January this year, but still on iPlayer. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00xp1fc/Desert_Island_Discs_Betty_Driver/
Coronation Street stars past and present have been paying tribute to Betty Driver today, following news of her death. The actress, who played Rovers Return barmaid Betty Williams for 42 years, "died peacefully" on Saturday morning after spending the last six weeks in hospital. Some of the ITV1 show's biggest stars have since wrote messages on Twitter remembering the Weatherfield legend, whose character was famous for her hotpot. Jennie McAlpine (Fiz Stape): "Betty. What a lady. What a life. Wonderful to have known her xx" Helen Flanagan (Rosie Webster): "Just heard that Betty Driver has died. Absolute legend. She will be so missed x Thoughts are with Mark Hudson who was also very close x" Andrew Lancel (Frank Foster): "Dear wonderful Betty Driver has died. An extraordinary lady and life. Honoured to have met her and be in her company. A true legend. Xxxxx." Antony Cotton (Sean Tully): "Today is a very sad day. I am devastated. We've lost our Betty. She was one of the funniest people I've ever met and definitely the kindest. I will miss her so much. Her star shone bright and long. Sweet dreams, Duck." Charlie Condou (Marcus Dent): "Very sad to hear our wonderful Betty Driver has passed away. A true Corrie legend. She will be missed #ripbetty" Graeme Hawley (John Stape): "Bless you Betty. A truly beautiful person. #RIPBetty xxxxxxxxxxx" Catherine Tyldesley (Eva Price): "RIP the amazing legend Betty Driver. Xxx" Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Cropper): "Just adding mine to the chorus of voices saying farewell to our Betty. They don't make em like you anymore. Feel so lucky to have known you" Vicky Entwistle (Janice Battersby): "I send you a tender kiss & huge cuddle Miss Driver!Amazing talented Lady with an enormous heart. Enjoy your catch up with Freda & Maggie.x" Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald): "I have known Betty since I was 15 years old, we always had a very good relationship. I was fortunate to be one of her friends and I am going to miss her." Richard Fleeshman (Craig Harris): "So sad to hear about Betty Driver. Such a lovely lady. She will be missed." Jonathan Harvey (Coronation Street scriptwriter): "RIP Betty Driver, Amazing woman, will be missed by so many." Daran Little (former Coronation Street scriptwriter): "Remembering happy times with Betty Driver. I'll never forget them. A sad day for variety, big band and TV." Other stars from the land of soap have also paid tribute to Driver: Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle, Emmerdale): "Just heard the sad news about Corrie's Betty. She was very kind to me when I played a small part on the show years ago. A lovely lady. RIP.x" Ashley Margolis (Ricky Campbell, Hollyoaks): "So sad to hear that Betty driver has died!! Inspirational!! She was 91.. A true legend.. And she made a good hot pot!!" Sharon Marshall (This Morning soap expert): "So very sad to hear the wonderful Betty Driver has passed away. she was loved by millions. What an amazing lady."
She couldn't cook a hot pot to save her LIFE in real life apparently A sad day but then she lived a pretty full and amazing life and that's about as much as you can ask for. Let's just hope Barbara Knox has got at least another decade and a few more facelifts in her.
Awww I did not expect it as she just didn't seem THAT OLD even though we all knew she was... I can't believe she "came out of retirement" in 1969 at what, about 50, to be on this show for over 40 years. What a fabulously mad life
What was her story on Corrie? She just popped up now and again didn't she, so where did her character live these days?
Here's Betty Driver from one of her first acting roles both singing and playing at being a barmaid! And serving food too though it's not hotpot... "Stick Out Your Chin And Smile" from Penny Paradise (1938) [video=youtube;ExbPA2vnM28]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExbPA2vnM28[/video]
I thought she had quite a few more years left in her actually, so I was quite shocked. But yes, she had a great life (from what we know)
R.I.P. Betty. You were no Blanche Hunt, but you were still fucking fabulous. I hope Corrie don't kill her off, and instead keep going on pretending that she's just "popped out the back" or is "coming in later" like they have been doing for the past few years. That way she can be a Rovers Barmaid well into her hundreds.
The funeral was today Some choice pics, it could have been an All Star episode of Corrie really. http://i.STOP FUNDING HATE.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/22/article-2052147-0E7B83D800000578-710_634x426.jpg http://i.STOP FUNDING HATE.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/22/article-2052147-0E7B83B400000578-375_306x423.jpg http://i.STOP FUNDING HATE.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/22/article-2052147-0E7B52D500000578-616_634x693.jpg http://i.STOP FUNDING HATE.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/22/article-2052147-0E7B55AA00000578-905_306x651.jpg http://i.STOP FUNDING HATE.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/22/article-2052147-0E7B670000000578-592_306x529.jpg http://i.STOP FUNDING HATE.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/22/article-2052147-0E7B671400000578-877_196x561.jpg <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iIf0hu__IHU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I'm listening to her Desert Island Discs now. One of her picks is Winifred Atwell Apparently they were very good friends.
I know it's crass to analyse those photos like it was a fashion parade or something but Alison King is looking FANTASTIC and I quite like Kat Kelly's outfit which looks like exactly the sort of thing a golddigging widow 'grieving' the timely death of her elderly husband would rock up in And Bet Lynch seems to be morphing into a frog.
Some of those outfits are so inappropriate And is Julie Goodyear one of the Chelsea Pensioners thesedays? <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WTdJExrsQEk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
