Coronation Street fans have claimed that iconic character Hilda Ogden could be about to return to the cobbles in a shocking twist
Coronation Street fans are speculating about the potential return of a legendary character to the cobbles.
Television icon Hilda Ogden, portrayed by Jean Alexander, is one of the soap’s most memorable characters, having first appeared on the scene in 1964. As the much-loved cleaning lady at Rovers Return, Hilda was involved in numerous significant storylines.
Her most notable plots revolved around her relationship with her husband Stan, played by Bernard Youens. Hilda, known for her nosy nature, curlers and headscarf, was even voted the greatest TV character in a Radio Times poll of over 5,000 people.
Jean Alexander’s portrayal of Hilda earned her a BAFTA in 1988. However, after 23 years on the street, Hilda bid farewell when Jean decided to leave the show.
Her departure scenes, aired on 25 December 1987, attracted nearly 27 million viewers, setting a record for the highest viewership in the show’s history, reports Leicestershire Live.
In the storyline, Hilda left to start a new life in Hartington, caring for Doctor Lowther, played by David Scase. Since then, Hilda has been mentioned occasionally. In 1998, it was revealed that she was still residing in Derbyshire.
After leaving Coronation Street, Jean featured in shows like Heartbeat. She announced her retirement in 2012, two years after her last TV appearance. Tragically, in 2016, she passed away just three days after celebrating her 90th birthday.
Speculation is rife among Coronation Street enthusiasts about the fate of Hilda Ogden, who hasn’t graced Weatherfield since her departure (she would have celebrated her 101st birthday). Fans are buzzing with theories of a possible comeback tied to a storyline twist involving Ken Barlow, played by William Roache.
On a Coronation Street fan page on Facebook, viewers voice their opinions on current plots, with one particularly fervent fan suggesting the show “bring back the likes of Hilda please”. This sentiment resonated with others, as another chimed in asking: “Are you thinking there may be room for a Hilda ghost appearance? ” Further fuelling the conversation, a third person mused about using technology to revive Hilda, saying, “Hilda was a legend. They might use CGI lol.”
Adding to the creative speculation, a fourth individual pondered whether Hilda might appear as a hallucination in an ongoing plot where Ken’s carer, Cassie Plummer (portrayed by Claire Sweeney), has him under the influence of drugs, sharing: “Could always use AI to make Hilda a figment of Ken’s imagination while drugged from Cassie?”
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX
