IT felt like the funeral of someone we all knew well when Coronation Street said farewell to Deidre Barlow.
The real poignancy was the recent death of actress Anne Kirkbride who played Ken Barlow’s on-off wife for 40 years.
We so naturally blur the character and the real-life person, we appreciated Deidre’s humour and sense of fun as if she’d been round for a couple of red wines with us at The Farmer’s Arms.
Even though Anne Kirkbride was probably quite a different person than Deidre, it’s fine for us to feel that we will miss them both. The actress brought a depth and warmth to her character that endeared her to us over decades.
I know that cynics will say it’s just a TV programme. But, to many of us, these Northern characters are just like the ones in the next street. We have always identified with them and, thanks to clever writing and acting, we probably always will.
We’ll miss you, Deidre and Anne. Thanks for the fun.
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