Mavis Riley in Coronation Street is a Weatherfield icon. She’s one of Corrie’s most legendary characters and was a firm favourite among fans for more than 25 years.
Even now, more than 20 years after she waved goodbye to the cobbles, Mavis is still remembered fondly by Corrie viewers.
So what was her story?
Who played Mavis Riley in Coronation Street?
Mavis Riley – later called Mavis Wilton – was played by legendary television actress Thelma Barlow. She took on the role that would make her a household name back in 1971, and became a regular character in 1973.
She stayed on the cobbles until 1997, when her on-screen husband Derek Wilton died and Mavis moved to the Lake District.
After leaving Corrie, Thelma took on another iconic role – Dolly Bellfield in Victoria Wood’s sitcom dinnerladies – winning her even more fans.
Read more: Which A-list stars started out in soap?
And since then Thelma, who’s now in her 90s, has appeared in shows such as Fat Friends, Doctor Who, Midsomer Murders and Doc Martin. As well as appearing on stage.
Apparently Corrie bosses have often asked her to return as Mavis, but she’s always said no.
Mavis and Rita
One of soap’s most enduring partnerships, Mavis and her best friend Rita Sullivan worked in The Kabin together for many years.
Mavis came to the Street as an old friend of Emily Bishop and was a bridesmaid at her wedding to Ernest.
When she took a job at the shop with Rita, the pair became firm friends and one of television’s most famous double acts.
But Rita wasn’t Mavis’s only comedy partner.
Mavis and Derek
In the 1970s, Mavis met salesman Derek Wilton and they hit it off. But Derek’s interfering mum didn’t like Mavis and Derek wouldn’t commit.
But by 1983 another man – the suave artist Victor Pendlebury – was interested in Mavis and she was torn between her two suitors.
Mavis chose Derek and they planned a wedding, but her heart wasn’t in it and she jilted him at the altar.
Though she was cross when she discovered that Derek hadn’t turned up either!
Derek married a woman called Angela, but when they divorced he began wooing Mavis again.
Derek and Mavis eventually tied the knot in 1988.
They were a brilliant comic partnership – with some typically Corrie emotional moments in among the laughter.
One of their most famous storylines involved Norris Cole kidnapping one of their garden gnomes and setting off around the world with it, sending ransom notes from various locations.
Derek’s death
In 1997, Derek was involved in a road rage incident.
Shortly after the shocking scenes, he dropped dead of a heart attack, devastating wife Mavis.
She found it too hard to live in Weatherfield without her beloved husband and she decided to move away.
For a short while, she and Rita thought about moving to Cartmel in the Lakes together to run a B&B, but in the end Mavis went alone.
So popular was Mavis that real-life tourism to Cartmel even got a boost after she’d moved!
Rita still visits Mavis and talks about her friend, and frankly, we’re just waiting for the pair’s spin-off show!
Want more spoilers from Coronation Street? Entertainment Daily has a dedicated Coronation Street spoilers section for you to get your fix before the latest episodes air.
Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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