Joanna Lumley is one of Britain's most popular actresses, and much loved for her roles including Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous. But in her early career, the 72-year-old starred in Coronation Street in 1973 as Ken Barlow's love interest, Elaine Perkins. And although Joanna was in the soap for just a few weeks, she has admitted that she would have liked to have stayed in there for the long run. Talking at the Edinburgh TV Festival about Corrie, Joanna said: "I wanted a long, long part in this lovely show." Joanna then explained that she didn’t actually choose to leave the soap, but instead she was only ever signed up for a certain amount of episodes.
Joanna Lumley with Ken Barlow in 1973 Photo credit: Rex
What's more, Joanna was even asked to come back to Coronation Street in 2009. She explained: "About 35 years later, they asked if I'd come back and break Ken's heart again, and I went 'you bet!' However, due to her other work commitments, it didn’t quite happen. And while Joanna would be a very popular addition to the iconic ITV soap, unfortunately there are no plans right now for her to come back. Her representative told HELLO!: "There are no plans for Joanna to appear in Coronation Street. The moment has passed. Her character did return but was portrayed by Stephanie Beecham so there is no reason for her to make any future appearances."
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Although Joanna won't be gracing the cobbles anytime soon, it was recently announced that a well-loved character was making a return this autumn. After Ben Price, who plays Nick Tilsley, was recently spotted eating out with his former co-stars, including Tyrone Dobbs actor Alan Halsall and Jack P. Shepherd, who plays his on-screen brother David Platt. It was later reported that Ben would be returning to the soap in October.
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Joanna was asked to go back to the soap in 2009 Photo credit: Getty
Ben's character Nick was last seen in Corrie in June 2017, having escaped to start a new life following a series of traumatic events, including a near-death experience after getting stuck in quicksand during a trip to the beach. Nick had also struggled after the news came out publicly that Steve McDonald was in fact the father of Leanne Battersby's baby, who he had planned on raising as his own.
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