Coronation Street legend Dame Maureen Lipman is set to leave the cobbles later this year to take on a new role.
The veteran actress, 78, has played the part of Tyrone Dobbs’ (Alan Halsall) grandmother Evelyn Plummer in the ITV soap since 2018.
During her time as the show’s resident harridan, we’ve seen Evelyn reconnect with her estranged grandson and force her way into his family home at No. 9 Coronation Street and form a compelling friendship with Roy Cropper (David Neilson).
In more recent years, she has reunited with long-lost daughter Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) and help her battle against substance abuse.
However, later this year she’ll be swapping the Rovers for the stage, as she appears in Richmond Theatre’s annual pantomime.
Announcing the news yesterday, the venue wrote on Instagram: ‘We are so excited to announce that Dame Maureen Lipman will star as Mrs Potty and Pete Firman will play Silly Billy in this year’s spellbinding pantomime Beauty and the Beast!’
A Dame playing a Dame? Sound’s perfect to us!
The news, however, has sparked fears that Maureen could be bowing out of Weatherfield after six years – but fear not, she will be back!
When approached for comment, a spokesperson confirmed to Metro.co.uk: ‘Dame Maureen is taking a sabbatical from Coronation Street towards the end of the year. We look forward to seeing her back on the cobbles in 2025.’
The production will take place between December 7th and January 5th, so it’s likely she’ll make her departure for a number of months.
Viewers will recall that this isn’t the first time Maureen has taken an extended break – last year she appeared in ‘Rose’ in London’s West End, and therefore Evelyn took daughter Cassie off to rehab to facilitate the absence.
Earlier this year she took a swipe at Corrie’s dark storylines, and harked back to its formative years – a time when many scripts were penned by her late husband, prolific screenwriter Jack Rosenthal.
‘We’re having domestic abuse. Anything that ticks the box of social problems in the 21st century is going to be in your local soap.’
She continued: ‘Whereas back then you had the freedom to put Martha [Longhurst], Minnie [Caldwell] and Ena [Sharples] in the snug and have a conversation about Ben-Hur.
‘It’s never been political but I always like it when the women sit down and go, “Ooh, Donald Trump, ain’t his hair shocking.”‘
‘People talk like that, and we recognise it as true.’
