Alf Roberts
Encyclopedia
Alfred Sidney "Alf" Roberts was a fictional character
in the British ITV soap Coronation Street
. He ran a grocery shop at No. 15 and was heavily involved in local politics, including two spells as mayor of Weatherfield
. The character first appeared on the programme in 1961 on a recurring basis, before finally becoming a regular in 1971 and remaining in the series until he died on 1 January 1999.
He was played by Bryan Mosley
, who died six weeks after his character's final appearance.
. He appeared intermittently until 1963. Although occasionally mentioned, Alf was not seen again until 1971. When he returned, he continued to work at the post office, albeit now in a supervisor's role.
The character became very close to Maggie Clegg, who owned the corner shop on Coronation Street. Attractive, sympathetic, and a good listener, she seemed to him to be the perfect wife. However, when he proposed, she gently turned him down, unable to bring herself to enter into a marriage with someone she did not love just to avoid being lonely. Alf was very hurt, doubly so when, shortly afterwards, she married wealthy businessman Ron Cooke and moved to Zaire.
In 1973, the character needed a consort when he became mayor of Weatherfield; he had hoped that Maggie Clegg would accept the role and was surprised when she turned him down. Annie Walker
, the social-climbing landlady of The Rovers Return, invited herself to become Mayoress and a desperate Alf was forced to agree. Annie did a good job - she considered herself to be Weatherfield
's 'First Lady' - but her snobbishness and pretensions often infuriated and exasperated Alf.
In 1978, the character married Renee Bradshaw, who owned the corner shop. Theirs had been an awkward courtship - Alf withdrew his first proposal, telling Renee very unromantically that he had been drunk when he asked her - but when he proposed a second time they married. The marriage seemed doomed from the start - Alf punched Renee's stepfather, Joe Hibbert, at the wedding reception for suggesting that the only reason he had married someone as 'ugly' as Renee was to get his hands on the corner shop. Renee, however, made it clear that the shop was hers, and that Alf should continue to work at the post office.
After a lorry crashed into the pub in 1979, burying Alf under tons of wood, the couple re-assessed their lives. They decided to buy a sub-post office in Grange-Over-Sands
in 1980 and Renee took driving lessons. It was while learning to drive that Renee was at the controls of Alf's car, and stalled at a red traffic light in a country lane. While Alf got out of the car to change places, a lorry, coming in the other direction and riding the red light in his favour, struck the car and Renee was killed. Alf, who had been drinking, was unharmed, and later confessed his feelings of guilt to Ken Barlow - seconds before Renee's death he had been arguing with her about her driving, and this petty row was the last thing they ever said to each other.
The character inherited the shop, and, over the next few years, Audrey Potter
would come and go from his life. Audrey was very unlike Maggie and Renee for she was an unashamed good-time girl, her heart as big as a man's wallet. She set herself up in the back of Alf's shop as a hair stylist, and Alf caused controversy when he painted Renee's name out of the shop sign. However, when Alf suggested marriage to Audrey she turned him down.
The character continued to run the corner shop, with various assistants, including Deirdre Barlow
. He also continued as a local councillor until ill-health forced his retirement.
In 1985, the character had the Corner Shop converted into a self-service establishment. The Corner Shop name was retained newly painted in red on the sign over the frontage, with "Alf's Mini Market" painted on the window.
Also in 1985, Audrey decided that, after a lifetime of heart-ache with unsuitable men young enough to be her sons, Alf was the man for her. They married, living first in the flat over the shop, then at no. 11 Coronation Street
before buying a semi-detached house on posh Grasmere Drive where Audrey’s character still lives.
The character lost his council seat to his own employee, Deirdre, in May 1987 and suffered a heart attack as a result. Despite this, he was to be re-elected in the following term's elections. The local council decided to re-name Coronation Street Alf Roberts Street in his honour, and Alf was hurt when the locals opposed it. He was also made an OBE
for services to local Government
.
When the character was mayor for the second time, Audrey declined to be mayoress, and Alf asked Betty Turpin
instead. A compromise was later reached. When Alf retired from the council, Audrey held his seat for a while.
The character was written out of the cast when the actor who played him became seriously ill. Bryan Mosley, despite being axed from the soap due to poor health, stressed he "wanted to carry on" and "had no intentions of leaving". After Bryan fell ill in January 1998, he returned six months later in July insisting "The Street is in my blood. I'll never quit." A Granada spokesman claimed that "Bryan's one of the Street greats, and his send-off has to be one of its most moving scenes. That is just as he would wish."
Mosley died in 1999, shortly after his character had died of a stroke in his sleep at a New Year's party at his stepdaughter Gail Platt
's house.
claimed that losing Alf's character is losing "not just a gem of a character but the umbilical cord that links it with it's roots." He also stated that "even those of us who for 30-odd years have viewed him as a whingeing tub of lard today mourn his passing." Brian believed that "when Alf goes an era goes with him. All the Street's original fans have left to remind them of a better time is the chimneys, the music and Betty's hot-pot. Will there ever be another Alf? Will there flamin' heck as like."
In 1998 upon the announcement that Bryan Mosley
was leaving Coronation Street, an insider at Granada TV claimed "Bryan Mosley is a Coronation Street legend and no one wanted to see him ever leave". The same insider also stated that the scriptwriters were told that the characters death was to be "handled with an incredible amount of sympathy."
The Independent
published an article by Anthony Hayward
which stated that actor Bryan Mosley made his character "one of the most enduring and sympathetic characters in Coronation Street." However, as an actor, Bryan once claimed that his character "was sometimes regarded as a bit dull", and that there was "not a lot in him that’s not been explored on screen". He believed that there was "something of a fighter in Alf. He was in the Army during the war and probably had quite a difficult war. He's still interested in the weapons of the 1940s. All that has been glossed over. Part of the way I play him is that he has this experience behind the staid image. He has been to strip clubs with Ray Langton and Ernest Bishop, and he had a girlfriend called Donna Parker that no one in the street, only viewers, knew."
More than 18 million viewers viewed the character’s last episode. An editor of an article produced by The Guardian
following the character’s death claimed that "if you saw a hat at all in the Rovers, you knew Alf was under it". He also claimed that "Alf so loved little shops that he regularly married or tried to marry women who owned them".
Sue Nicholls
opined that the decision to marry her character off to Alf may have contributed to Audrey's longevity. Otherwise she may have been just another "tart with a heart passing through."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the British ITV soap Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. He ran a grocery shop at No. 15 and was heavily involved in local politics, including two spells as mayor of Weatherfield
Weatherfield
Weatherfield is a fictional town, based on Salford in North West England, which serves as the setting for the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street...
. The character first appeared on the programme in 1961 on a recurring basis, before finally becoming a regular in 1971 and remaining in the series until he died on 1 January 1999.
He was played by Bryan Mosley
Bryan Mosley
Bryan Mosley OBE was a British actor, known best as grocer Alf Roberts in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.- Early life :...
, who died six weeks after his character's final appearance.
Creation and development
The character first appeared on the Street in 1961, working as a sorter at the post office alongside Frank BarlowFrank Barlow (Coronation Street)
Francis "Frank" Barlow is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Frank Pemberton. As the head of the show's core Barlow family, Frank was one of the original twenty-one characters upon the show's inception in 1960, along with wife Ida and sons Ken and David .In...
. He appeared intermittently until 1963. Although occasionally mentioned, Alf was not seen again until 1971. When he returned, he continued to work at the post office, albeit now in a supervisor's role.
Storylines
The character was married first to Phyllis, who was mentioned by name but never made an appearance on screen. She had been engaged to marry Alf's brother, but Alf had crashed his car, causing his brother's death. Out of a sense of duty he offered to marry Phyllis, and the marriage was a love-less one. Nevertheless, he was very upset when she died of cancer in 1972.The character became very close to Maggie Clegg, who owned the corner shop on Coronation Street. Attractive, sympathetic, and a good listener, she seemed to him to be the perfect wife. However, when he proposed, she gently turned him down, unable to bring herself to enter into a marriage with someone she did not love just to avoid being lonely. Alf was very hurt, doubly so when, shortly afterwards, she married wealthy businessman Ron Cooke and moved to Zaire.
In 1973, the character needed a consort when he became mayor of Weatherfield; he had hoped that Maggie Clegg would accept the role and was surprised when she turned him down. Annie Walker
Annie Walker
Anne "Annie" Walker is a long-standing fictional character in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by actress Doris Speed from the series' first episode in 1960 until Speed retired from the role 23 years and 1,746 episodes later in 1983.The character of Annie has been noted as...
, the social-climbing landlady of The Rovers Return, invited herself to become Mayoress and a desperate Alf was forced to agree. Annie did a good job - she considered herself to be Weatherfield
Weatherfield
Weatherfield is a fictional town, based on Salford in North West England, which serves as the setting for the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street...
's 'First Lady' - but her snobbishness and pretensions often infuriated and exasperated Alf.
In 1978, the character married Renee Bradshaw, who owned the corner shop. Theirs had been an awkward courtship - Alf withdrew his first proposal, telling Renee very unromantically that he had been drunk when he asked her - but when he proposed a second time they married. The marriage seemed doomed from the start - Alf punched Renee's stepfather, Joe Hibbert, at the wedding reception for suggesting that the only reason he had married someone as 'ugly' as Renee was to get his hands on the corner shop. Renee, however, made it clear that the shop was hers, and that Alf should continue to work at the post office.
After a lorry crashed into the pub in 1979, burying Alf under tons of wood, the couple re-assessed their lives. They decided to buy a sub-post office in Grange-Over-Sands
Grange-over-Sands
Grange-over-Sands is a town and civil parish by the sea – with a wide tidal range, hence the "sands" name – in Cumbria, England. Historically, Grange-over-Sands was part of the County of Lancashire until 1974, when Cumbria was created under Local Government re-organisation which absorbed the area...
in 1980 and Renee took driving lessons. It was while learning to drive that Renee was at the controls of Alf's car, and stalled at a red traffic light in a country lane. While Alf got out of the car to change places, a lorry, coming in the other direction and riding the red light in his favour, struck the car and Renee was killed. Alf, who had been drinking, was unharmed, and later confessed his feelings of guilt to Ken Barlow - seconds before Renee's death he had been arguing with her about her driving, and this petty row was the last thing they ever said to each other.
The character inherited the shop, and, over the next few years, Audrey Potter
Audrey Roberts
Audrey Roberts is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Sue Nicholls, the character first appeared during the episode aired on 16 April 1979....
would come and go from his life. Audrey was very unlike Maggie and Renee for she was an unashamed good-time girl, her heart as big as a man's wallet. She set herself up in the back of Alf's shop as a hair stylist, and Alf caused controversy when he painted Renee's name out of the shop sign. However, when Alf suggested marriage to Audrey she turned him down.
The character continued to run the corner shop, with various assistants, including Deirdre Barlow
Deirdre Barlow
Deirdre Anne Barlow is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV Granada soap opera, Coronation Street...
. He also continued as a local councillor until ill-health forced his retirement.
In 1985, the character had the Corner Shop converted into a self-service establishment. The Corner Shop name was retained newly painted in red on the sign over the frontage, with "Alf's Mini Market" painted on the window.
Also in 1985, Audrey decided that, after a lifetime of heart-ache with unsuitable men young enough to be her sons, Alf was the man for her. They married, living first in the flat over the shop, then at no. 11 Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
before buying a semi-detached house on posh Grasmere Drive where Audrey’s character still lives.
The character lost his council seat to his own employee, Deirdre, in May 1987 and suffered a heart attack as a result. Despite this, he was to be re-elected in the following term's elections. The local council decided to re-name Coronation Street Alf Roberts Street in his honour, and Alf was hurt when the locals opposed it. He was also made an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to local Government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
.
When the character was mayor for the second time, Audrey declined to be mayoress, and Alf asked Betty Turpin
Betty Williams (Coronation Street)
Elizabeth "Betty" Williams is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by former music hall star Betty Driver. Driver was cast as Betty in 1969, after first auditioning for the role of Hilda Ogden...
instead. A compromise was later reached. When Alf retired from the council, Audrey held his seat for a while.
The character was written out of the cast when the actor who played him became seriously ill. Bryan Mosley, despite being axed from the soap due to poor health, stressed he "wanted to carry on" and "had no intentions of leaving". After Bryan fell ill in January 1998, he returned six months later in July insisting "The Street is in my blood. I'll never quit." A Granada spokesman claimed that "Bryan's one of the Street greats, and his send-off has to be one of its most moving scenes. That is just as he would wish."
Mosley died in 1999, shortly after his character had died of a stroke in his sleep at a New Year's party at his stepdaughter Gail Platt
Gail Platt
Gail McIntyre is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Helen Worth, the character first appeared on screen on 12 July 1974...
's house.
Reception
British journalist Brian ReadeBrian Reade
Brian Reade is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author who has two weekly opinion columns, one on sports, for the Daily Mirror. He was born in Wavertree and grew up in Huyton attending De La Salle School in Croxteth. He has interviewed many well-known people including Mohammed Ali and...
claimed that losing Alf's character is losing "not just a gem of a character but the umbilical cord that links it with it's roots." He also stated that "even those of us who for 30-odd years have viewed him as a whingeing tub of lard today mourn his passing." Brian believed that "when Alf goes an era goes with him. All the Street's original fans have left to remind them of a better time is the chimneys, the music and Betty's hot-pot. Will there ever be another Alf? Will there flamin' heck as like."
In 1998 upon the announcement that Bryan Mosley
Bryan Mosley
Bryan Mosley OBE was a British actor, known best as grocer Alf Roberts in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.- Early life :...
was leaving Coronation Street, an insider at Granada TV claimed "Bryan Mosley is a Coronation Street legend and no one wanted to see him ever leave". The same insider also stated that the scriptwriters were told that the characters death was to be "handled with an incredible amount of sympathy."
The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
published an article by Anthony Hayward
Anthony Hayward
Anthony Hayward is a British journalist and author. He is a regular contributor to The Independent and The Guardian, and has written more than 20 books about television and film...
which stated that actor Bryan Mosley made his character "one of the most enduring and sympathetic characters in Coronation Street." However, as an actor, Bryan once claimed that his character "was sometimes regarded as a bit dull", and that there was "not a lot in him that’s not been explored on screen". He believed that there was "something of a fighter in Alf. He was in the Army during the war and probably had quite a difficult war. He's still interested in the weapons of the 1940s. All that has been glossed over. Part of the way I play him is that he has this experience behind the staid image. He has been to strip clubs with Ray Langton and Ernest Bishop, and he had a girlfriend called Donna Parker that no one in the street, only viewers, knew."
More than 18 million viewers viewed the character’s last episode. An editor of an article produced by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
following the character’s death claimed that "if you saw a hat at all in the Rovers, you knew Alf was under it". He also claimed that "Alf so loved little shops that he regularly married or tried to marry women who owned them".
Sue Nicholls
Sue Nicholls
Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
opined that the decision to marry her character off to Alf may have contributed to Audrey's longevity. Otherwise she may have been just another "tart with a heart passing through."