Deirdre and Me: 40 Years on Coronation Street - TV review

In November 1972, a little-known 18-year-old by the name of Anne Kirkbride would make her way to the cobbles of Weatherfield, better known to millions as Coronation Street. And whatever the surname, Deirdre was to be one of the mainstays for the next four decades.

I would have been blowing out the flames on the candles of my second birthday cake when Deirdre made her first appearances, so have little recollection of the early days.

I have a vague memory of wide-boy husband number one, Ray Langton, played by Neville Buswell.

Back in the late 70s when Buswell decided to leave the soap, writers were going to say goodbye to Deirdre too.

It would be a turning point for Deirdre, who would remain in the show as a single parent, which was radical back then.

The bespectacled single mother of Tracy would then be put on an amazing rollercoaster ride by the scriptwriters, pairing her with Bill Roach's Ken Barlow, creating one of the best fictional couples to grace the small screen.

The chemistry was instant. Something that would be endorsed in 1981 when an impressive 24 million viewers tuned in to see Ken and Deirdre wed – for the first time.

However, just two years later, a bored wife was to seek solace in the arms of a smooth local businessman and one of soapland's most memorable storylines kept a nation gripped.

Fleet Street tabloids realised the power of the narrative and a template was about to be created, one where fictional stories made headlines. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The love triangle of Ken, Deirdre and Mike is recognised by many as being one of the most famous TV events ever broadcast on the goggle box.

With the love war resolved, Anne was about to face a real life battle – with cancer.

Following months of treatment and rest, Deirdre would return to Coronation Street as part of the show's most unlikely couple. Deirdre had a toy boy.

Samir from Morocco presented a challenge for the viewers.

After all, Weatherfield was never meant to feel like Eldorado. Samir would soon disappear.

So, having helped to establish the moneymaking partnership of the media and soaps, Deirdre's next relationship would see merchandising brought to the fore.

While I never owned a "Free the Weatherfield One" T-shirt, I remember seeing them about. The natty tops were part of a campaign to free a soap character from a fictional jail sentence in a made-up prison. Laughable really.

The lead-up to incarceration was my favourite Deirdre story. The character was very proud about her blossoming relationship with John Lindsay – a supposed pilot, whose employment was somewhat exaggerated.

A lovelorn Ken tracks the character to Manchester Airport where he discovers Lindsay's real role in the industry – working at one of the hub's many shops.

"Have you seen him actually flying planes, cos I have seen him actually selling ties," said Ken to a disbelieving ex-wife. Brilliant.

Inevitably, Ken and Deirdre would be reunited by the writers, re-marrying in 2005.

More recent dramas have been with onscreen daughter Tracy, played masterfully by Kate Ford. In real life they are good pals but the fur really flies on screen. Fights that would stretch across three generations when Blanche got involved.

Maggie Jones who played Blanche, Deirdre's stubborn mother, was fondly remembered in last night's documentary. Maggie, who died three years ago, had been a big part of Anne's life. "She was my pretend mum, but in some ways my real mum," smiled the actress.

The funeral for the character Blanche happened very close to the memorial for the actress Maggie, proving to be difficult for cast to separate. Not least of all for Anne.

Fittingly, the story drew to a close focusing on the the chemistry between Anne and her on-screen husband played by Bill Roach.

"He's perfect," she gushes. "I love him."

Genuine affection for a man she has married twice – yet never.

Paul Naylor