Is a sad day RIP Johnny 🙏

The Gods were smiling on Coronation Street and Johnny Briggs, when a new producer called Bill Podmore took the helm in 1976. It was Bill's inspired idea to introduce some Southern glamour and chutzpah to the show with a brand new character called Mike Baldwin. And when he saw Johnny in a far inferior, teatime soap called 'Crossroads', playing wheeler dealer Clifford Leyton, he knew he had found his man! Johnny didn't have to be asked twice. He departed the 'Crossroads' motel and signed his Corrie contract, becoming an instant hit in Britain's top soap. And he hit the ground running as Mike, the suave businessman and factory owner, and for the next 30 years he never dropped the pace! When you see Johnny's earliest performances in '76, you see that the character of Mike Baldwin was fully formed from day one, and didn't change. He clearly knew the man he was playing, inside out, and stayed true to him. That is the mark of a really great actor - and great scripts. The excitement and energy Johnny brought to the Street was incredible - his contribution to the show is immeasurable. And what a variety of strong storylines he had to navigate, proving he could meet any situation the writers threw at him. He brought intensity and truth to the emotional, Mike-Deirdre-Ken love triangle, macho mettle to his fight-to-the-death with baddie Don Brennan, and a light touch to comedic scenes like his 'dinner date' with factory char Hilda, when she won him for the day in a competition! Mike Baldwin could do it all with aplomb, and was the beating heart of some of 'Coronation Street's best ever scenes. Thanks to this wonderful KZfaq channel, I've been able to enjoy Johnny Briggs' fantastic, dynamic performances as Mike over 30 years. And I can honestly say, it is hard to date an episode, just by looking at him. The man hardly aged at all over three decades! Johnny was a superb actor, when he walked into a scene your eyes went right to him - and stayed there. They used to call it 'stage presence', and 'star quality' is another term for that indefinable something any performer would give their eye teeth for. Johnny's debut in 1976 was the same year Street favourite Elsie Tanner, aka Pat Phoenix, returned to the show for her second and final outing as the iconic red haired street siren. Johnny and Pat had a lot in common as performers, both were blessed with oodles of style and charisma, an unapologetic love of the finer things, and a self deprecating sense of humour. They hit it off, both on and off screen, and were great friends until Pat sadly died aged 62, when Johnny was seen weeping unashamedly at her flamboyant Manchester funeral. Elsie & Mike's TV partnership was a great success. Who can forget the many battles they fought at the factory, which were sometimes peppered with his cheeky ad libs to her, such as "Keep taking the slimming pills" (which I'm sure she walloped him for, once the cameras stopped rolling!) Johnny wrote fondly of Pat in his autobiography. He recalled how, in his first week on the show Pat noticed him shivering in his shirtsleeves, in the green room. He insisted he wasn't cold, but in truth he'd forgotten it was a few degrees cooler in Manchester than the Midlands, where he lived. He had driven up that day and would be staying in a hotel Monday to Friday, but hadn't packed any warm clothes. That afternoon Pat handed him a gift bag, which he was astonished to find contained a beautiful cashmere sweater, which was a perfect fit. She had popped out specially to get it for him in her lunch break, from the high-end vintage clothes shop where she bought all of Elsie's outfits - and many of her own! Pat took pity on the new boy. Knowing he was away from home and family, staying at a plastic hotel and living on room service food, she often invited him round to her cosy cottage for supper. Her elderly housekeeper Kitty would cook them his favourite steak and chips, and surrounded by her many dogs (one of which was actually a wolf called Blackie she'd adopted from Chester Zoo), they'd sip wine and go through their lines for the next day. Seems they had a really lovely, platonic friendship. I've read his autobiography, and Johnny certainly didn't suffer fools or give praise lightly. He didn't like 'Crossroads' star Noele Gordon for example, and made it very clear in his memoirs! There were one or two Corrie co-stars he wasn't crazy about either (Percy Sugden, he claimed, never once bought a round of drinks). But he always spoke of Pat Phoenix with great respect and affection. I'm sure the feeling was mutual. Let's hope Johnny has now been reunited with his old mate Pat in some other time and place, and they're raising a glass and having a laugh together once more! I'm grateful to them both for all the entertainment they continue to give us, thanks to their powerhouse Coronation Street performances. Johnny and Pat live on, through their wonderful work, God bless them both.

@@glamdolly30 well said

Rip johnny xx

A truly beautiful tribute. You such a kind and compassionate lady.all the best.

Agreed, in its glory years (IMO 1976 - 1987) Coronation Street was simply the finest British TV drama ever written and performed. That two-hander between Mike and Elsie was unforgettable, and very moving.

Agreed, I adore actress Pat Phoenix and the wonderful character, Elsie Tanner, she breathed such passionate life and fire into! A fantastic actress and a true star - back in the days when Coronation Street had stars, not a third rate cast of charisma-free actors!

Yes, that put a big smile on my face, I also dislike the way they treat her

Hilda is a kind soul her n Stan n Eddy needed their own sitcom

I hated the snobbery about little Hilda too, she was adorable! Rita in particular could be a right cow to her. Like when she refused to invite the Ogdens to her wedding to Len Fairclough in 1977 - that was just petty. Rita thought she was a cut above everyone though, especially after she married businessman and counsellor Len (like that toad was a catch!) She could be very high and mighty with poor Mavis too.

@@glamdolly30 Yes, Rita and Len treated Mavis appallingly at times. Remember when they were so ruthless about Mavis's dire living situation and her auntie Edie? The poor woman died alone because they wouldn't let Mavis go to her during one afternoon shift whilst they were spending time in the rovers! The only reason they relented about Mavis having the flat above the kabin was because they were afraid of losing an employee who could work the early morning shift instead of them! :(

@@emgee81 Lord yes, Len and Rita were well suited, both totally selfish and pretty nasty when they didn't get their way - I well remember how they exploited poor Mavis at the Kabin. They didn't respect her because she was a gentle soul - but also I sense, because she was unmarried. Back then, women were very much judged according to their marital status. There was a terrible stigma about being 'on the shelf' as they called it. So a spinster (awful word!) who was in her 30s as Mavis was, was somewhat despised, and regarded as an object of pity. Rita and Len often made spiteful quips about her, they acted like her time wasn't so valuable because she didn't have a hubby and kids to look after - like she should be on call to them first, because she had nowt better to do! That reminds me - do you remember an episode when Rita had to go away for some reason, and she asked Mavis to go to her house every day to make Len some lunch? Unbelievable a grown man couldn't make himself a sandwich! The women were very much slaves to their menfolk - the guys just came home from work and put their feet up, and their wives rushed around preparing big cooked meals for them (and doing all the housework), before flopping into bed exhausted. Then probably expected to provide conjugal rights - which in the case of Len Fairclough makes me heave, lol! Hard-faced Rita obviously married Len to improve her social and financial position. She wouldn't have looked twice at the toad if he wasn't a local businessman who owned a shop, and was a councillor to boot! That's another social change that amuses me watching these episodes today - the way Alf and Len being councillors was regarded as something special, like they were MPs or something! It's plummeted in status since then - quite rightly in my opinion!

Amen, 'Coronation Street' is unimaginable without the great Mike Baldwin. It would have been a lesser show without him, no doubt about it. Johnny Briggs may not have been tall, but in terms of charisma and talent, he was a giant! Godspeed Johnny, and thanks for all the wonderful entertainment your performances on the Street are still giving us.

@@glamdolly30 Ken 's about the only original character left now ' so sad.

@@paulfrost8895 True, actor Bill Roache as Ken Barlow is the only original cast member still in 'Coronation Street' from the very first episode broadcast live on Friday December 9th 1960. Roache holds the world record as the longest appearing TV soap actor in the world - now in the show for a staggering 62 years! He is 90 - so now older than actor Jack Howarth before him, who played Uncle Albert pretty much until he died aged 88, in 1984. Rita isn't far behind Bill Roache in age - @ March 2023, actress Barbara Knox is 89. Are Rita, Audrey and Gail still in the show? I no longer watch it, so I don't know! They're not original cast members like Ken obviously, but getting up there - Rita first appeared from the late 60s, and Gail & her mum Audrey appeared from 1974 and 1979 respectively. I gave up on it around 10 years ago. It's not a patch on the superbly crafted, high quality television drama it used to be. Today the Street is all lousy, sensationalist plots/scripts, and third rate actors, a million miles from the glory years of approx 1976 - 1987 under legendary producer Bill Podmore. Everything has its season, and 'Coronation Street's' is long over. It should have been put out of its misery 20 years ago, out of respect for the great drama it once was. But ITV keeps a death-grip on its cash-cows!

What a beautiful tribute.l totally agree with you're opinions and sentiments.

Renee was lovely unlike gold digging Audrey.

He did make several uncredited guest appearances before he joined the cast.

@@paulfrost8895 Yes, Bill Tarmey spent a few years as an uncredited background artist at the Rovers. He even had a few lines from time to time - I recall he once gave a jailbird thug who came into the pub Ken Barlow's address, and he went straight round there and started a fight (which Ken won - he KO-ed him!) But it was a while before the producers decided to cast him as Vera Duckworth's layabout husband Jack - an inspired choice! Bill certainly paid his dues, and it's wonderful that he finally got the break he deserved. Many years ago as a trainee newspaper reporter, I joined a journalists jolly to Morecambe. The tatty resort was on a promotional push, and had paid Bill Tarmey and Liz Dawn a tidy sum to turn up, be quizzed by assorted reporters from up and down the UK, generally say nice things about Morecambe, and then switch on the seafront lights. It was the early nineties, and there's no doubt Morecambe was in trouble. It always had a reputation as Blackpool's poor relation, but in recent years had gone badly downhill. It looked decidedly tatty, and the holidaymakers were few and far between. Sadly not even national treasures Jack and Vera could save it! I recall the pair were utterly delightful - warm, friendly and down to earth. It's fair to say their real personalities weren't a million miles from the Corrie characters they played so well, though they were both considerably gentler and better behaved! I recall during the press conference when we were asking them questions about why they were promoting Morecambe (the honest answer I'm sure was MONEY!), Liz put her foot in it. She'd obviously been briefed by the tourist board to big Morecambe up. But she momentarily forgot her brief, and when I asked her if she'd enjoyed many holidays at the resort she replied "No never - me mam and dad always took us to Bridlington 'cos it were posher!" God bless her - a real 'Vera' moment!

Good catch!

I'm 65 and its great watching CS all over again.

Flawlwss...in those very long takes...

Each dress suited each bride, that's for sure.

Mine too, more and more as I watched him over successive years. He could be calculating and ruthless, but he was also vulnerable and sensitive, as well as having a devilish sense of humour when he wanted. He was regularly up against it with the factory girls, belligerent Ivy and Ada, and skiving big-mouthed Vera, but he showed a softer side with them too. He was supportive to Ivy when Bert was injured, then when he had mental health problems. Vera, as well as having a tendency to be obnoxious, was next to useless as an employee, just like Gail and Suzie when he had the shop, but they all managed to keep their jobs. He was in some great storylines too, the loathing between him and Ken after his affair with Deidre was always entertaining, and after their on-off confrontations Ken mostly came out looking even more of a pompous prick than he did before. Mike Baldwin was an excellent character with lots of facets and Johnny Briggs played him perfectly.

@@shylinh5939 Great tribute - there will never be another Mike Baldwin, in Johnny Briggs' skilled hands he was a unique, exciting and totally believable ICONIC character.

@@glamdolly30oh yes there is. His name is Donald Trump

@@user-rr5hg6fl3e Lol!

Same with the gents bill podmore himself if you went true bog you would be in Ken’s living room

I agree, his voice does make whatever he is saying sound rather boring. William Roache gets very irritated when accused of being boring, or so I have heard!

Ken Barlow is repulsive to me...such profound blandness is usually suspect.

@@saxongreen78 Not to mention how condescending he is to everyone he speaks to.

Can't stand the man.

Thoroughly selfish,nasty peirce of work.

I dislike her so much

She’s vile.

I never liked Ray Langton, he gave me the creeps! My favourite episode was when Elsie Tanner clocked him round the bonce with her handbag - after putting a heavy glass 'Rovers' ash tray in it! I've long had a theory that Corrie writers ended up writing the Street characters, by watching the actors who played them. After getting to know the cast, the writers would make the words reflect their true personality. Because it's odd how often the actor and the character were pretty much exactly alike! It's true of Elsie Tanner, Annie Walker, Len Fairclough, Rita Fairclough, Fred Gee and most of them (there are notable examples of course, like Jean Alexander, who was nothing like the character she created, Hilda - which just shows what a superb actor she was). I always suspected Neville Buswell who played Ray Langton was a sleazebag in real life. There was a scandal about him, many years after he left the show. The newspapers said he had a rape allegation against him, and hinted that was the reason he left the show and emigrated to the US in the 'seventies, to become a croupier in a casino. It did seem a strange thing to do, when he was enjoying such fame and a great income on Coronation Street. Apparently he couldn't return to the UK for Anne Kirkbride's funeral, for fear of being arrested over the historic rape allegation.

​@@glamdolly30so how could he return for Deirdre and Ken's wedding and nearly run Tracy and Amy over. Then die in the Rovers at Deirdre and Ken's wedding reception?

@@dominewimbury2039 The sex assault allegation was reported to police after Neville Buswell's return to the Street, and after the scenes you describe had been broadcast in 2005. Presumably the alleged victim was prompted to report him after seeing him back on the soap for that 6-week run, with all the surrounding publicity. But by that time Buswell had gone home to the US, so police couldn't pursue it. Had he come to the UK again for Anne Kirkbride's funeral in 2015, he risked arrest over the allegation. Buswell died on Christmas Day 2019, aged 76.

I know, droning voice.

@@stormhawk3319because he is literate, can speak a meaningful sentence and has aplomb

Gawd me too, Suzie was a horrid character IMO! I find it hard to believe Elsie would have put up with her selfish ways - she indulges her as if she were a daughter, but she wasn't even a friend. She only knew her through her lodger Gail, who lumbered her with Suzie as a second lodger. She then proceeded to forget to pay her rent most months, try on her brand new dress without permission and let a mucky-pawed dog jump on it, and steal her last pair of tights every week!

Mine too. Her cheekiness is supposed to be endearing, but I find her just very rude!

A good reflexion od real life - some people you like - some not so much

I agree 100%. The way she manipulates others, always wants to be the centre of attention and bullies Gail - narcissistic behaviour.

@@glamdolly30 maybe she just put up with her so she wasnt lonely, if she kicked her out gail might of gone too. I know past experience myself that some put up with ppl they dont even like because its better than being alone :(

She's got the moves!!

That made me laugh out loud. Lol 😆

I'm watching this for the second time and I remembered your comment about Elsie's dancing. Still makes me laugh.

Thought exactly the same thing!😂

I’m in B

Every time Mavis defends herself against Rita's cattiness, Rita patronises her.

Never been keen of the character of Rita. I know she's seen as soon kind of national treasure these days but this is simply down to longevity and not much else. In my humble opinion. :-)

You're right, Pat Phoenix did own a pub in Derbyshire for a time, called the Navigation Inn at Buxworth. It's still going strong I believe - its blurb boasts about it's famous former owner! There are photos of Pat pulling pints - a rare sight I imagine, but she looked very glamorous doing it!

August 28th 1978 (episode 1838) & August 30th 1978 (episode 1839).

Lol can't wait for that 🤣🤣

😂😂

More than in 1978 I'd say! 😉

You realy think so? I realy didnt think so because so many snow flakes nowaday and a lot of people are to scared to give their proper opinion incase it destroys them, saying something that other people dont agree with, god knows you can not have an opinion anymore

Fn Ivy being so incentive and actually ask Emily to sign. Yes it was her husband that was killed and yes she is a church goer but by no means does she come across as "an eye for an eye" person. Seems like that's the last thing in the world she wd want.

@@mattburke3457 well it was best to at least acquaint Emily with the knowledge that she was handing this petition out, clearly relative to the klling of Earnest; it is best to do this instead of doing it behind her back and she finds out later. But I do agree she shouldn't have expected someone as good-natured and magnanimous as Emily to sign such a petition while grieving.

@@cherylreznor181 of course you can have an opinion, it’s just that yours are no longer popular and therefore you feel put upon.

What's so funny about it is that I don't know what gave her that idea. Love the way she delivered that line, though, and the way she seemed to almost swallow it afterwards. A great scene.

cherylreznor181 totally illiterate.

You’re right good old wonderful Mike Baldwin is responsible for nice Ernest’s death.

​@@user-rr5hg6fl3eno the guy who pulled out the gun is responsible not Mike

Well if you mean at the court, she (Elsie) was trying to purposely dress down in response to Hilda doing the opposite and dressing up.

Yes, they did! 😂🤣

Prejudice breeds prejudice, unfortunately! 😢

Nearly as miserable as tatlòck.