Blanche Hunt

Blanche Hunt (née Linfield) was a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes from 1974 to her death in 2009. The character subsequently died off screen in 2010. Blanche was the mother of Deirdre Barlow, grandmother of Tracy Barlow and great-grandmother of Amy. Her storylines have revolved around her family life, various romances and her "acerbic tongue". The character's "gallows humour" has been well received by critics, and saw Jones win The British Soap Award for "Best Comedy Performance" in 2005 and 2008. Blanche has been described as "a true Coronation Street icon".

Storylines

Blanche is introduced as the widowed mother of Deirdre Hunt (Anne Kirkbride). Her bank manager husband, Donald, died in January 1963 after being knocked down outside their house by a black Ford Prefect. Blanche immediately makes her mark by slapping Deirdre's suitor, Ray Langton (Neville Buswell), when she thinks he's treating her daughter badly; however, she is quick to criticize when she disapproves of Deirdre's behaviour. Blanche originally runs a corsetry business from but later takes jobs as a barmaid at The Rovers Return and helps Gordon Clegg (Bill Kenwright) run the corner shop.