A number of actors have portrayed multiple characters in Coronation Street, and one of the most prolific of those, Elizabeth Rider, is on her way back to Weatherfield to undertake her third role.
Elizabeth first showed up on the cobbles 20 years ago in 2006, as Kathleen Gutteridge, the biological mum of Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold), who abandoned him at birth.
Upon Fred Elliott’s (John Savident) revelation that he was Ashley’s real dad, Ashley endeavoured to find his mum, though Fred warned against it, concerned that it would upset Ashley’s adoptive mum Beryl Peacock (Anny Tobin), who was really his aunty and to whom Fred had given Ashley to raise as her own.
Though the relationship between Ashley and Kathleen was incredibly frosty at first, he eventually thawed toward his mum, and she was invited to attend his wedding to Maxine Heavey (Tracy Shaw), ducking a come-on attempt from Fred.
She later showed up as Genna, a social worker involved in the process of Les Battersby-Brown (Bruce Jones) adopting his step-son, Chesney (Sam Aston).
Speaking to The Sun, a source said: ‘Corrie bosses are delighted to have tempted Elizabeth for a short stint on the cobbles.
‘She’s a legendary actress with a huge amount of talent and everyone’s thrilled she’s here.’
Elizabeth is absolutely no stranger to Soapland.
She’s notched four roles in The Bill as Tina Rogers, Josephine Eyre, Sarah Callaghan and Diane Silk, two turns in Casualty as Cathy Malone and Bev Elliott and four roles in Holby City as Linda Haywood, Annie Franklin, Carol Bennett and Polly Thomas.
She later had a ten episode run over four years in EastEnders as Nurse Jill Green, three turns in Doctors as Denise Roberts, Louise McBride and Lynette Driver, four roles in Emmerdale as Fiona MacPherson, an unnamed doctor, a defence solicitor and another solicitor and the role of Sheila Hanson in Waterloo Road.
It isn’t just soap that Elizabeth has made a massive impact on, becoming one of the most recognisable figures on British television with an incredibly strong and varied resume of previous roles.
She appeared in both the second and third series of the drama At Home with the Braithwaites in 2001 and 2002, as Helen Braithwaite, while also appearing in Heartbeat, The Street, The Accused, The Tunnel, Call the Midwife, Informer and the 2013 Doctor Who Christmas special, The Time of the Doctor.
On the big screen, Elizabeth has had roles in Breakout, Sacred Hearts, The Wrong Type, Stone Cold, Brothers of the Head and Letters from Baghdad
She even dipped her toe into voice acting, providing the vocal acting for Atris in the video game: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.
Elizabeth began her career when she underwent training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she was eventually awarded its Gold Medal, the institution’s premier music prize, which was founded by Sir H. Dixon Kimber in 1915.
Since the 1950s it has been open to singers and instrumentalists in alternate years.
From her graduation, Elizabeth joined the Radio Drama Company after winning the Carleton Hobbs Bursary, just before landing her first television acting job, portraying Nora in the 1979 series Testament of Youth.
