Frances Barber in BBC Four's A Ghost Story For Christmas: The Mezzotint / BBC
Frances Barber has revealed that she will be playing the estranged aunt of Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) on Coronation Street.
The veteran actress makes her debut next Wednesday, August 19, as Celeste Butterfield, the twin sister of Bernie’s mother.
Celeste arrives on the street to book a Dolly Parton-themed funeral at Shuttleworth’s, revealing to Todd (Gareth Pierce) that she has terminal cancer with six months to live.
“She reminds me completely of the women that I adored and grew up with, such as Elsie Tanner,” Barber told The Mirror. “She’s straightforward, witty and clever and says it as it is.
“She’s a Dolly Parton fan, so she’s dressed head to foot in cow print and cowboy outfits. She even sings a bit of Dolly Parton at one point. She’s wonderful. It was the gift of a part for any actress my age and I relished it.”
Barber, who has been acting on stage and screen for almost 50 years, went on to admit that her part on Corrie fulfilled a life-long ambition.
“The truth is that I’ve wanted to walk the cobbles for 40 years,” she explained. “It was on my bucket list. I’m a complete and utter fanatic.
“I grew up on it. I’m from a council estate in Wolverhampton, one of six kids. I know Wolverhampton isn’t Weatherfield, but it’s not that dissimilar.
“I used to be a Saturday girl in Marks & Spencer and the shoppers were like all the women on Corrie – strong, blunt, down-to-earth and very funny. I’ve loved them and respected them all my life, so it was always a dream.
“I thought ‘one day I will walk the cobbles.’ And I did, so I’m over the moon about it. It’s absolutely one of my career highlights.”
New episodes of Coronation Street drop weekdays at 7am on ITVX and air the same night at 8.30pm on ITV1.
