Betty Turpin
Betty Turpin is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by former music hall star Betty Driver. Driver was cast as Betty in 1969, after first auditioning for the role of Hilda Ogden, which was given to Jean Alexander. The character arrived in Coronation Street to help her sister Maggie Cooke run the corner shop, and since then had a number of storylines which saw her become twice widowed, and mother to an illegitimate son.
For most of her tenure in the show, Betty worked as a barmaid in the soap's Rovers Return Inn, where she created a signature dish, known as Betty's hotpot.
Driver died in October 2011, and Betty was subsequently written out, with the character dying off-screen from an illness in April 2012.
Creation
Betty Driver, who had been performing since she was eight years old, retired from acting in her late forties to run hotels in Cheshire and Derbyshire. It was here that she was spotted by one of her customers, Harry Kershaw, producer of Coronation Street, who persuaded her to audition for the role of Hilda Ogden in 1964; she eventually had to turn the role down as she was tied into an advertising contract with Procter & Gamble and they refused to release her. The part of Hilda eventually went to Jean Alexander. Driver has commented, "Harry Kershaw, producer of Coronation Street, persuaded me to audition for Hilda Ogden – just think I could have been wearing curlers for 30 years." In 1969, she was cast as the new character, Betty Turpin.Following her first appearance in 1969, Driver remained in the role of Betty continuously. In a 2006 interview she laughed off the notion of retirement, saying: "From day one on The Street everyone has been very kind to me. In fact, I'm godmother to Bill Roache's son. So as long as they want me, I'm happy to stay. The Street is like home and they really are my family." She confirmed her intention to remain on the show in 2010, when the character celebrated her 90th birthday. In May 2010, the News of the World reported that Driver had decided to retire, just prior to the actress's 90th birthday. Driver was distressed by the rumour, and assured producer Phil Collinson of her intention to remain with the soap, and was told that Betty was very much a part of plans for the series' upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations. Driver died on 15 October 2011, having appeared in over 2,800 episodes of Coronation Street.
Development
Backstory
Betty was born at 6 Tile Street, Weatherfield on 4 February 1920 to Harold and Margaret Preston. During World War II, she had an affair with serviceman Ted Farrell, resulting in a son, Gordon. Ted left her to return to his family and Gordon was adopted by Betty's sister Maggie and her husband Les Clegg. Betty celebrated the end of the war with her sweetheart Billy Williams, to whom she had lost her virginity. The two lost touch, and in 1949, Betty married policeman Cyril Turpin.Storylines
Betty and her husband Cyril move to Weatherfield in June 1969, helping her sister Maggie to run the local corner shop following the break-up of Maggie's marriage to Les Clegg. Maggie, however, resents Betty's interference, and persuades landlord Jack Walker to give Betty a job as a barmaid at the Rovers Return Inn public house. Betty clashes with the landlady Annie Walker, who fears that Jack may find her attractive, and fires Betty as a result. Betty takes a job in a rival pub, and returns only when Annie apologises. Betty becomes close friends with fellow barmaid Bet Lynch, who uses Betty as a chaperone on dates, on occasion lodges with her, and frequently seeks her advice in running her life.Cyril's employment as a policeman causes Betty problems when Keith Lucas, a man he has previously arrested, begins stalking her. She initially refrains from telling Cyril, fearing that he will get into trouble. When Cyril finds out, he attacks Lucas with a piece of lead piping and has to leave the police force. Betty has a breakdown when Cyril dies of a heart attack in 1974, leaving her only £859. In the same year the truth about her illegitimate son is revealed; she also acquires a ginger cat named Marmaduke for extra companionship. Betty builds a relationship with Gordon, though he upsets her occasionally, particularly when he neglects to invite her to his wedding.
Betty is mugged in 1982 by Raymond Attwood from Ken Barlow's youth club; she ends up in hospital with a broken arm. This leads to a reunion with Ted, the man who fathered Gordon, though he is unaware of his son's existence. Ted visits Betty in hospital after reading about her mugging in a newspaper. Betty agonises over whether to tell Ted about Gordon, but decides against it, preferring not to stir up the past.
On the fiftieth anniversary of VE Day in 1995, Betty is reunited with her wartime sweetheart Billy. The two marry several months later, and Gordon gives his mother away. They live happily together until Billy also dies of a heart attack in 1997. Betty becomes famous in Weatherfield for her hotpots, which come under scrutiny in the early 1990s when it is believed that they are contaminated. She is cleared of all wrongdoing when it is discovered that beer, not food, is responsible for a spate of stomach upsets. Betty acts as lady mayoress alongside mayor Alf Roberts when his wife Audrey has no interest in fulfilling her civic duties. This includes accompanying him to receive his OBE from the Queen, much to Audrey's chagrin.
In 1999, Betty celebrates 30 years of working at The Rovers Return with a party attended by all the regulars. She considers retiring in 2002 and briefly moves to Wimbledon to be with Gordon and his wife Caroline. Feeling that Caroline does not want her there, Betty considers moving into a retirement home; however, she is convinced to stay in Weatherfield by her close friend Emily Bishop. Around the time of Betty's 40th anniversary at The Rovers Return, she is sacked by new manager Poppy Morales after clashing with her on several occasions. Landlord Steve McDonald eventually tires of Poppy's poor treatment of the staff and fires her. Betty is reinstated, and plays the fairy godmother in the 2009 Rovers Return Christmas pantomime performance of Cinderella. In early February 2010, Betty has a party in The Rovers Return celebrating both her 90th birthday and the fact that she is the oldest barmaid in Weatherfield; however, it backfires when 91-year-old Enid Crump crashes the party and claims she is the oldest barmaid, not Betty. Later, Enid becomes sick after Steve serves her a three-month-old hotpot. Betty and Steve are left terrified when they realise that the hotpot could kill Enid, but she later recovers. During the tram crash of December 2010, Betty comforts Claire Peacock after her husband Ashley is tragically crushed to death by the rubble.
Betty is last seen in May 2011, trying in vain to stop David and Kylie Platt from coming behind the bar to speak with Becky McDonald. Although Betty is mentioned and referred to by various characters, her subsequent absence was not explained until February 2012, when Audrey asks Stella Price how Betty is, to which Stella replies that Betty is "still a bit under the weather".
On 16 April 2012, Emily and Rita Sullivan arrange to visit a convalescing Betty and go to meet Gordon, who has agreed to drive them there. However, when Gordon does arrive, he brings with him the unexpected news that Betty has died peacefully in her sleep the night before. The residents of the street all gather in The Rovers Return and hold an impromptu memorial for Betty, with all of her old friends reminiscing about her. Gordon, with some persuasion from Emily, decides to have his mother buried in Weatherfield after initially contemplating London. It is later revealed that Annie left The Rovers Return to Betty in her will; however, Betty never acted on this. Gordon assures Stella that he is not interested in the pub and it will remain in her possession. Despite being one of the street's longest serving characters, Betty's funeral was held off-screen. After the wake and lock-up, Stella hangs a photo of Betty on the wall over The Rovers Return, for all to see and remember her. This photo was destroyed during a fire at The Rovers Return in March 2013 started by Karl Munro but, following the refurbishment, Rita managed to obtain an identical copy which remains hanging on the wall in the same place to this day.
Personality
In his 1998 book The Women of Coronation Street, Daran Little describes Betty as an archetypal mother figure. He compares her to one of Coronation Streets original characters Minnie Caldwell, as she is "warm and comforting loves cats and has had her share of lodgers"; however, Little notes that "while Minnie wandered through life in a haze, Betty is sharp-witted, blessed with insight and wisdom". Discussing her evolving characterisation, Little writes: "She hasn't always been the incarnation of lovable joviality: when she arrived in the Street in 1969, she was loud, brash and a vicious-tongued gossip."Betty's two passions in life are darts and food. Playing darts brings out her competitive side, and she enjoys beating her male customers. Cyril frequently protests when Betty attempts to diet, as he prefers her "homely and comfortable" figure. Ultimately, Betty stops trying to lose weight, stating: "I had to between losing a few pounds or losing my marital partner. If my Cyril had wanted to marry a skinny rabbit he'd have married one." Betty breaks down when Cyril dies from a heart attack, with Little noting that: "Cyril had been the stabilizing force in Betty's life, and without him she relied heavily on her job and friends at the Rovers – she couldn't face life alone at home". Little has observed that Betty "has a finely tuned sense of right and wrong and has never been afraid to stand up for her beliefs", citing Betty's shock at being mugged in 1982, and calling the NSPCC to report a female neighbour whose children were left outside until nightfall while their mother entertained her boyfriend.
In 2010, Driver discussed her character, saying, "Coronation Street characters tend to fit into one of two camps. Those who have drama after drama and those who muddle through life, often in the background, as sturdy and dependable as the famous cobbles. Betty falls into the latter group. There have been moments of drama, intrigue and even romance – but it has been her presence behind the bar, cutting up pieces of lamb and chunks of potato, that has endeared her to the viewers." When asked about Betty's "sharp tongue", Driver suggested, "Not really sharp. just straightforward. not nasty to anybody but suffer fools gladly."