Anne Reid reveals people thought she was 'downmarket' after doing Corrie

Anne Reid might be known now as one of the nation's most beloved TV stars, but she has admitted that people thought she was "downmarket" for starring in Coronation Street.

The actor, 88, is currently starring in BBC drama The Sixth Commandment about the real-life crimes of Ben Field, and is also recognised for her roles in Dinnerladies, Last Tango in Halifax and Sanditon.

But despite still being offered plenty of work, she told Radio Times that she felt her success had come too late in her career and she wished she had pushed for work earlier on.

Reid played Valerie Barlow in ITV soap Coronation Street from 1961 to 1971, the first wife of Ken Barlow, played by William Roache who is still in the role at 91.

Although fans of Corrie fondly remember her time on the cobbles, Reid said there was a "hangover" from being pigeonholed as a soap star.

Read more: The Sixth Commandment: The true story behind the BBC drama

Asked by the magazine whether landing a part in Coronation Street felt like a big achievement, she said: "Yes, but there was a hangover afterwards – people think you’re a bit downmarket for doing Corrie.

"I get much better roles now, but it’s a bit late. I would have loved to have done some Alan Ayckbourn or Noël Coward, but I didn’t fight for it. If I lived again, I would. I didn’t have the confidence – but now I do!"

Although Reid picked up plenty of work following her soap exit, it involved a lot of one-episode appearances or short stints.

She explained that work started to pick up for her again when she began working with Victoria Wood, whose comedy shows she had made a number of cameos in before landing the role of Jean in sitcom Dinnerladies in 1998.

Reid said the sitcom turned things around for her because "people realised I could do comedy and Vic got huge viewing figures for everything she did".

She can be seen as Ann Moore-Martin in The Sixth Commandment where she stars alongside Timothy Spall as Peter Farquhar.

The drama follows the real life case of lecturer Farquhar's student Ben Field, who started a relationship with Farquhar and murdered him before trying to target his neighbour Moore-Martin.

Reid said of playing Moore-Martin: "It makes you sort of question your own life. It's very difficult to judge relationships. Often you look at other people and you wonder ‘Why are they attracted to each other?’"