Sheila Crossley (also Birtles) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''

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 ...

''. She was portrayed by actress Eileen Mayers. The character is famous for her suicide plot which was ultimately axed.

Casting

Mayers left the series in 1963 and was asked to return for two episodes in 1969. In 1974, the actress returned to filming for another stint as Sheila.

Storylines

Through his many faults, Sheila fell hard for Neil Crossley (

Geoffrey Matthews Geoffrey Vernon Townsend Matthews (16 June 1923 – 21 January 2013) was a British ornithologist and conservationist. Biography Born on 16 June 1923 and educated at Bedford School and at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he completed his ...

), so much so that she did not see how badly he treated her. Neil only thought of Sheila as a bit of fun and after he stood her up on a date, she confronted him. Angered, Neil hit Sheila and left, leaving her devastated and she sank into a deep depression. She pushed her friends away and lost her job for not turning up. After she and Neil met again and he told her in no uncertain terms that they were over, Sheila attempted suicide but was found by

Dennis Tanner Dennis Tanner is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, played by Philip Lowrie. The character was created by writer Tony Warren and was in ...

(

Philip Lowrie Colin Philip Lowrie (born 20 June 1936) is an English former stage and television actor, best known for playing Dennis Tanner in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', from the programme's inception in 1960–1968, and again from ...

). On the doctor's recommendation, Sheila left Weatherfield and moved in with her parents. Whilst there, Sheila discovered she was pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy in 1964, who she named Danny, before giving him up for adoption. In 1966, Sheila was set up on a blind date by a friend and was shocked to find her date was

Jerry Booth Jerry Booth was an English footballer who played as a winger. He played one match in the Football League for Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 p ...

(

Graham Haberfield Graham and Graeme may refer to: People * Graham (given name), an English-language given name * Graham (surname), an English-language surname * Graeme (surname), an English-language surname * Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer * Clan G ...

), who she went on an unsuccessful date with years ago. Sheila and Jerry reconnected and Sheila returned to Weatherfield and moved in with

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 ...

's (

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 ...

), securing a job at the new factory. Sheila and Jerry quickly fell in love and intended to marry but when Sheila bumped into Neil later that year, her feelings for him came rushing back and Neil proposed. Jerry was heartbroken when Sheila left with Neil.

Reception

After learning that Sheila's character was to commit suicide in 1963, the public was outraged. Instead, it was re-written and viewers saw the character take pills before the screen faded to black. Actress Eileen Mayers has claimed that "It was disappointing, it was good and it wasn't shown", referring to the suicide scenes. However, in 2011, the scenes were shown in the documentary ''The Corrie Years''. Upon the announcement that the scenes were to air 50 years later, a ''Coronation Street'' insider told the ''

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'' that "At the time it was deemed too controversial. But compared to what goes on in soaps these days, I don't think the scene will be very shocking." The character's suicide plot has been compared to that of

Natasha Blakeman Natasha Blakeman is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Rachel Leskovac. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 12 May 2008. On 29 April 2010, it was announced that Leskovac ...

's in 2010 in the soap.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birtles, Sheila Coronation Street characters Television characters introduced in 1961 Female characters in television Fictional attempted suicides Fictional factory workers Fictional machinists