Coronation Street legend comes out of retirement – 27 years after soap exit

A CORONATION Street legend has come out of retirement.

The actress has made a huge return to the screen, 27 years after her exit from the long-running ITV soap.

Thelma Barlow is very well known amongst enthusiasts of Coronation Street for her role as Mavis Wilton.

She starred on the cobbles for a whopping 26 years from her debut in 1971 before her last appearance in 1997.

After her soap days, she was famous for her role as Dolly Bellfield in the BBC One sitcom, Dinnerladies.

The actress is also the oldest living female cast member of Doctor Who after her appearance after she played Lady Thaw in 2007.

Now, she has returned to the screen as she bagged a role in a short-film.

The 95-year-old star appears in Sleepless in Settle, which has been released on YouTube.

Fans of the actress will be able to watch the actress for free on the video streaming platform.

The 22-minute project seems close to the star's heart as it was directed by her Dinnerladies co-star, Judy Flynn.

It focused on 72-year-old Alan and his 94-year-old mother Barbara as she faces her own mortality.

Corrie enthusiasts would also find Graham Turner who played Tai Chi instructor Gerry Northrop on the soap in 2023.

Her character is worried that she has not got much time left on earth and she is scared that her son will be left completely alone after her passing.

After watching the hit film Sleepless in Seattle, she decided that she needed to find her son a nice wife to keep him company.

Unfortunately she gets a lot more interest than she was expecting and it's not long until he found out.

It's set in the North Yorkshire town of Settle, which the star moved to after she departed the award-winning serial drama.

The actress admitted that she was absolutely delighted that the film was able to be accessed by a large audience.

“The film is just the sort of thing people need right now — a gentle comedy,” she added.

“It has a very sweet message that people of different generations can successfully live together. It was such fun to make.”

Coronation Street's 2024 shock exits

Corrie has said goodbye to several cast members this year. Let's break down who's left the famous soap:

Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo) has said farewell to Corrie to start a new life in Germany.

The youngster moved to live with her dad Dom Everett, who went back on the £10,000 bribe Eliza's grandfather Stu had offered to keep him out of her life.

Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) will bow out of the soap this summer when he loses his fight with motor neurone disease (MND) in tragic scenes.

After beingdiagnosedlast year, the fan favourite was devastated to learn he only had months left to live.

Viewers know he is planning to take his own life to end his suffering.

Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) departed the cobbles after being offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study in America.

Though shestruggled to decide with her stepdad Paul’s impending death from MND, she was convinced she had to live her life to the full.

Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) has struggled with the sudden departure of his father Peter from the cobbles.

The Weatherfield legend left his family and loved ones behind on Boxing Day, 2023, when his wife Carla Connor encouraged him to travel around the world with a friend.

Simon's been on a downward spiral ever since and his exit could end in tragedy.

Alya Nazir is set to leave the cobbles as actress Sair Khan prepares to go on maternity leave ahead of the birth of her first child.

It looks likely she'll be heading to Dublin after securing a lucrative new job, leaving her colleague and fling Adam Barlow behind.

Show stalwart Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw, is taking a break to star in the Sister Act The Musical UK tour. She will be back filming in May once her dates on the tour come to an end.

Her character left the Street after her son Jason broke his back after falling off a moped in Asia.