Beverley Callard
Encyclopedia
Beverley Jane McEwan is an English actress, best known for her role as Liz McDonald
in ITV
's Coronation Street
, and Flo Henshaw in BBC Three
's Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
.
on 28 March 1957 to Clive and Mavis Moxon. Clive was a baker
and Mavis was a concert
pianist
. She has a younger sister called Stephanie.
She attended Elmfield and Peel Street schools in Morley
, Leeds and also Bruntcliffe High School in Morley Leeds 27.
. After leaving school in 1973, she took a job as a shorthand typist. She later turned to acting and appeared on stage as Jaqui Coryton in Noel Coward's Hay Fever, Liz and Rita in Billy Liar and The Wicked Queen in Snow White'.
Bev made her television debut (as Beverley Sowden) in the Yorkshire Television
soap Emmerdale Farm as Angie Richards in 1983. The following year, Bev played Gail
and Brian Tilsley's friend June Dewhurst in Coronation Street
. Other roles followed, including parts in Hinge & Bracket: Dear Ladies, Hells Bells, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and The Practice.
In 1989, Bev agreed to return to Coronation Street in the new and more significant role of Liz McDonald
. She joined Charles Lawson
, Nicholas Cochrane
and Simon Gregson
, who played the other members of the McDonald family. Callard's first appearance in the role was aired on 27 October 1989.
Bev's character of Liz McDonald has since had to endure being a battered wife, a kidnap victim, harassed mother and unfaithful wife.
Bev left Coronation Street in November 1998 to concentrate on her other career as an aerobics instructor and to spend more time with her family. She has released books and exercise videos called "Real Results", "Rapid Results", "Ultimate Results" and "Lasting Results". She also appeared on GMTV
and This Morning
and has had a fitness page in the Daily Mirror.
In 2001, Beverley was cast as Flo Henshaw in the BBC Three
sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
and continued in the role for 4 years. During this time, she also guested on Sky One
's Mile High
. In 2003, she returned to Coronation Street as the long suffering mother of Steve McDonald, much-disapproving mother-in-law to Becky Granger and friend to Deirdre Barlow
.
She starred in an episode of 60 Minute Makeover
where she helped the team decorate a school, which aired on 24 October 2008.
Beverley appeared as a contestant on the 2010 series All Star Mr and Mrs.
Between June and December 2010, Callard was a recurring panellist on ITV's flagship show Loose Women
.
In March 2011, Liz returned to Coronation Street having left for a short break in November 2010. Beverly's last scenes for another exit were aired in April 2011 as she left Coronation Street seemingly for good.
She was due to appear as the Wicked Queen in the Christmas pantomime Sleeping Beauty at the Lyceum Theatre
from December, 2011, but had to withdraw from the production for undisclosed health reasons. She was subsequently replaced by her former Coronation Street
co-star Margi Clarke
. Two years later, the couple had their first child, a daughter named Rebecca Callard
, who later became an actress. A year later, the couple divorced, with Callard later recalling: "we were too young. He had an alcohol-induced violent side."
In 1980, Beverley married David Sowden, an economics teacher. During the marriage, Beverley had an abortion
. In 1988, the couple separated amicably. Beverley fell pregnant in 1989 to Steve Callard, and the couple married. Their son, Joshua was born in 1990. The pair separated due to Steve's infidelity, once occurring whilst Beverley was recovering from cervical cancer
treatment.
In an article revealed by Digital Spy in August 2008, it was announced that Callard's pay, along with other Street stars, would be cut due to the credit crunch
. She personally suffered the most, losing 40% of her wage.
Beverley now lives with her husband, Jon McEwan, in Eccles, Salford, with Jon's son Ben. They used to own a roadside pub just behind Salford Royal Infirmary, The White Horse, and adjacent carvery-style restaurant M30 for which Callard had what Salford Online called "grandiose ideas", but sold it to Maria Ball and her partner in 2010.
They married on 30 October 2010, at the Hazelwood Castle Hotel, near Leeds.
Liz McDonald
Elizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Beverley Callard, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989 and remained on the series until Callard opted to leave in 1998...
in ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's 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...
, and Flo Henshaw in BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
's Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps was a BBC sitcom created and written by Susan Nickson. It is set in the town of Runcorn in Cheshire, England, and initially revolves around the lives of five twenty-somethings, played by Ralf Little , Sheridan Smith , Will Mellor , Natalie Casey and...
.
Early life
Beverley Jane Moxon was born in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
on 28 March 1957 to Clive and Mavis Moxon. Clive was a baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
and Mavis was a concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. She has a younger sister called Stephanie.
She attended Elmfield and Peel Street schools in Morley
Morley, West Yorkshire
Morley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
, Leeds and also Bruntcliffe High School in Morley Leeds 27.
Career
At the age of seven, Bev made her acting debut as Darius the page boyPage (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
. After leaving school in 1973, she took a job as a shorthand typist. She later turned to acting and appeared on stage as Jaqui Coryton in Noel Coward's Hay Fever, Liz and Rita in Billy Liar and The Wicked Queen in Snow White'.
Bev made her television debut (as Beverley Sowden) in the Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
soap Emmerdale Farm as Angie Richards in 1983. The following year, Bev played Gail
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...
and Brian Tilsley's friend June Dewhurst in 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...
. Other roles followed, including parts in Hinge & Bracket: Dear Ladies, Hells Bells, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and The Practice.
In 1989, Bev agreed to return to Coronation Street in the new and more significant role of Liz McDonald
Liz McDonald
Elizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Beverley Callard, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989 and remained on the series until Callard opted to leave in 1998...
. She joined Charles Lawson
Charles Lawson
Charles Lawson is a Northern Irish film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born Quintin Charles Devenish Lawson in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland,...
, Nicholas Cochrane
Nicholas Cochrane
Nicholas Cochrane is an English actor, best known for his role as Andy McDonald in long-running soap opera Coronation Street....
and Simon Gregson
Simon Gregson
Simon Gregson is an English actor. He is known for being a cast member of the British soap opera Coronation Street in which he has played Steve McDonald since 1989....
, who played the other members of the McDonald family. Callard's first appearance in the role was aired on 27 October 1989.
Bev's character of Liz McDonald has since had to endure being a battered wife, a kidnap victim, harassed mother and unfaithful wife.
Bev left Coronation Street in November 1998 to concentrate on her other career as an aerobics instructor and to spend more time with her family. She has released books and exercise videos called "Real Results", "Rapid Results", "Ultimate Results" and "Lasting Results". She also appeared on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
and This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
and has had a fitness page in the Daily Mirror.
In 2001, Beverley was cast as Flo Henshaw in the BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps was a BBC sitcom created and written by Susan Nickson. It is set in the town of Runcorn in Cheshire, England, and initially revolves around the lives of five twenty-somethings, played by Ralf Little , Sheridan Smith , Will Mellor , Natalie Casey and...
and continued in the role for 4 years. During this time, she also guested on Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
's Mile High
Mile High
Mile High is a British television drama based on the lives of the cabin crew members of "fresh!", a budget airline based in London. The name of the show comes from the "Mile High Club". The show was broadcast on Sky1 from 2003 to 2005.-Background:...
. In 2003, she returned to Coronation Street as the long suffering mother of Steve McDonald, much-disapproving mother-in-law to Becky Granger and friend to Deirdre Barlow
Deirdre Barlow
Deirdre Anne Barlow is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV Granada soap opera, Coronation Street...
.
She starred in an episode of 60 Minute Makeover
60 Minute Makeover
60 Minute Makeover is a British popular daytime home interior design television programme broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom.-Overview:...
where she helped the team decorate a school, which aired on 24 October 2008.
Beverley appeared as a contestant on the 2010 series All Star Mr and Mrs.
Between June and December 2010, Callard was a recurring panellist on ITV's flagship show Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
.
In March 2011, Liz returned to Coronation Street having left for a short break in November 2010. Beverly's last scenes for another exit were aired in April 2011 as she left Coronation Street seemingly for good.
She was due to appear as the Wicked Queen in the Christmas pantomime Sleeping Beauty at the Lyceum Theatre
Lyceum Theatre
- United Kingdom :* Lyceum Theatre, London, a 2,000-seat West End theatre located in the City of Westminster* Lyceum Theatre , an Edwardian period Grade II listed building and theatre* Lyceum Theatre , a 1068-seat theatre in the City of Sheffield...
from December, 2011, but had to withdraw from the production for undisclosed health reasons. She was subsequently replaced by her former 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...
co-star Margi Clarke
Margi Clarke
Margi Clarke is a British actress . She was born in Liverpool and raised in Kirkby , and is known for her Scouse accent and platinum-blonde hair.-Early career:...
Personal life
Aged 16, Beverley, then pregnant, married Paul Atkinson in 1974. She later miscarriedMiscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
. Two years later, the couple had their first child, a daughter named Rebecca Callard
Rebecca Callard
-Early life:The daughter of Coronation Street actress Beverley Callard, she was born Rebecca Jayne Atkinson, but took her stepfather's surname when her mother married Steven Callard in 1989. In her early roles she used her father's surname and was credited as Rebecca Sowden.As a child Callard lived...
, who later became an actress. A year later, the couple divorced, with Callard later recalling: "we were too young. He had an alcohol-induced violent side."
In 1980, Beverley married David Sowden, an economics teacher. During the marriage, Beverley had an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. In 1988, the couple separated amicably. Beverley fell pregnant in 1989 to Steve Callard, and the couple married. Their son, Joshua was born in 1990. The pair separated due to Steve's infidelity, once occurring whilst Beverley was recovering from cervical cancer
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
treatment.
In an article revealed by Digital Spy in August 2008, it was announced that Callard's pay, along with other Street stars, would be cut due to the credit crunch
Credit crunch
A credit crunch is a reduction in the general availability of loans or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from the banks. A credit crunch generally involves a reduction in the availability of credit independent of a rise in official interest rates...
. She personally suffered the most, losing 40% of her wage.
Beverley now lives with her husband, Jon McEwan, in Eccles, Salford, with Jon's son Ben. They used to own a roadside pub just behind Salford Royal Infirmary, The White Horse, and adjacent carvery-style restaurant M30 for which Callard had what Salford Online called "grandiose ideas", but sold it to Maria Ball and her partner in 2010.
They married on 30 October 2010, at the Hazelwood Castle Hotel, near Leeds.