Coronation Street announces Helen Lederer casting
Lederer will star in scenes with Corrie legend William Roache in an episode next week.
Coronation Street has confirmed that acclaimed comedian and Absolutely Fabulous star Helen Lederer will guest star on the soap next week.
Lederer will share scenes with soap legend William Roache in an episode on Wednesday 27th March, starring as a woman named Elspeth who is captivated by Ken Barlow at a singles cocktail night at the Chariot Square Hotel.
According to a synopsis: "Having sent drinks over to Ken and his son in law Steve, Elspeth is invited to join them, leaving Steve gutted that his octogenarian father-in-law has managed to hit it off with an attractive lady whilst he hasn’t met anyone."
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Speaking about appearing on the soap, Lederer said that she had always felt Coronation Street was "the most substantial" and added: "To be offered a part playing a role opposite William Roache is even more exciting."
Meanwhile on the topic of her day filming on the Cobbles, she said: "It was a very rainy day up in Manchester and I was so excited to see the words Coronation Street on the side of the building so I got a photo taken like a tourist before I went in.
"What struck me was how amazing everyone was and how comfortable they made me feel. From the word go everyone couldn't have been nicer. They were just so very friendly."
Lederer described her character Elspeth as "forward" and added that she has "an open heart and an open mind" and is "proud to be there [at the bar] on her own and speak to people."
On her decision to approach Ken she continued: "This is where she is bold, she does something which is often something that men will do to women.
"She gets Debbie to send over two drinks to Ken and Steve to get Ken’s attention. I think bold is a very keyword now for this generation of women of a certain age who still want to live their life. If she wants to have a chat with a person she thinks ‘I'll do that’.
"So many people would have the fear of being rejected but she doesn’t. She takes the initiative and she is not disappointed as Ken is open to getting to know her."
Read more:
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- Coronation Street cast: who is leaving, returning to and joining the soap?
- Coronation Street's Tommy will need to "tread carefully" around Tracy
Visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
