Absolutely Fabulous icon and acclaimed comedian Helen Lederer will guest star in Coronation Street over the coming weeks, alongside Ken Barlow (William Roache CBE).
Silver Fox Ken will “prove he still has what it takes to woo the ladies” when he catches the eye of Elspeth, played by Helen, during a singles cocktail night at the Chariot Square Hotel.
ITV said: “Having sent drinks over to Ken and his son in law Steve, Elspeth is invited to join them, leaving Steve gutted that his octogenarian father-in-law has managed to hit it off with an attractive lady whilst he hasn’t met anyone.”
When will Helen Lederer as Elspeth be on Coronation Street?
Helen Lederer to guest star in Coronation Street 🌟
— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) March 17, 2024
Silver Fox Ken Barlow will prove he still has what it takes to woo the ladies when he catches the eye of Elspeth, played by Helen!
👇 Read more👇 https://t.co/lkFyaAeVt5#Corrie @HelenLederer pic.twitter.com/LxbBoEoqJI
Helen will guest star as Elspeth in Corrie on Wednesday, March 27 on ITV1 and ITVX.
Describing what viewers can expect from her character, Helen told ITV: “Elspeth is quite a forward person. She is someone who is not afraid to put lipstick on and her hair done, make an effort with her nails and pull the velvet draped dress over her slightly fuller figure and sit at the bar by herself with an open heart and an open mind. She is bold and proud to be there on her own and speak to people.”
Speaking about how Elspeth gets Ken’s attention, Helen added: “This is where she is bold, she does something which is often something that men will do to women.
“She gets Debbie to send over two drinks to Ken and Steve to get Ken’s attention. I think bold is a very keyword now for this generation of women of a certain age who still want to live their life.
“If she wants to have a chat with a person she thinks ‘I'll do that’. So many people would have the fear of being rejected but she doesn’t. She takes the initiative and she is not disappointed as Ken is open to getting to know her.”
Helen Lederer 'most definitely' wants to return to Coronation Street
When it came to spending time with some of the nation's most loved actors on the cobbles, Helen said the “icing on the cake” during her time on set was being shown around by Sue Devaney who plays Debbie.
Helen, who also starred in The Real Full Monty to raise money for breast cancer in 2018, said: “I got settled and I just watched in awe as all these people came onto set and were so professional. To be there and watch these incredible actors who are so comfortable and brilliant at what they do was a joy.
“Simon Gregson who plays Steve is hilarious, so funny and Bill was such a charming lovely man.
“The three of us sat at the table and in between takes we had wonderful conversations about Scrabble and other board games we love. It was so random. Everyone really put me at my ease.”
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Helen also revealed she would “most definitely” love to return to Corrie for Elspeth and Ken to pursue their budding romance.
She explained: “Ken had Steve to deal with but he was certainly interested in her.
"He definitely made sure he got her number, he initiated it.
"So who knows one day he might actually call her and I can come back to Weatherfield.”
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