Alec Gilroy
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Alec Gilroy is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
from the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
ITV
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
'' Coronation Street'', played by
Roy Barraclough Roy Senior Barraclough (12 July 1935 – 1 June 2017) was an English comic actor. He was best known for his role as Alec Gilroy, the devious, mournful landlord of the Rovers Return in the long-running British TV soap '' Coronation Street'', ...
. The character made several appearances in the show as a small-time talent agent, the first in 1972, and later as a series regular from 1986 to 1992. He reappeared briefly in July 1995, and returned for a longer stint between April 1996 and December 1998. Alec is best known for his tempestuous marriage to long-running character Bet Lynch (
Julie Goodyear Julie Goodyear MBE (''née'' Kemp; born 29 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Bet Lynch in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Bet for nine episodes in 1966, before becoming ...
).


Storylines

Alec is introduced as the manager of a Working Men's Club, but soon progressed to being a theatrical agent with acts such as Rita Littlewood (
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
) under his control. In 1986, Alec took over the Graffiti Club on Rosamund Street, which enjoyed increased trade due to the fire at the
Rovers Return The Rovers Return Inn is a fictional pub in the long-running British soap opera '' Coronation Street''. The Rovers Return occupies a corner of the fictional Coronation Street and Rosamund Street set location in the show. The pub was built by ...
. Through this Alec met Bet Lynch (
Julie Goodyear Julie Goodyear MBE (''née'' Kemp; born 29 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Bet Lynch in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Bet for nine episodes in 1966, before becoming ...
). It was after meeting Bet that Alec became a regular in Coronation Street and his character was fully explored by the show's writers. Alec was mugged in September 1988, which caused Bet to wonder if he was operating an insurance fiddle. Cecil Newton ( Kenneth Alan Taylor) and the police suspected the same, but on this occasion Alec had been telling the truth and was being honest. He was deeply hurt that nobody had believed him. In 1992, Alec left Bet after being offered a full-time job with Sunliners in Southampton. Alec later returned in July 1995 to visit his granddaughter Vicky (
Chloe Newsome Chloe Newsome (born 1 December 1976) is an English actress who is best known for starring in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', appearing on and off between 1991 and 1998. She was the second actress to portray the role of Vi ...
), revealing that he was the regional manager of a travel agents, called Sunliners. He disapproved of Vicky's fiancé, Steve McDonald (
Simon Gregson Simon Alan Gregory (born 2 October 1974), better known by his stage name, Simon Gregson, is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Steve McDonald in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' since 1989. He has re ...
), believing that Steve was only after Vicky because of her money. Alec tried to bribe Steve into calling the wedding off and leaving Vicky but was unsuccessful. Vicky severed ties with her grandfather and left for St. Lucia with Steve where they married. Alec refused to say goodbye to them and returned to Southampton. Alec returned permanently in April 1996. In May 1997 he was made redundant from Sunliners. This didn't keep Alec down for too long, however, as he began a partnership with
Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
(
Bill Tarmey Bill Tarmey (born William Piddington; 4 April 1941 – 9 November 2012) was an English actor and singer, best known for playing Jack Duckworth in the soap opera '' Coronation Street''. First appearing in the role in November 1979, he played ...
) and
Vera Duckworth Vera Duckworth (also Burton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Liz Dawn. Vera is known for her long-standing marriage to Jack Duckworth ( Bill Tarmey); they became one of the best-love ...
( Liz Dawn) at The Rovers Return, since Alec helped bail Jack and Vera out of a VAT bill. In July 1998, Alec saved
Rita Sullivan Rita Tanner (also Littlewood, Bates, Fairclough and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Portrayed by veteran actress Barbara Knox, the character first appeared onscreen as "Rita Littlewo ...
's (
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
) life after discovering her unconscious from carbon monoxide poisoning in her flat. It was caused by a faulty gas fire that Steve had fitted. The two subsequently became close, and Alec proposed to Rita. She accepted the proposal and when they both got cold feet, Alec decided to fit a door between their adjoining flats. They were both happy with the arrangement, ignoring the sniggers from other residents of the street. Relations between Alec and the Duckworths soon became very strained and they finally agreed to dissolve their partnership, with Alec paying £30,000 for Jack and Vera's share of the business. However, Alec allowed them to continue living and working at the Rovers. This arrangement didn't work out, and when Jack and Vera wanted to spend Christmas in Blackpool, Alec refused. They ignored him and still went, causing Alec to change the locks. Rita thought that Alec had gone too far, contacting the Duckworths in Blackpool and apologising. A three-day siege took place with no one willing to back down. When Alec discovered it was Rita who had phoned the Duckworths, he felt totally betrayed, and showing that money meant far more to him than affection, ended their relationship. To Rita's dismay Alec boarded up the doorway between their flats. When Vicky unexpectedly turned up at Christmas 1998, it gave Alec the chance to contemplate his life and reassess his priorities. Alec suggested to Vicky that he could go into partnership with her at her new wine bar in Brighton. Alec jumped at the chance to get away, selling the Rovers to
Natalie Barnes Natalie Horrocks (also Brownlow and Barnes) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Denise Welch. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 February 1997. She departed ...
(
Denise Welch Jacqueline Denise Welch (born 22 May 1958) is an English actress, television personality, writer and broadcaster. Her roles include Natalie Barnes in ''Coronation Street'' (1997–2000), Steph Haydock in '' Waterloo Road'' (2006–2010), and ...
), and leaving the street.


Development


Departures

In 1988, with his contract due to expire, Barraclough decided to quit the programme, citing typecasting as a reason for his departure. His exit storyline was in early planning stages when he had a surprise change of heart, as Bill Podmore recalls: "He insisted on leaving before he became better known as Alec Gilroy than Roy Barraclough, and all my efforts to dissuade him failed. Suddenly, out of the blue, he had a change of heart and the scriptwriters were spared the task of inventing a plausible exit for Alec. Barraclough references this in a 1990 interview: "For the foreseeable future, I will continue playing Alec because I'm enjoying it, but two years ago I thought I was going to pack it all in. The actor's instinct is to do it, move on and tackle another challenge. With soap, once you have established the character, it's just a case of learning a different situation each week. There's nothing else to explore. But Granada outlined all sorts of interesting ideas they had to develop the character and it sounded smashing." Barraclough remained non-committal about his future with Coronation Street, a situation not helped by the addition of a third weekly episode in October 1989. Barraclough said: "It's damned hard work. If you're featured prominently in a storyline for five or six weeks, the pressure begins to get to you and the strain really starts to tell. It's very much bed and work. At the moment it's OK, but one could foresee a time when it could all get too much. I spent my life permanently tense." In 1992, Barraclough quit the Street, and this time he did not change his mind. Although he expressed a desire for Alec to be killed off, writers instead chose to send him away to Southampton to resume his entertainment career, believing that Bet's new status as a separated woman had dramatic potential. When
Julie Goodyear Julie Goodyear MBE (''née'' Kemp; born 29 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Bet Lynch in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Bet for nine episodes in 1966, before becoming ...
decided to leave her role as Bet Lynch after 25 years in 1995, Roy Barraclough was persuaded to return as Alec for a storyline which saw the Gilroys reunite to stop Vicky marrying Steve McDonald. The story saw Bet and Alec pick up where they left off, entertaining viewers with their bickering one last time. Alec next appeared in direct-to-video ''Coronation Street - The Feature Length Special'', also in 1995, before returning to the regular programme full-time from April 1996 onwards. In September 1998, tabloids carried the story of Barraclough's resignation from the Street, with the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' carrying a quote from the actor: "It's true I've told them I want to go at the end of my six-month contract. It's hard work these days and I've just completed a 19-week stint at the studios." His final episode aired in December 1998.


Reception

The character has been described as "squat and snivelling", and not one of the "better choices" of Bet. He has also been described as being "Bet's long-suffering inamorata".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilroy, Alec Coronation Street characters Fictional bartenders Television characters introduced in 1972 Male characters in television