Coronation Street favourite Maureen Lipman has revealed that she very nearly played a main role in the hit BBC drama series The Split.
In an interview with Reader’s Digest, Maureen Lipman touched upon the fact that she could have played the role of Ruth in The Split, who was the mother of Nicola Walker’s character.
When asked about the potential character she confirmed that she was in the running for the part, but added: “Well, yes, although Deborah Findlay was excellent in the role.”
The Split is a hugely popular series that focuses on a family of troubled lawyers, in particular the acrimonious divorce of Hannah Stern (Nicola Walker) and her barrister husband Nathan (Stephen Mangan).
The TV legend currently plays Evelyn Plummer on Coronation Street, the no-nonsense nan of Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall), who has become a firm fan-favourite ever since she stepped onto the cobbles in 2018.
She also dropped the news that she had signed up for another year on the soap while defending working on the much-loved programme.
Maureen commented: “I won’t hear a word against it. It’s full of quite exceptional actors working with very little rehearsal, and very little direction.
“Am I envious of some of my peers? Sometimes, yes. Do I have the right to be? Of course not. Would I like to be in Sex Education? Yes, of course. Am I sorry I’ve signed up with Corrie for another year? No, I’m not.”
One thing that Maureen has on her soap wishlist is that she wants the Coronation Street producers to come up with a storyline that involves Evelyn and soap icon Claudia Colby, who is played by the legendary Rula Lenska.
“Rula and I always have such a laugh when we’re together. I’ll never forget the tornado that hit Media City three summers ago and, quite literally, blew us off our feet. It was terribly dangerous but we were helpless with laughter,” she revealed.
Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITV Hub.
