Coronation Street legend Thelma Barlow, who played Mavis Wilton, says the soap has lost its humour over the years.
The actress, who appeared in the show on and off from 1971 until 1997, recently spoke about the storyline.
She revealed she fears the soap has lost its warmth and gentle comedy that it had during her day, as storylines have become darker.
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Speaking on the Distinct Nostalgia podcast, Thelma said: “I think the Street when I was in it had this wonderful thing of comedy, the comedy characters.
“I don’t watch it regularly now. I occasionally have a look but I don’t see much to laugh at now. I think it’s a shame.”
She added: “We used to get scripts where you’d talk about nothing important at all, nothing to do with the plot, but they would be so real and so funny.
“It was great conversation without having great meaning and drama to it.”
Coronation Street: What happened to Mavis?
Thelma appeared in nearly 2000 episodes of Corrie over her 26 years on the show.
I occasionally have a look but I don’t see much to laugh at now.
Mavis worked in the Kabin alongside Rita Sullivan and the two soon became best friends.
She married Derek Wilton in 1988 but he died in 1997 after a heart attack. Devastated, Mavis decided to move to the Lake District to run a B&B.
She was mentioned in 2018 when Rita paid her a visit.
What did Thelma act in after Coronation Street?
After leaving the ITV soap, Thelma landed the role of Dolly Bellfield in Victoria Wood’s sitcom Dinnerladies. The show ran for two series until 2000.
She then went on to make appearance in numerous popular TV shows including Doctors, Fat Friends, Doc Martin, Agatha Christie’s Marple and Doctor Who.
Coronation Street is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7.30pm on ITV.
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