Coronation Street fans ‘confused’ as fan-favourite’s real name is revealed by co-star
Coronation Street enthusiasts were left gobsmacked after learning Georgia Taylor’s real name during a chat on the On the Sofa podcast.
The 45-year-old actress is renowned for her role as Toyah Battersby in the ITV soap, a character she has portrayed since 1997. Toyah was introduced alongside her parents, Janice (played by Vicky Entwistle) and Les (Bruce Jones).
Toyah is also the half-sibling of Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), and recently had a fling with Nick Tilsey (Ben Price). Despite Leanne’s initial outrage over their betrayal, Toyah and Nick have since become a steady couple and now co-manage the Bistro.
During a discussion about filming a recent Corrie scene with Georgia, podcast host Ben Price, who plays Nick, sparked confusion when he referred to the actress as Claire.
Coronation Street’s Battersby family comprised of Janice Battersby (Vicky Entwistle), Les Battersby (Bruce Jones), Leanne Tilsley (Jane Danson) and Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor).(Image: Granada Television)
Ben, 54, shared that he made a joke about firing some cast members to make “Claire laugh”, reports Leicestershire Live.
He told his co-stars Jack Shepherd and Colson Smith: “I had to do some ADR (automated dialogue replacement) yesterday and it was the top of the scene and we’re in the Bistro.”
Colson, who portrays Craig Tinker, interjected: “And you have been naughty.”
Coronation Street’s Georgia Taylor debuted on the ITV soap in 1997(Image: ITV)
Ben carried on: “So I was like fine, Claire, who plays Toyah, is next to me, and I thought it would be quite funny, I’m serious, to make her laugh.”
David Platt actor Jack joined in: “I know what this is”, as he began to chuckle.
Ben went on to say: “The waiters and waitresses have all been there for years. Anyway, he came over and he had to ad lib with me, and I said, ‘You see those two over there, can you get them sacked and then chucked out because they’re c**p!'”
Ben Price explains a joke he pulled while on the Coronation Street set during the On the Sofa Podcast(Image: On the Sofa Podcast /Instagram)
He continued, chuckling: “So I have said that and then I get called up to ADR and they go ‘oh hi Ben, yeah the director just wants to hear what you said’.”
Ben later remarked: “It’s hilarious that you mime something and think you won’t get caught up, and they did catch me out.”
Reacting to the clip, one Corrie enthusiast queried, “Who’s Claire? Toyah is played by Georgia Taylor.”
Another fan clarified: “Her real name is Claire x”, while a third admitted: “I had absolutely no idea!”
Coronation Street’s Georgia Taylor, who plays Toyah Battersby, (Image: ITV)
Georgia, who plays Toyah, was born as Claire Jackson but changed her name due to its popularity when she joined the ITV soap in the late 1990s.
She previously told the Mirror: “It’s not that I planned this to happen. But when I started with Coronation Street I had to register with Equity, the actors’ union, and at the time there seemed to be a hell of a lot of Claires so I had to think of something else.”
Georgia further explained: “I couldn’t tell you where I got Georgia from, other than I liked it, but my grandad’s surname was Taylor and he passed away not long before I got the part.”