One of Coronation Street’s best-known faces has retired at 90 to make a short film.
Thelma Barlow, who played the iconic character Mavis for 26 years, stars in Sleepless In Settle, about a woman trying to find a wife for her son.
Mrs Barlow, aged 95 and living in Faversham, Kent, said of the filming: ‘It was an action-packed three days. It took me back to my early days as a theater rep.”
Actress Judy Flynn, who wrote and directed the film, worked with Barlow in the 1990s on the sitcom Dinnerladies starring Victoria Wood.
She said: ‘We met again on her 90th birthday and I asked if I could write something special for her and she agreed.
Thelma Barlow has come out of retirement to star in a comedy film
Barlow (right) is best known for playing Mavis on Coronation Street for 26 years
‘Filming with Thelma was a real pleasure. She had so much energy and was full of ideas.”
Ms Flynn hopes to screen the 20-minute comedy – which was filmed in Rye, East Sussex – at festivals across the UK.