Coronation Street favourite to take break form ITV soap as unexpected new role revealed

Coronation Street favourite Maureen Lipman is set to take a short break from the cobbles after it was revealed she'd be taking on another role at the end of the year. Fans are fond of the actress for playing the no-nonsense Evelyn Plummer in the ITV soap.

But Maureen was an acting legend long before she set foot on the famous cobbles. The Hull-born actress trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and worked extensively in the theatre following her début in a stage production of The Knack at the Palace Theatre, Watford.

She was a member of Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company at the Old Vic from 1971 to 1973 and of the Royal Shakespeare Company for its 1973 Stratford season and has continued to work in the theatre for over thirty years. And last year, she took a break from Corrie to return to the stage.

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Maureen, who was made a dame in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to charity, entertainment and the arts, took on the role of Rose in the one-woman show of the same name for sell-out runs at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester and The Park Theatre, London before later taking it into the West End.

But her next role is set to be very different as she's joining the world of panto. She has signed on for the Richmond Theatre's production of Beauty and the Beast. She will be playing Mrs Potty opposite comedian and magician Pete Firman from December 7, 2024, through to January 5, 2025.

A spokesperson for Corrie confirmed Maureen's time away to Digital Spy, saying: "Dame Maureen is taking a sabbatical from Coronation Street towards the end of the year. We look forward to seeing her back on the cobbles in 2025."

Commenting on her casting in the festive production, Maureen said: "They asked me to do Panto and I said 'Oh no I can’t' .…. they said 'OH YES YOU CAN!'"

Meanwhile, Chief Executive of Crossroads Pantomimes, Michael Harrison, commented: "With the comic talents of Maureen Lipman and Pete Firman combined, I have absolutely no doubt that Beauty and The Beast at Richmond Theatre is going to be a truly hilarious Christmas treat for all the family."