Mavis Wilton
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| Coronation Street character | |
| Mavis Wilton | |
|---|---|
| Played by | Thelma Barlow |
| Duration | 1971–1997 |
| Marital Status | Widowed |
| Occupation | Shop worker |
| Family | Derek |
Mavis Wilton, née Riley, was one of Coronation Street's most renowned characters between 1971 and 1997.
Although born in Weatherfield, Mavis was brought up in Grange-Over-Sands, where her parents, despite being tee-total, ran an off licence. Mavis first appeared in the Street in 1971, as bridesmaid at the marriage of Emily Nugent and Ernest Bishop. She was later to secure jobs at the local vets as a receptionist and the corner shop, but a more lasting job came when she was hired by Rita Littlewood to work at The Kabin newsagents at 14 Rosamund Street (just round the corner from Coronation Street itself). Mavis and Rita were complete opposites - Rita sexy and self assured, Mavis mouse-like and dowdy - but they worked together very well and a genuine bond of love and affection was formed between them. Rita often despaired at the wrong choices Mavis made in life, particularly when it came to men, and outsiders might have thought that Rita bullied her; in reality, Rita was only looking out for her.
In 1983, the unthinkable happened when not one but two men wanted to marry her. She had to choose between Victor Pendlebury or Derek Wilton. In the end she choose Derek, but jilted him at the altar as she wasn't convinced of the strength of her feelings for him. Her guilt at having done this turned to indignation when she learned that Derek had jilted her too, as he felt the same.
However, Derek was the only man for her. When Mavis finally said "I do" to him in September 1988, she meant it. Her marriage to Derek was a happy one - the other residents of Coronation Street looked upon them as something of a joke, but neither cared as they had each other. They would spend evenings reading aloud to each other - they considered Wuthering Heights to be their book, or reading the newspapers and discussing the events of the day.
Their happiness was cut short in 1997 when Derek died suddenly of a heart attack. Mavis was quick to hit out at his funeral, at the people who had considered them a joke, saying that they had loved each other and that was all that mattered.
Mavis surprised Rita when she suggested that they should go into business together. They discussed the possibility of running a guest house in Cartmel, a town in the Lake District. Rita went along with this for a while, but both realised it was a bad idea - as Rita said "We'd end up throttling each other before t'week were out." Mavis went ahead with the idea, bought the guest house, and Mavis and Rita had an emotional farewell, ending a partnership of 25 years.
