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Doris Speed,
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
(3 February 1899 – 16 November 1994) was an English actress, best known for her role as landlady of the
Rovers Return Inn 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 ...
Annie Walker on ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...
'', a role she played from the programme's first episode in 1960 until 1983.


Early life and career

Speed was born in
Chorlton Chorlton may refer to: Places * Chorlton, Cheshire East, in Cheshire, England *Chorlton, Cheshire West and Chester, in Cheshire, England *Chorlton-cum-Hardy, in Manchester, England **Chorlton (ward), an electoral ward of Manchester, England **Chorl ...
,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
(later to become part of
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
) on 3 February 1899.'Doris Speed; Obituary' (1994) ''Times'' ondon, England 18 Nov, 21, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115606920/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=3a69fba7 ccessed 20 Jan 2022 As a child, she toured with her parents George, a singer and Ada (née Worsley) Speed, an actress, moving to different schools almost every week. Her debut came to her at the age of three years old, as she toddled onstage in a
nightdress A nightgown, nightie or nightdress is a loosely hanging item of nightwear, and is commonly worn by women and girls. A nightgown is made from cotton, silk, satin, or nylon and may be decorated with lace appliqués or embroidery at the bust and hem ...
to sing a song about a
golliwog The golliwog, also spelled golliwogg or shortened to golly, is a doll-like character – created by cartoonist and author Florence Kate Upton – that appeared in children's books in the late 19th century, usually depicted as a type of rag ...
. Two years later, she made her acting debut as the velvet-suited infant Prince of Rome in a Victorian melodrama, called ''The Royal Divorce''. Speed was later quoted as saying "Acting was all I ever wanted to do". Speed took a course in shorthand and typing at a local technical college in 1915, and shortly after finishing it, took a job with
Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...
in Manchester to support her parents' stage careers. She joined Guinness as a clerk, but over her 41 years working for the company, rose to become personal assistant to the regional manager.'Doris Speed; Obituary' (1994) ''Times'' ondon, England 18 Nov, 21, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115606920/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=3a69fba7 ccessed 20 Jan 2022 However, she was also an active member of the local amateur dramatics group, The Unnamed Society, who were well regarded, and she received good notices in ''The Manchester Guardian'' for her roles with the group from 1937 onwards. Appearing in The Unnamed Society's 1949 production of ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'', the paper's reviewer noted that Speed "acted splendidly" playing the Queen. She also worked with Chorlton Rep and other companies. On stage, she performed a number of
Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
parts, led the chorus of women in ''
Murder in the Cathedral ''Murder in the Cathedral'' is a verse drama by T. S. Eliot, first performed in 1935, that portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral during the reign of Henry II in 1170. Eliot drew heavily on the writin ...
'', played Mrs Sullen in ''
The Beaux' Stratagem ''The Beaux' Stratagem'' is a comedy by George Farquhar, first produced at the Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, London, on March 8, 1707. In the play, Archer and Aimwell, two young gentlemen who have falle ...
'', the mother in ''The Lady's Not For Burning'' and in ''
Amphitryon 38 ''Amphitryon 38'' is a play written in 1929 by the French dramatist Jean Giraudoux, the number in the title being Giraudoux's whimsical approximation of how many times the story had been told on stage previously. Original productions ''Amphitryon ...
'' by
Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His work ...
, appeared as the Greek beauty
Leda Leda may refer to: Mythology * Leda (mythology), queen of Sparta and mother of Helen of Troy in Greek mythology Places * Leda, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia * Leda makeshift settlement, Bangladesh, a refugee camp ...
. Following the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Speed appeared in hundreds of radio plays, and subsequently went into television. In ITV's early days on air, she was in two
Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...
series: ''
Shadow Squad ''Shadow Squad'' is a British TV series that ran from 1957-59 starring Peter Williams and George Moon. 179 episodes were made, of which only four survive. Network released the surviving episodes on DVD in 2011, along with the sole surviving episo ...
'', a 1950s police television series, in an episode written by
Tony Warren Anthony McVay Simpson (8 July 1936 – 1 March 2016) publishing under pen name Tony Warren, was an English television screenwriter and actor, best known for creating the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. He created other television dramas a ...
, and a year later, in its spin-off, ''Skyport'', as the tea lady. Speed was in two television plays, ''The Myth Makers'' and ''Vital Statistics'', in addition to the 1959
Hammer Studios Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic fiction, Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of thes ...
Stanley Baker Sir William Stanley Baker (28 February 192828 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona, he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s, and later a pro ...
vehicle ''
Hell Is a City ''Hell Is a City'' is a 1960 British crime thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same title by Maurice Procter. Written and directed by Val Guest, it was made by British studio Hammer Film Productions and filmed in Manchester. It was ...
'', set in her native Manchester.


''Coronation Street''

In 1960, while Speed was appearing in the BBC radio serial ''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'' (based on
Anne Brontë Anne Brontë (, commonly ; 17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English novelist and poet, and the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. Anne Brontë was the daughter of Maria (born Branwell) and Patrick Brontë, a poor Irish cl ...
's
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
) and appearing on stage in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, she was asked to audition for the role of Annie Walker in
Tony Warren Anthony McVay Simpson (8 July 1936 – 1 March 2016) publishing under pen name Tony Warren, was an English television screenwriter and actor, best known for creating the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. He created other television dramas a ...
's new series, ''Coronation Street''. He had written the part specifically for her, having admired her as an actress when he was aged 12 in the late 1940s. The pair had already met, when she worked on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''
Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...
'' radio programme.'Haughty queen of the Street: Obituary of Doris Speed' (1994) ''Guardian'' ondon, England 18 Nov, 21, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A170672533/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=df9bc88e ccessed 20 Jan 2022 However, Speed turned down two auditions for ''Coronation Street'', as "it seemed such a long way to travel" from Bristol. 57 actresses had already unsuccessfully auditioned for the role before Speed. She was said to have based her performance on her Aunt Bessie, who led the Speed family in Christmas charades and had "a withering look". According to ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'', "Annie Walker struck a chord in the national psyche, as the embodiment of the genteel social climber, an icon of the proud petit-bourgeois tidiness which was subject to such virulent cultural attack in the 1960s." Speed herself described the character as "always a silly vain woman". Speed was originally on a three-week contract, first appearing in the December 1960 opening episode. However, she went on to appear in 1,746 episodes of ''Coronation Street'', and was one of only a handful of original cast members still appearing in the 1980s. In 1983, 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 ...
'' published a story revealing that Speed was 15 years older than she publicly claimed she was (though her birth certificate, which showed she was born in 1899 and not 1914 as she had always claimed, was not printed alongside the story). "It broke her spirit completely," a friend said, adding "she would never go back on the ''Street'' after that." Whilst filming, Speed collapsed, and was taken to hospital, suffering from stomach pains. At home, she said that she had every intention of returning to ''Coronation Street'' after she had recovered. However, her ill health meant she stayed at home; her hearing also declined, and she became reclusive. Speed's last broadcast appearance on ''Coronation Street'' was during the episode shown on 12 October 1983. In 1985, her house was burgled while she was asleep. Following this, Speed went into hospital, and would never return to her home in Chorlton-cum-Hardy. She made her last appearance as Annie Walker during the 1988
ITV Telethon The ITV Telethons were three charity telethons organised and televised in the United Kingdom by the ITV network. They took place in 1988, 1990 and 1992. Each lasted for 27 hours and all were hosted by Michael Aspel. The final telethon in July 1 ...
, looking "frail but happy" behind the bar. Aged 91, Speed appeared on a 1990 television programme to mark thirty years of ''Coronation Street''. Helped on stage by the host,
Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...
, Speed was given a standing ovation from the ''Coronation Street'' cast present. Speed's final television appearance was an interview given with actor
Ken Farrington Kenneth William Farrington (born 18 April 1936) is a retired English actor. He first came to fame playing the role of Billy Walker, wayward son of publican Annie, in ITV's long-running soap opera, ''Coronation Street''. Following a brief period ...
, who played her on-screen son Billy, in 1993. In the fictional drama ''
The Road to Coronation Street ''The Road to Coronation Street'' is a 2010 British drama first broadcast on BBC Four. It is a dramatisation of the creation of '' Coronation Street'', the UK's longest-running television soap opera, from conception to its first transmission in ...
'' about the creation of the soap, broadcast by the BBC in 2010 as a tribute to the fiftieth anniversary of the first episode of ''Coronation Street'', Speed was portrayed by
Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...
.


Honours

Speed was awarded the
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
in 1977. Two year later, Speed received a Pye Television Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television. She was also an honorary member of the Licensed Victuallers' Association.'Doris Speed; Obituary' (1994) ''Times'' ondon, England 18 Nov, 21, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A115606920/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=3a69fba7 ccessed 20 Jan 2022'Haughty queen of the Street: Obituary of Doris Speed' (1994) ''Guardian'' ondon, England 18 Nov, 21, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A170672533/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=df9bc88e ccessed 20 Jan 2022


Personal life

Speed never married. She lived in
Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...
for many years, until returning to Manchester to care for her mother after she became ill. Speed's mother Ada died in 1973, aged 95. Her father George had died in 1945, aged 76. The actress said that Annie Walker "stood for everything I'm not"; Speed disliked pubs, and lacked patience with her character's posturing. Her ''Coronation Street'' colleagues described her as "intellectual", "very politically minded" and "a keen socialist". In 1966, Speed, along with
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
(
Elsie Tanner Elsie Gregory (also Grimshaw, Howard and Tanner) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Pat Phoenix from the series' inception in 1960 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was ...
) and
Arthur Leslie Arthur Leslie Scottorn Broughton (8 December 1899 – 30 June 1970), better known as Arthur Leslie, was a British actor and playwright, best known for original character of public house landlord Jack Walker in television soap ''Coronation Stre ...
(who played Speed's on-screen husband
Jack Walker Jack Walker (19 May 1929 – 17 August 2000) was a British industrialist and businessman. Walker built his fortune in the steel industry, amassing a personal fortune of £600 million. He then went on to become the owner and benefactor of Blackb ...
), were guests of
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
, his wife
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
and
Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
James Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005), commonly known as Jim Callaghan, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is ...
at
10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
. "This was to give our friends a send-off on their Australian tour, to wish them all the luck," Wilson commented. Recalled by her friend and co-star
Betty Driver Elizabeth Mary Driver, (20 May 1920 – 15 October 2011) was a British actress and singer, best known for her role as Betty Williams in the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', a role she played for 42 years from 1969 to 2011, a ...
(who played
Betty Turpin Betty Williams (also Preston and Turpin) is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by former music hall star Betty Driver. Driver was cast as Betty in 1969, after first auditioning for the role of Hild ...
), Speed was described as "a gentle lady, a quiet soul who lived with her mother. She didn't suffer fools but was generous and kind-hearted." Driver, who was also friends with
Margot Bryant Kathleen Mary Margaret Bryant (8 March 1897 – 1 January 1988), known professionally as Margot Bryant, was an English stage, teleivison and actress best known for playing Minnie Caldwell in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from its inc ...
(
Minnie Caldwell ''Coronation Street'' is a British television soap opera/serial, initially produced by Granada Television. Created by screenwriter Tony Warren, ''Coronation Street'' first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of chara ...
), noted that the pair "were at each other's throats all the time. Doris was staunch
Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
and Margot was
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...
." Upon her death, ''Coronation Street'' writer
Leslie Duxbury Leslie Montgomery Duxbury (13 June 1926 – 17 October 2005) was a British newspaper sports writer and columnist born in Great Harwood, Lancashire. He turned his attention to television and became a writer for the ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ...
wrote, "Annie Walker was not a lady to be trifled with and neither was Doris Speed," adding that the actress "looked at the world through a wry eye and expressed what she saw with a sharp wit." Duxbury wrote of her "Dorisisms", described as "often off-the-cuff cameos of her fellow thespians", which "were a common delight in Granadaland." When she was not recording or rehearsing, Speed played
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
with other ''Coronation Street'' cast members, and did the
crossword A crossword is a word puzzle that usually takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white- and black-shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answ ...
in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''. "She played bridge like a professional, and went through crosswords like a knife through butter,"
Jean Alexander Jean Margaret Hodgkinson (11 October 1926 – 14 October 2016), known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera ''Co ...
(
Hilda Ogden Hilda Ogden (also Crabtree) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', one of the best-known of all the regular characters in the serial, whose name became synonymous with a classic hard-working Northern ...
) recalled. Speed's hobbies at home were reading theatrical biographies and watching ''Coronation Street''. "I study Annie to make sure that no silly mannerisms creep in," the actress commented. "It's her I'm watching, not myself." Speed was said to have never forgotten the hardships of her childhood, and after a "lifetime of thrift", the success of ''Coronation Street'' enabled her to take holidays abroad. She also enjoyed travelling to the theatre in
Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...
, as well as the
Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...
and
Pitlochry Pitlochry (; gd, Baile Chloichridh or ) is a town in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is historically in the county of Perthshire, and has a population of 2,776, according to the 2011 census.Scotla ...
festivals.


Death

After leaving ''Coronation Street'', Speed moved into the Highbank nursing home in Walshaw,
Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
, where she lived until her death. She died during an afternoon nap on 16 November 1994, and was found by a member of staff who had gone to collect her afternoon tea tray. Speed was said to have fallen asleep reading the novel ''To Sir, With Love'' by
E. R. Braithwaite Eustace Edward Ricardo Braithwaite (June 27, 1912 – December 12, 2016), publishing as E. R. Braithwaite, was a Guyanese-born British-American novelist, writer, teacher and diplomat best known for his stories of social conditions and racia ...
, while a cigarette was still burning at her side. The owner of the nursing home said, "What was remarkable was that she got up and put on her best dress and make-up. It is something she never did, unless she was expecting a guest. Nobody was due to see her yesterday and I wonder if she knew what was going to happen." Speed was 95, the same age at which her mother had died.'Haughty queen of the Street: Obituary of Doris Speed' (1994) ''Guardian'' ondon, England 18 Nov, 21, available: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A170672533/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=df9bc88e ccessed 20 Jan 2022 Tributes were paid by her former colleagues. Granada Television said in a statement: "Because of Doris Speed's wonderful performance, the character of Annie Walker became one of the legends of ''Coronation Street'' and British TV. She maintained a close link with the programme and Granada." Speed had been due to attend a tribute to ''Coronation Street'' on 28 November at Manchester Town Hall. Show creator Tony Warren said, "She was a superb actress and the most loyal of friends." Her funeral took place on 23 November 1994 at the New Jerusalem Church in
Kearsley Kearsley ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 census was 14,212. Historically part of Lancashire, it lies northwest of Manchester, southwest of Bury and south of Bolt ...
,
Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
, and was attended by fellow ''Coronation Street'' stars, including Jean Alexander, Betty Driver,
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 ...
(
Bet Lynch Bet Lynch (also Gilroy) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Julie Goodyear, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on Monday 25 May 1966. Appearing over 25 years, ...
),
Daphne Oxenford Daphne Margaret du Grivel Oxenford (31 October 1919 – 21 December 2012) was an English actress, known for her early stage roles, and later her radio and television work. She was the voice (''"Are you sitting comfortably ...?"'') of BBC ra ...
( Esther Hayes) and
Irene Sutcliffe Irene Sutcliffe (12 July 1924 – 3 May 2019) was an English actress. She was best known for playing Maggie Clegg in ITV's ''Coronation Street'', a role she played from 1968 until 1975. She had a long career; her first credited TV role was in 195 ...
(
Maggie Clegg Jenny Sutton Jennifer Louise "Jenny" Tanner (née Sutton) was the first wife of Dennis Tanner. Jenny was raised in a family of nine at a fourth-floor flat near Battersea Power Station. In 1968, the attractive young blonde arrived in Weather ...
).
Bryan Mosley Bryan Mosley (25 August 1931 – 9 February 1999) was a British actor, best known for his role as grocer Alf Roberts in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Early life Mosley was born in Leeds, an only child, to Agnes Basquill ...
, who had played
Alf Roberts Alfred Sidney "Alf" Roberts, OBE is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Bryan Mosley. He ran a grocery shop at No. 15 and was involved in local politics, including two spells as mayor of ...
in the show, gave a Bible reading, and
Kenneth Farrington Kenneth William Farrington (born 18 April 1936) is a retired English actor. He first came to fame playing the role of Billy Walker, wayward son of publican Annie, in ITV's long-running soap opera, '' Coronation Street''. Following a brief perio ...
, who played her on-screen son Billy Walker, told the service: "She was admired by the whole world." Speed was cremated in
Blackley Blackley is a suburban area of Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is approximately north of Manchester city centre, on the River Irk. History The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The name derives from t ...
, Manchester.
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's tribute programme in the month of her death attracted an audience of 10.11m viewers, which was a higher figure than that week's episode of ''Blind Date'', a flagship Saturday night game show on the same network. Speed left an estate worth £514,192 (equivalent to over £1m in 2022).


Legacy

Speed is commemorated by two plaques in her native
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
: one outside
Granada Studios Old Granada Studios (known simply as Granada Studios and previously known as The Manchester Studios) is a television studio complex and events venue on Quay Street in Manchester with the facility to broadcast live and recorded television programm ...
, where she filmed most of her work as Annie Walker, and another at 13 Sibson Road,
Chorlton-cum-Hardy Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of Manchester, England, southwest of the Manchester city centre, city centre. Chorlton (ward), Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census, and Chorlton Park (w ...
, her home for many years.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Speed, Doris 1899 births 1994 deaths Actresses from Manchester English child actresses English soap opera actresses Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British businesspeople