Since 2017, ten sequential classic episodes of the series from 1986 onwards have been broadcast weekly on ITV3. When she disappeared with the Centre keys at Christmas, preventing the children from getting any presents, Ena assumed she'd be sacked; she left to stay with Henry Foster in St. Annes, however she was allowed to keep her job. Fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, "An addict's appreciation of Coronation Street", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ena_Sharples&oldid=1141548360, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 16:33. Danny Baldwin: Get up, Frankie. However, Ena's age and ability to do the work was a constant concern to the Council. Violet Wilson: Are you talking about your brain? Your knees are going to tremble, your feet will turn to lead. Audrey Potter: Now don't worry, love. Blanche Hunt: I'd cut off his whatnots wi' a pair of garden shears, me. She also portrayed Queen Victoria on the Coronation Street float for the Silver Jubilee in 1977. Martha died in the snug in the Rovers in 1964, while Ena conducted a singalong on the piano in the public bar. Ena's tendency to boss her children around had led to daughter Madge not speaking to her, and upon receiving feedback from nephew Colin Lomax about what Madge had been saying about Ena behind her back, Ena cut Madge out of her will without a second's thought. She just sat up, broke wind, and died." - Ena Sharples - 14th December 1960. Shelley Unwin: Oh, Betty, don't say that! For the duration of World War II, Ena was an Air Raid warden, lording it over the other residents when they had to seek refuge in the Mission cellar. Leanne Battersby: I can't eat this! Vera died in 1967, in Ena's home, of a brain tumour. In 1989, Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride) said that, due to recent events in Coronation Street, "Ena Sharples would be turning in her grave", confirming that she had died by this time. Her most cherished possession was her harmonium, which nobody else was permitted to play. From left to right, Ena Sharples, Bruce Forsyth and Peggy Mount during rehearsals for the Daily Mirror Television Award show, 29th July 1962. Yet she still frequently indulged in a glass of milk stout in the Rovers Return, unwilling to allow lay preacher Leonard Swindley to dictate how she lived her life outside the Mission. Well you must have took ten-to-the-douzen with drink inside you, or did you get tanked up ___. And it will be. Around 1917, Ena met Alfred Sharples, who had been sent home because of a leg injury. In 1980, in a fit of pique over delays to her flat's refurbishment, Ena left Weatherfield on another of her sojourns and this time she never returned. Steve McDonald: She means it, Karen. Rita: [shouting at Len] "Tommy Cooper couldn't tell a story as daft as that! In 1978 she commented to the TV Times that "Violet Carson was destroyed the day Ena Sharples first appeared in Coronation Street.". Just don't [Robbie places the duct tape over Carla's mouth, gagging her]. Annie Walker: My idea of heaven is doing a foxtrot on a French-chalked floor, knowing I look right. Deirdre Barlow: Mother! Tracy Preston: You touch me with that, I'll sue for criminal injuries, together with child support from him. . Cilla Brown: You're calling at a very inconvenient time. Marvin Maddocks: When the bell starts ringing and the trainer says "Go", I'm telling you, girlie, there's something you ought to know. They almost always thought the worst of each other; Elsie accused Ena of writing a poison pen letter in 1961, even though Ena was innocent. There was a time when stupid people, with nowt to steal - could leave the doors open! The argument only stopped when Ena learned it was to be a mission on another street which was to be closed. She likes the 'let-it-all-hang-out' look. Elsie helped Ena understand to stop trying to stifle Vera, because then she would end up having no control over Vera at all. Ena jumped at the chance to go abroad for the first time and meet the family she never knew she had. Well other people are different, they enjoy this. For caring? I've had 10,000 run. TV Shows. [Dev has just said he'd like to stay at home and take care of Sunita, who is ill, instead of going abroad to marry Maya]. Maxine Peacock: You should've stayed at the party, Maxine! *Carson, who played street stalwart Ena Sharples for 20 years, died in 1985 in Cleveleys, Blackpool. I Was Ena Sharples Father book. The lawyers pay the woman off; sometimes uniformed guards accompany her to the elevators. Sounds like the start of a joke. Blanche Hunt: I heard that! Although she criticised Minnie for having her palm read in Blackpool, Ena went to have her own palm read once she was sure her friends had left. Martha: Really? Ena was first seen to wear a hairnet in Episode 5. Ena watched her daughter decline over several weeks until she died in Ena's bed in January 1967. Despite being out of work, Ena was soon occupied with other problems as Vera came to stay, having separated from her husband Bob Lomax. Sarah Platt: [Moodily] It's not working, you know. Ena collapsed due to the stress, but walked out of hospital to return to her post so that Martha Longhurst (Lynne Carol), who had taken on her responsibilities while she recovered, could not steal her job. Your chest came flat-packed and you haven't put it together yet! Check-in Add. Elsie offered to take in Ena, who was very grateful. Ena Sharples: Oh, lovely. Although the living arrangements at No. Ena and Minnie lived with each other at No.5 several times, usually when no one else was willing to house Ena, who was reputedly difficult to live with. In 1920, Ena married Alfred. After the Mission was demolished, Ena became caretaker at the Camera Shop and then at the Community Centre. Shelley Unwin: Peter. I always do when you speak. The final episode featuring Ena was broadcast on 2 April 1980. Shelley Unwin: [Shelley arrives at a pedestrian crossing in her wedding dress, prompting a perplexed look from an old lady] I jilted him! Day and night. Almost always wearing a double-breasted overcoat and hairnet, she spent much of her free time in the serials' early years with her two cronies, Martha Longhurst (Lynne Carol) and Minnie Caldwell (Margot Bryant), in the snug bar of local pub The Rovers Return Inn, drinking milk stout. In an interview . I mean, even her initials are a killer disease! However he enlisted for military service in the Great War and was killed in battle, devastating Ena. It was Ena who prevented the street from being renamed in 1962 when she wrote to Prince Philip to appeal for his help. Roy Cropper: [to Hayley] You have turned an apology of an existence into a life, fuller and more joyous than I could ever hope. I got three different quotes from three different printers, three different thicknesses of paper, one, two or three colours, and Rosie worked out all the different unit costs for me, so we've all been pulling our weight, which is why I need to talk to you about the apostrophe. Ena Quotes She also enjoyed singing and led the residents into sing-songs on various special occasions. After Martha's death, Minnie was perhaps Ena's only close friend left. 1976: Handel tells Ena that Minnie is never returning. And the rest of the time you were busy trying to drive away my niece! Tony Gordon: Well, I didn't come to all this trouble to host a staff meeting. On 17 September 2010, it became the world's longest-running television soap opera and was listed in Guinness World Records. Robbie Sloane: Sshh. Did you listen to what you were saying? Alice Raybould Tom Schofield This isnt a sneer its a smile with a lid on. Lloyd Mullaney: You know what they say - from little acorns Steve McDonald: If Michelle sees this, my little acorns will be in a jar. Leanne Battersby: [the day before Mike's funeral, Ken has entered the pub and given Leanne a dirty look] If that Ken Barlow looks at me like that tomorrow, I'm gonna bop him one. Add Check-in. Shop affordable wall art to hang in dorms, bedrooms, offices, or anywhere blank walls aren't welcome. Ena: Lovely - she just sat up, broke wind, and died. And I will use it. Gail Potter: [to Richard Hillman] You're Norman Bates with a briefcase. Consequently, she found it difficult to express affection and felt more at ease arguing with her friends (or telling them what to do) than taking an interest in them. [Janice pays a visit to the factory the day after flashing her bosom in the pub]. Peter Barlow: Blanche, what we normally do at this point, is let other people in the group reflect on what the speaker has just said. In 1969, Ena became bored with the maisonette and moved into a flat above Ernest Bishop's (Stephen Hancock) camera shop. 10h First of all, who the hell are you? Occupation Her skills were regularly called upon at events in the Rovers Return and other community venues. Ena was offered a place at an old folk's home but she unsurprisingly declined, choosing to lodge with old friend Henry Foster in St Annes after briefly living with Minnie, although when the maisonettes were built Ena moved into No. Let's celebrate the positive moments that made 2022. Oh - it wasn't Nicole Kidman or Glenda Jackson - she lives on a tugboat. Karen Phillips: [holding up one of her shoes] Don't defend her, Steve, cause I've got one of these for each of you. Elsie saw Ena as an interfering battleaxe, and didn't see why her life should be any of Ena's business. Her sister Alice, a few years older, often resented Ena's attempts at perfection. Our maths genius helped with all this. In the 1970s, her failing health meaning that Ena spent increasing amounts of time convalescing at her friend Henry Foster's in St Annes. Ena was a capable and experienced pianist and player of the harmonium. Ena Sharples The fight spilled out into the Street and Ena ended up accidentally smashing one of No.11's windows with her handbag. Norris Cole: You should be at home, studying. Later that year, Ena's great-nephew Tom Schofield visited her and invited her to her brother's home in the USA for an extended stay. Ena was prone to hay fever. Ena's forcefulness and argumentativeness was her key strength as well as her biggest weakness. Far from showing gratitude that Vera was the only daughter to stand by her, Ena was particularly hard on her as Vera had been dropped as a child and Ena was never convinced that she was right in the head. Blanche Hunt: Well I think he needs telling! Tags: Coronation Street. Ena Shaples Height 5 6 (1.68 m) Born September 1, 1898 German Street, Ancoats, Manchester, England, UK Died December 26, 1983 Cleveleys, Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK (undisclosed) Spouse George Frederick Peploe September 1, 1926 - March 25, 1929 (his death) Other works (1950's)'Have A Go' radio show Publicity listings 1 Portrayal 1 Article Steve McDonald: You tell Karen about the baby, I will make you pay, I will make you suffer. Pictured is cast member Ena. When Minnie eventually decided to move to Whaley Bridge to live with Handel Gartside, she left without telling Ena as she feared Ena would talk her out of it. I can't trust you! She returned at the end of March to find the flat still unfinished, dumping herself on Albert. Number of appearances Recognising his talent, Ena made him her protg and gave him lessons, setting about arranging a scholarship for him. Ena's role among the residents of Coronation Street was one she assigned to herself. There was an instant chemistry but Ena was upset to learn he was already married, and broke contact with him. Brian Tilsley: " isn't it Gail. (Final lines spoken in the programme to Albert Tatlock and Ken Barlow). What would Angela Lansbury do in this situation? Tony Gordon: Oi! Ena preferred to control Vera's life and was disturbed when in 1942, while she had gone to a concert, Vera had gone to the American military base with Elsie Tanner and Elsie's friends, where she'd gotten drunk and lost her virginity. In 1960, Ena was in conflict with the Mission's new lay preacher Leonard Swindley (Arthur Lowe), who objected to her frequenting the Rovers. In court Ena pleaded not guilty, but refused to give her age when questioned, saying only that she was over 21. Web. Now, scream. Angered by the lack of progress that prevented her from moving back into her home, she left to stay in St. Annes, unsure about whether or not to return to Coronation Street. Valerie Tatlock: What are you talking about? Eileen Grimshaw: Tracy Barlow! The clash was broken up by Swindley, who informed Ena that the Mission would stay open - the Bold Street Mission had been selected for closure. Deirdre Rachid: Oh, I say, you look very glam! Ena clashed with many members of her family, especially her children. Large in stature and almost always dressed in a large double breasted coat and hairnet, Ena was strong-minded and argumentative, with opinions on everyone and everything and she wasn't afraid to voice any of them. Mission hall. I nearly died of the shame. Ena was absent from the programme for over three months during 1965 as Violet Carson took a sabbatical and for almost two months in 1968 when she went on a promotional tour to Australia. For fifty weeks of the year they work to save up for this. The caretaker's accommodation was the vestry, which opened onto Coronation Street. Hayley Cropper: [entering empty factory] Well, where is she? Trod on a snail? Blanche Hunt: I'm a realist - I don't live in fairy-land like you do. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Sibling(s) Peter Barlow: Tripped over his ego has he? Ena was sacked and left to stay with Henry Foster at St Annes. Anyway, it's only a little mistake and the printer's put it after the 'S' in Websters and now it looks like the auto centre belongs to all of the Websters instead of just you! Amber Kalirai: Not true! Conman Frank Holmes tried to con Ena in 1976 but she cottoned on in time and summoned friends Len Fairclough and Eddie Yeats who performed a citizen's arrest. Carla can't resist having a dig at Peter Barlow. Ena Sharples: If I had my way, I'd like to go like me mother did. Eight? Subscribe now for more! Shut up. In 1960, Ena battled new Mission lay preacher Leonard Swindley, who objected to her frequenting the Rovers. Total 126. Nobody needs to know that! Mary Schofield We will be the Websters' family auto centre! Maya Sharma: You don't want to get married! She also stopped Elsie from taking an overdose in 1973. 14h However, you must be able to see this is VERY important! What do you think? Despite their lifelong friendship (Ena knew Martha when they were ten years old), Ena sometimes felt threatened by Martha, especially when she proved just as capable as doing Ena's job at the Mission as Ena herself. You 0. owner Roy Cropper and his transsexual wife Hayley]. Ena's brother Tom died in 1973. Vicar: [attempting to escape from a reporter that has been questioning her] I expect you know today is the feast day for the patron saint of newspaper reporters. After ten seconds he *will* be sick. Leanne Battersby: Oh, no. Her friends had gradually left her life - Martha had died in 1964, and Minnie left in 1976 to live with Handel in Whaley Bridge. But then I enjoy being with you. She had two elder siblings, Alice Raynold (ne Schofield) (18851965) and Tom Schofield (d. 1973). Ena did not have much contact with the surviving Schofields until her great-nephew Tom Schofield contacted her in 1965 and invited her to stay in the USA. We'll take on some new staff, we'll expand, because all that matters is our girls. ", [the topic of conversation in the Rovers' Snug is death]. Unique Ena Sharples Posters designed and sold by artists. Alfred Sharples (1920) Ena particularly criticised Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix), who she believed had loose morals. Gail Platt: Again? Miss Nugent: [Watching Blackpool Illuminations from the coach] Oh look Mrs Sharples, Old King Cole! Around 1917, Ena met Alfred Sharples, who had been sent home to heal a leg injury. When the maisonettes were demolished in 1971, one of the buildings which replaced them was a community centre. Tony Gordon: Not through these walls. But you *are* destroying me. Children Thanks for a great year. Your donor kidney would reject you if it could. Your daughter barely knows you. Typically dressed in a large double-breasted coat and hairnet, Ena was an imposing figure, intimidating many of her much younger neighbours. Ena Sharples (ne Schofield) was the caretaker at the Glad Tidings Mission Hall, Viaduct Street's chapel, from 1937 through to its demolition in 1968. Eve Wilson: Everywhere's got a problem, hasn't it? Ena made herself at home, making the best of a bad situation, but unbeknown to her Martha couldn't wait to get rid of her and in the meantime had considered writing to an agony aunt to ask how to deal with her overbearing houseguest. 1960-1980 If it's about the paperwork just leave it to me. Fiz Brown: I bet I know why you're back: to have your buttons sewn on! Madge and her mother became almost completely estranged after Madge emigrated in 1950. 25 IBU (3.64) 104 Ratings . It attracted little media or public attention, as the producers intended her to continue in the serial the character was merely going to stay with a friend, Henry Foster, in St Annes while her flat in Coronation Street was being renovated. The rustier the better. [Jason arrives in a builder's outfit while Gail is shouting homophobic abuse to Todd]. I've a tea towel with some on - Norris knows that! Thomas F. Wilson. Later in the 1970s, Ena alternated between Weatherfield and St. Anne's. Ogden, Ena Sharples - all gone Yet I remain. Rita Littlewood: Did you ever run away from home? Sorry my name's Melanie and I'm an alcoholic. Blanche Hunt: I'm Deirdre's mother. Tim Metcalfe: She put the "chest" in Manchester, that's for sure. Jamie Baldwin: You don't wanna know, believe me. 2nd April 1980 Everyone kept telling me you're destroying me, that you go with other women. In the 1972 Pub olympics, when the Rovers competed against The Flying Horse pub, Ena won points for the Rovers by beating a Flying Horse regular at Dominoes (winning the game by staring at him, making him so distracted as to play a wrong domino). Gail Potter: And Todd's been through the other half! It must have had some place, or else viewers would not have reacted so well to Ena Sharples. She quit upon hearing the news and moved in with Minnie at No. Ena Schofield was born in Weatherfield on 24 November 1899. Later that year Ena's great nephew, Tom Schofield (David Holliday), visited her and invited her to her brother's home in the US for an extended stay. Cilla Brown: Anything you have to say to Les, you can say to me. She loves him, she loves him not (Credit: ITV) "Peter running a pub is like putting a cat in charge of an aquarium.". One of the hairnet props was sold at auction for 65 in 2005 to a Dutch gentleman, who had bought it for his mother, a lifelong fan. 24th November 1899 Jamie Baldwin: Well, we wait. Blanche Hunt: I've never heard such self-indulgent whinging in all my life. Minnie soon turned up, and Ena was able to turn the tables on Dave Smith by blackmailing him over his tax fraud. Vera stood by Ena and lived with her in the Mission vestry from 1937 to 1946, during which time they slept in the same bed in the cramped accommodation. Sophie Webster: And that top doesn't suit you but you still wear it. Corrie Quotes. [pushes Carla, who is tied to a chair and gagged with duct tape, in front of Hayley] I said shut up. I mean, even her initials are a killer disease! Blanche Hunt: Good looks are a curse, Deirdre. In 1961 Ena was sacked for spreading a rumour that Coronation Street was to be demolished when it turned out to be untrue, but Swindley was forced to re-hire her when a suitable replacement could not be found (Ena had bribed the other candidates to turn the job down). It's Dougie Ferguson he's been hurt. In March of 1963 her sister Alice Raybould died aged 80. It's going to cost another 300 quid to get it fixed, but I figure only bright spots like Rosie would notice and she's probably going to be your accountant in a few years' time and with you being so busy I'm going to have to start coming into the office and doing your admin full time, but don't worry Kevin I'm not expecting any wages, 'cos you'll still be in charge of the lads, and you do what you're good at, and I'll do what I'm good at, and Rosie can go to Oak Hill, the apostrophe can stay where it is because in a way it's all fate, isn't it? No wonder some people emigrate. A disoriented Ena was later caught accidentally stealing from a supermarket. Vera had debts to pay but hadn't the money to pay them, so Ena gave her the money, despite it being all her savings. And you made me feel it was my fault! Seven? Sell your art Login Signup. Despite her willingness to gossip Ena was very guarded about her private life, and berated Martha for discussing her health problems with Ena's daughter, Vera Lomax (Ruth Holden). The community the Mission served - a working class backstreet with a raincoat factory close by - gave Ena plenty of ammunition for gossip, and a reason to voice her disapproval, under pretension of upholding the Lord's work. Unfortunately all subsequent storylines involving Ena had to be scrapped owing to Carson being too ill to appear, due to the symptoms of pernicious anemia. Betty Turpin: Well, that's what we used to say. Leanne Battersby: You can talk. Blanche Hunt: [to Tracy] You're remarkably chipper. Oh naughty Blanche! Later in the year, while Ena and most of the street residents were attending the wedding of Jerry Booth and Myra Dickinson, Michael broke into the vestry and robbed it, taking or trashing most of Ena's most treasured possessions. The character was absent for several spells in the late 1970s but Carson always returned when she was able - similarly, she was expected to return after her appearance in Episode 1983 (2nd April 1980) but the actress suffered a serious bout of anaemia and could not return. Valerie Tatlock: Well what's wrong with it? You'd rather stay here and nurse poor little Sunita! Ena was pleased, as it occupied the exact spot where the vestry had been. Ena also had a son, Ian, but due to her poor nutrition during the years she and Alfred struggled for work, Ian died soon after birth. Ena decided to once again move back to St Annes, telling committee man Ken Barlow that she'd be the one to decide when she'd come back, if she came back. I've never heard so much self-indulgent whinging in all my life! Ena occasionally went to stay with Colin and his family after Vera's death. Minnie obliged. 4 Mar. The two women rowed in the street, having to be pulled apart; Ena even broke a window with her purse. Ena lived there with Vera until Vera moved out in 1946. However, her health remained a point of contention. Richard Hillman: Why can't they leave us alone? Violet Helen Carson, OBE (1 September 1898 - 26 December 1983) was a British actress of radio, stage and television, and a singer and pianist, who had a long and celebrated career as an actress and performer during the early days of BBC Radio, and during the last two decades of her life as the matronly Christian widow, town gossip and elderly battle-axe Ena Sharples in the ITV television . Frankie Baldwin: Will it make him better? Blanche Hunt: He looks like he should be crayoning summat. Violet Carson died on 26th December 1983. As caretaker of the Mission of Glad Tidings, it was her responsibility to act in the best interests of the Mission's constituency, as her behaviour in public reflected on them. David Platt: Yeah, maybe Eileen has a son that we don't know about. She won't hear you - she's as deaf as a post! Carson stayed with the show until 2 April 1980. Ena alerted the other residents about it and Val was rescued. Ena Sharples Quotes & Sayings. Don't go away. Within the world of Coronation Street it is synonymous with the character of Ena Sharples who wore one in almost all appearances she made in the programme from Episode 5 (23rd December 1960) (when the character was hospitalised) to Episode 1983 (2nd April 1980) with very few exceptions. Blanche Hunt: Ken recently had an affair with an actress. Carson's love/hate relationship with the character was well known. In 2010, a short online video titled Ken: A Life on the Street confirmed that she was no longer alive when Ken Barlow told his grandson Simon that she was "long dead now". Ena Sharples: If that's Old King Cole I'm Huckleberry Hound; if you don't know what you're watching you want to keep your trap shut. I can do better. Gail Potter: David's been through the wringer. "I'm fast coming to the conclusion, Albert Tatlock, that the air up there is much more to my liking than it is round 'ere these days. There was an instant chemistry, but Ena was upset to learn he was already married and broke contact with him. Ena and Albert became close enough that he would stay with her family while on leave but, when he asked her if she wanted to be more than friends, she declined, stating that she was still mourning Phil. [He smiles at her; they kiss]. I just said it out loud. Weatherfield She cared for her family and friends but her tough exterior, hardened by a tragic life, many years of widowhood, and living through two world wars and a Depression, was difficult for anyone to crack, and Ena preferred it that way. 6, a purpose-built OAP ground floor flat. When it comes to screwing money out of people, she does it very well! Ena had been aware of the many men Elsie had entertained at No.11 over the years, and strongly disapproved considering she was still married and opined that she was putting her own needs above those of her children.