Christine Appleby
Encyclopedia
Christine Appleby is a fictional character
from the UK television ITV
soap opera
Coronation Street
. She was played by actress Christine Hargreaves
between 1960 and 1963.
-born 21 year-old Christine Hargreaves
was one of the very first actors to read for creator Tony Warren
's new script 'Florizel Street' (later renamed Coronation Street), and even played the part of Christine in the dry runs, before the show was commissioned for broadcast, alongside, among others, Patricia Phoenix and Doris Speed
.
Christine coped with the move better than May, who was too ashamed to face the neighbours. Christine spent the next few years looking after her mother, who constantly dwelled on the past and eventually suffered a breakdown. Christine got a job as a machinist as Elliston's Raincoat Factory but by 1960 her mother's health weighed heavily on her mind as well as the gossip in the street. May died of a brain tumour at the end of the year.
1961 onwards: Orphaned
May's death was a shock for Christine. As if having her mother die wasn't enough, she now had to manage the house and money on her own. The neighbours - especially Esther Hayes - went out of their way to help her, but help also came from an unexpected source; plumber Joe Makinson did her plumbing for free and asked her out. Christine was worried that he was taking advantage, but agreed to date, and a relationship soon emerged that led to a proposal after only a short time. Christine dumped Joe as they weren't quite on the same level.
Later in 1961, Christine met Ken Barlow at the train station. He was intending to move to London to get away from the expectations of his family in the wake of Ida Barlow's death. Christine convinced him to stay.
Despite taking control of her life and coping well, Christine was very unhappy. The repetitive and dull work at Elliston's did her no favours, and in 1962 she started wondering how people could be happy with their lives living in Coronation Street. In June, she climbed up onto the roof of the factory, intending to jump off, but she was talked down by Ken, who reminded her how she had stopped him from making a big mistake. He had sometimes wanted better things from life as well, but told her she shouldn't give up.
After the rooftop incident, Christine quit the factory and tried to live life differently. An old flame of Christine's, Colin Appleby, read about Christine in the newspaper, and met up with her. Christine seized the opportunity and decided to move out of Weatherfield when the relationship got serious. The pair settled in Leeds and eloped only two weeks later, but Colin was killed in a car crash in October. Christine returned to Coronation Street and took a job at Miami Modes with Elsie Tanner
and Dot Greenhalgh.
The residents were shocked when Christine went out with Ken Barlow's father Frank Barlow
in 1963 - Frank being twice her age and Christine having previously been interested in Ken. Frank was enthusiastic about the relationship, and Christine went along with it, but she was still confused about what she wanted now that Colin was dead. Frank was always one step ahead, already thinking about marriage, which almost alienated him from Ken. The news sent neighbourhood gossip into overdrive, and Elsie decided to spread the news that Christine had another boyfriend so that Christine and Frank would have peace. Frank popped the question to Christine but she didn't answer him right away. Before she decided, Christine met up with Joe Makinson again and couldn't decide who to choose. She was going to reject Joe, but he dumped her first, leading her to accept Frank's proposal.
What mainly put Christine off was the gossip in the street. It was so bad that Christine wrote a letter to the landlord of No.11, where she was living with Elsie Tanner
, informing him that she was living there illegally, resulting in her having to move out. Christine soon realised that she didn't love Frank and only saw him as a possible means to get out of the street for good. She decided to be honest with him and called off the engagement.
Christine eventually got out of the street when she was promoted at Miami Modes and butted heads with Elsie and Dot, who didn't like the way she used her newfound authority. Christine was transferred, and moved out of Weatherfield for good.
Christine sent a telegram to congratulate Elsie and Steve Tanner on their wedding day in 1967.
In 1984, Elsie Tanner
informed Ken Barlow
that Christine had died of liver failure after becoming an alcoholic in the late 1970s. She has never been mentioned again.
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...
from the UK television 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...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
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...
. She was played by actress Christine Hargreaves
Christine Hargreaves
Christine Hargreaves was an English actress who was best known for appearing as the character Christine Hardman in the soap opera Coronation Street between 1960-1963....
between 1960 and 1963.
Casting
SalfordCity of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
-born 21 year-old Christine Hargreaves
Christine Hargreaves
Christine Hargreaves was an English actress who was best known for appearing as the character Christine Hardman in the soap opera Coronation Street between 1960-1963....
was one of the very first actors to read for creator Tony Warren
Tony Warren
Anthony McVay Simpson MBE , better known by his stage name Tony Warren, is an award-winning English television scriptwriter, best known for creating the soap opera Coronation Street...
's new script 'Florizel Street' (later renamed Coronation Street), and even played the part of Christine in the dry runs, before the show was commissioned for broadcast, alongside, among others, Patricia Phoenix and Doris Speed
Doris Speed
Doris Speed, MBE was an English actress, best known for her role as snooty Rovers Return landlady Annie Walker on Coronation Street, a role she played from 1960 to 1983.-Early life and career:...
.
Background
Christine was born in 1939 to parents George and May Hardman. George had quit his job as a bank manager in 1949 in order to buy a grocery shop and the family moved away from Coronation Street when the business venture proved successful. However, when George died from a massive heart attack at the age of just 50 in 1955, he left May and Christine in debt and they were forced to move back to their old home at No.13, which they had lived at since 1927.Storylines
Christine was born in 1939. Her family had lived in 13 Coronation Street, Weatherfield since 1930, and Christine attended Bessie Street School, where she was close friends with Kenneth Barlow. Her dad George Hardman was a bank teller but by 1953 he had saved enough money to buy a grocery shop and a detached house in Oakhill. Christine was upset to be moving away from her friends, but although the family returned to live at No.13 in 1955, it was under unpleasant circumstances as her mum May had had to sell the house and shop to pay off creditors following George's death.Christine coped with the move better than May, who was too ashamed to face the neighbours. Christine spent the next few years looking after her mother, who constantly dwelled on the past and eventually suffered a breakdown. Christine got a job as a machinist as Elliston's Raincoat Factory but by 1960 her mother's health weighed heavily on her mind as well as the gossip in the street. May died of a brain tumour at the end of the year.
1961 onwards: Orphaned
May's death was a shock for Christine. As if having her mother die wasn't enough, she now had to manage the house and money on her own. The neighbours - especially Esther Hayes - went out of their way to help her, but help also came from an unexpected source; plumber Joe Makinson did her plumbing for free and asked her out. Christine was worried that he was taking advantage, but agreed to date, and a relationship soon emerged that led to a proposal after only a short time. Christine dumped Joe as they weren't quite on the same level.
Later in 1961, Christine met Ken Barlow at the train station. He was intending to move to London to get away from the expectations of his family in the wake of Ida Barlow's death. Christine convinced him to stay.
Despite taking control of her life and coping well, Christine was very unhappy. The repetitive and dull work at Elliston's did her no favours, and in 1962 she started wondering how people could be happy with their lives living in Coronation Street. In June, she climbed up onto the roof of the factory, intending to jump off, but she was talked down by Ken, who reminded her how she had stopped him from making a big mistake. He had sometimes wanted better things from life as well, but told her she shouldn't give up.
After the rooftop incident, Christine quit the factory and tried to live life differently. An old flame of Christine's, Colin Appleby, read about Christine in the newspaper, and met up with her. Christine seized the opportunity and decided to move out of Weatherfield when the relationship got serious. The pair settled in Leeds and eloped only two weeks later, but Colin was killed in a car crash in October. Christine returned to Coronation Street and took a job at Miami Modes with Elsie Tanner
Elsie Tanner
Elsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Patricia Phoenix from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the very first episode...
and Dot Greenhalgh.
The residents were shocked when Christine went out with Ken Barlow's father Frank Barlow
Frank 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...
in 1963 - Frank being twice her age and Christine having previously been interested in Ken. Frank was enthusiastic about the relationship, and Christine went along with it, but she was still confused about what she wanted now that Colin was dead. Frank was always one step ahead, already thinking about marriage, which almost alienated him from Ken. The news sent neighbourhood gossip into overdrive, and Elsie decided to spread the news that Christine had another boyfriend so that Christine and Frank would have peace. Frank popped the question to Christine but she didn't answer him right away. Before she decided, Christine met up with Joe Makinson again and couldn't decide who to choose. She was going to reject Joe, but he dumped her first, leading her to accept Frank's proposal.
What mainly put Christine off was the gossip in the street. It was so bad that Christine wrote a letter to the landlord of No.11, where she was living with Elsie Tanner
Elsie Tanner
Elsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Patricia Phoenix from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the very first episode...
, informing him that she was living there illegally, resulting in her having to move out. Christine soon realised that she didn't love Frank and only saw him as a possible means to get out of the street for good. She decided to be honest with him and called off the engagement.
Christine eventually got out of the street when she was promoted at Miami Modes and butted heads with Elsie and Dot, who didn't like the way she used her newfound authority. Christine was transferred, and moved out of Weatherfield for good.
Christine sent a telegram to congratulate Elsie and Steve Tanner on their wedding day in 1967.
In 1984, Elsie Tanner
Elsie Tanner
Elsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Patricia Phoenix from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the very first episode...
informed Ken Barlow
Ken Barlow
Kenneth "Ken" Barlow is a long-standing fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by William Roache, and created by Tony Warren. He is currently the world's longest-serving soap opera character, having appeared continuously from the programme's inception in December...
that Christine had died of liver failure after becoming an alcoholic in the late 1970s. She has never been mentioned again.