Audrey and Fred

[BillyNiblick]

Yes. Poignant was the word - though the usual Blanche/Norris Nosey Parker knockabout in church was pretty well done too - you sort of get the feeling that these two would actually be gravely disappointed to attend a wedding where the bride and groom both turned up on time and everything went entirely smoothly and without a hitch, except the intended one.

Poignant as Fred asked young Ashley to fetch him what was to be all but his final scotch and threat. But I too was just a little puzzled as to why Fred felt the need effectively to steal Dev's car and rush to Audrey's side. I expect Audrey will now be riddled with guilt. Still, at least he went quick, taking a header into Audrey's front door by the sound of it. I hope when my time comes that I go as quick as that - I say I hope I go as quick as that.

[CG Wendy]

I can`t believe I am saying this but...... I feel more sorry for Audrey than I do for Bev. Sure I feel really bad for Bev, but Audrey will have to live with all this guilt for years.
I wonder if Audreys household insurance policy has a claus for "ex boyfriends keeling over and smashing glass"
Will we be seeing Archie Shuttleworth soon?

[jessi]

I guess so. I think arcihe's character.

I feel so bad for poor Bev. Noot so much for Audrey but for Bev, she was so excited over it all.

[BillyNiblick]

The great Nancy-Banks-Smith in this morning's Grauniad :

Well, that's summat new. Ah seh, that's summat new. In Coronation Street (ITV1) Fred Elliott dropped dead on his wedding day. I have seen several determined attempts to avoid matrimony, including legging it down the road in leg irons, but this was a soap first.
Torn between two women, Fred (John Savident) was understandably in pieces. Though, frankly, you'd have thought there was enough of him to go round. Pale as a peeled egg, he fled the church before the bride arrived, to say goodbye to Audrey, the real love of his life. Saying, "I'll not be seeing much of yer in the future," he suited the word to the action and collapsed with a splintering crash on her escritoire. This sort of thing happens a lot to Audrey who, like Julius Caesar, prefers men about her that are fat. Her former husband, a portly grocer called Alf, also died suddenly on New Year's Eve, putting a bit of a damper on the celebrations.
Fred first appeared 12 years ago as a cheat in a black pudding contest (like all soap characters, his moral tone tended to improve with keeping), and built a small comedy part into a sizeable bereavement. He leaves a huge, Fred-shaped cartoon hole. As they say in the Rovers, he was like the Great Wall of China. You could see him from space. It will be a sad day for comedy when fat is phased out of the language. Like Alf, who once ate a whole plum pudding to prove the wholesomeness of his wares, Fred was a tribute to prime rump steak. Being both a master butcher and landlord of The Rovers, he was the living embodiment of beef and beer. He ate and drank, and last night he died.
More work for the undertaker, another little job for the coffin-maker. In Coronation Street that's Archie Shuttleworth, aka Roy Hudd, whose disconcerting party trick is guessing your height at a glance. We could hold a sweepstake on Fred. What he weighed and which panto he will be appearing in.

[Cheetah]

Quote from the man himself re Panto - "Playing Baron Hardup in Snow White & 7 Whatsits at the Palace Theatre, Manchester".

[CG Wendy]

Great article Billy....thanks

[RitaLittlewood]

Ratings from BBC Online:

Last Updated: Tuesday, 10 October 2006, 11:09 GMT 12:09 UK

Fred's demise witnessed by 11m

The departure of the Coronation Street character Fred Elliott was watched by 11m viewers on Monday night.

The first episode of the double bill which was aired at 1930 BST got the highest ratings, while the second outing an hour later drew 10.7m.

It was the second part which showed Elliott - played by John Savident - collapse and die from a heart attack.

The storyline helped to boost the ITV soap's ratings, as 9m people tuned in on Sunday to watch the programme.

The Manchester-based series beat EastEnders on BBC One, which pulled in 9m viewers.

The soap is sandwiched between the two episodes of Coronation Street on Monday evenings.

Old adversary

But Elliott's dramatic death of failed to beat the departure of Mike Baldwin in April.

Some 12.5m fans tuned in to watch the factory owner - who had been in the soap for 30 years - die of a heart attack.

Baldwin, who had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease, died in the arms of old adversary Ken Barlow.

Viewers saw the Street's butcher and owner of the Rovers Return pub die at his friend Audrey Roberts' house just before he was due to be married to Beverley Unwin.

Audrey, who had admitted having feelings for Elliott, then faced having to explain to his bride-to-be why he had been at her house.

Filming for his funeral has already taken place and will be screened on 20 October.

Savident started playing Fred Elliott 11 years ago and soon became a firm favourite amongst regular Coronation Street viewers.

Elliott's death was the 101st to be screened on Coronation Street, which has been on air since 1960.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isn't that average anyway?

Patsy

[sallywebster]

Not much higher than normal.

[RitaLittlewood]

You'd have thought too that the 2nd would have got the higher ratings. The fairweather viewers obviously didn't give a toss then. I say, didn't give a toss.

Patsy

[BillyNiblick]

A bit bizarre, surely - tuning in to see a death? Thought we left all that behind with Christians and Lions........

[RitaLittlewood]

People do though. My mum originally started because it was put out about Val Barlow dying. I watched EE to see Dirty Den murdered.

Patsy

[valda]

yes your right Patsy, it`s normal for a person to do that and not morbid Billy a lot of people watched eastender`s to watch Dirty Den murdered (me included;)), my parent`s were watching coronation street just before Valerie Barlow had her accidential death Patsy

[pearly queen]

Births, deaths and marriages are always big pullers on any soap/serial
with regular characters; these events bring out extremes of behaviour in some people and viewers are hoping for decent scripts and performances on these occasions.

[pearly queen]

The scenes in the Chapel of Rest were a bit OTT, Ashley accusing Audrey of killing Fred was a bit much.

Don't they have to do a post-mortem when someone dies suddenly like that? They don't hang about in Weatherfield, do they?

John Savident did really well lying in his coffin not giggling during those scenes, and I kept expecting Fred to sit up and ask for a scotch n threat.

[RitaLittlewood]

Yes they would because there's no known cause of death. He just collapsed.

Patsy

[Mrs Demigod]

I actually don't feel sorry for Audrey, mainly becuase even if she was not responsible for putting Fred under all that stress, she tried to scupper his wedding and his hapiness, why she had to wait till the day to put her big show on I don't know. Ashley blames Audrey as he told her not to go through with it, to let it all be, but she didn't. What is he meant ot think?

[BillyNiblick]

pearlyqueen said:

John Savident did really well lying in his coffin not giggling during those scenes, and I kept expecting Fred to sit up and ask for a scotch n threat.

Heh heh - I was thinking that too - I'd love to see the out-takes reel from those scenes - I bet Savident is a giggler - or in the theatrical vernacular, always (appropriately on this occasion) corpsing.

[sallywebster]

Well I can see Ashley's point about accusing Audrey, he thinks because she told Fred she would have said yes had he asked her to marry him that it stressed Fred out so much it caused his death.

However I dont think Audrey is to blame really.

[RitaLittlewood]

No it's the writers.

Patsy

[sootycat]

Actually, I was more interested in watching Roy Hudd, as there had been stories if him being taken ill, and Fred leaping !! out of the coffin.

Rita didn't hold back either did she with her rant at Audrey.

[BillyNiblick]

Nancy again:

In Coronation Street (ITV1) Fred Elliott looked endearingly rosy, indeed cosy, in his satin-lined coffin. Archie Shuttleworth is a dab hand with the blusher brush. Less so with the crowd control. It was probably a mistake to allow Beverley, Audrey and Ashley into the Chapel of Rest together. (Ashley's father, Fred, died in Audrey's arms when he should have been marrying Beverley. These things do tend to rankle.) Audrey wept rivulets of mascara and Ashley accused her of murder. The only person present showing a modicum of sense was Clur, and she is barely over a nervous breakdown.

Leaving the undertaker to separate the combatants, one can't help wondering about the will. Fred was a warm man. Not now, of course ·

[Nick]

I thought Roy Hudd looked a bit poorly..and the scene later you heard his voice off screen..so he was probably too ill to record that scene

[sootycat]

I fell about laughing when Audrey touched Fred's hand and remarked how cold he was.

That's because he's dead.!!

[Mrs Demigod]

I could have really done without seeing Fred lying in a coffin. I know that I perhaps may sound over-sensitive, but he was one of my all time favourite characters, I say all time favourite! For that reason and because of one or two personal reasons, I really would have prefferred to not see Fred in his coffin.

The other thing I have to wonder about was Archie and his crowd control, letting both Audrey AND Bev in? The chapel of rest is no place to have a slanging match or to hurl accusations.

[Nick]

I don't think its necessary to see corpses.......seeing Audrey looking down would have been quite sufficient