Ivy Tilsley

Ivy Tilsley
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Lynne Perrie
Duration	1971–1972, 1974–1994[1]
First appearance	Episode 1086 14 June 1971
Last appearance	Episode 3676 25 March 1994
Book appearances	Coronation Street: The Complete Saga
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Machinist
Family Father Jim Nelson Mother Alice Nelson Sisters Sheila Nelson Husband Bert Tilsley (1956-1984) Don Brennan (1988–1995) Sons Brian Tilsley Stepsons Gordon Brennan (1988–1995) Stepdaughters Margaret Bell (1988-1995) Eileen Brennan (1988-1995) Grandsons Nick Tilsley Granddaughters Sarah Platt Nieces Noreen Other relatives Lynette

Ivy Joan Tilsley (also Nelson and Brennan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, played by Lynne Perrie. She was originally credited as Ivy Tyldesley. Ivy worked as a machinist at Mike Baldwin's (Johnny Briggs) factory, and was elevated to supervisor. Her best friend was Vera Duckworth (Elizabeth Dawn). In the 1975 episode where the factory was burnt down, Ivy mentions that she is childless and her husband's name is "Jack"; before that, her husband was called "Wilf Tyldesley", and before that "Arthur". Jack himself made two appearances in 1975. By the time she became a street resident and a more regular character, her husband was named "Bert" and they had an adult son, Brian (Christopher Quinten).^[2]

As well as being the mother of Brian, Ivy is the grandmother of Nick Tilsley (Warren Jackson, Adam Rickett, Ben Price) and Sarah Platt (Lynsay & Leah King, Tina O'Brien) and the great-grandmother of Bethany Platt (Amy & Emily Walton, Lucy Fallon), Billy Platt and Harry Platt. Ivy's storylines have included her feud with daughter-in-law Gail Tilsley (Helen Worth), losing her husband and son and her relationship with Don Brennan (Geoffrey Hinsliff).

Storylines

Ivy is introduced as a worker at the Mark Brittain warehouse. Ivy and another worker Edna Gee (Mavis Rogerson) started spreading rumours that Elsie Tanner's (Pat Phoenix) husband Alan Howard (Alan Browning) was having an affair In 1975, the warehouse burned to the ground and Edna Gee died. Ivy soon began working for Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) at Baldwin's Casuals. She opposed Brian's relationship with Gail Potter (Helen Worth), however the couple married in 1979 in a Catholic ceremony and she was overjoyed when Gail and Brian announced they were expecting a child. Ivy didn't approve of Gail's choice to return to work and leaving Nick with a childminder. Bert's health began to decline and he died in 1984 in a psychiatric hospital. Ivy began interfering in Brian and Gail's marriage. In 1986, Gail became pregnant again and Sarah-Louise was born in February 1987, however, there were doubts about her paternity due to Gail's affair with Brian's cousin, Ian Latimer (Michael Loney). After a paternity test, it is proved Brian is Sarah-Louise's father. Despite this, Ivy never truly accepted Sarah-Louise as her granddaughter, and most of her affections went to her grandson Nicky. After a short-lived romance with a warehouseman from the factory (whom she dumped when she learned he was divorced), Ivy met Don Brennan one night when he drove her home in his taxi. Don was a widower, and the couple were happy for a while and they married in 1988. Ivy is grief-stricken in 1989 when Brian is killed by being stabbed outside a nightclub.

The tension continued between Ivy and Gail and Ivy was scandalised when Gail married Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), who was 11 years her junior. When Gail found out she was pregnant in 1990, she planned to have an abortion, but Martin found out and persuaded Gail not to have an abortion. When Gail announced her pregnancy to the family, Ivy was horrified and she insisted that Gail and Martin married as she didn't want the child to have the surname Tilsley. Ivy gives Gail a scare by telling her that Martin was involved in a car crash with a woman named Elizabeth.^[3][4] Ivy was against Martin adopting Nick and Sarah-Louise as it meant their surnames would change from Tilsley to Platt. Meanwhile, Ivy updated the terms of her will, where she stated that in order to inherit, Nick had to change his surname back to Tilsley. Sarah-Louise escaped this condition as Ivy said that Sarah-Louise would probably change her name in future. Despite trying to fight the adoption, Nick and Sarah-Louise were allowed to be adopted. Ivy's bitterness toward Gail came between them and Don was tempted to stray. With their marriage broken down, Ivy went long-term retreat in a convent, where she had a heart attack and died in her sleep.

One year after her death, Ivy's meddling continued beyond the grave. She had always wanted grandson Nicky to retain the surname Tilsley, and stipulated in her will that Nicky would inherit her house (No5) - but only if he reverted from Platt to Tilsley, much to Gail and Martin's annoyance, leaving Don and Sarah-Louise nothing. Husband Don was almost evicted as the Platts and Don fought over Ivy's legacy, eventually ending with Don buying No5 from Nick for £12,000. Nick finally changed back to Tilsley, after Martin and Gail accepted it, and now the owner of Ivy's will. Five years later, when her granddaughter Sarah (now as Tina O'Brien) was pregnant at 13 years old, Gail realized that Ivy was right all along, and wished that she remained widowed of Brian's marriage, instead marrying Martin, when she discover that he had an affair.

Ivy's legacy to Gail caused a feud with Eileen Grimshaw, just like her relationship with her former mother-in-law. In July 2004, Eileen then discover Gail past between her feud relationship with Ivy. In December 2006, Ivy's old diary was discovered in the loft of Number 5 by Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent), who visited her friend Chesney Battersby-Brown (Sam Aston), then residing in the house with his mother Cilla (Wendi Peters), stepfather Les (Bruce Jones) and his sister Fiz's (Jennie McAlpine) boyfriend, Kirk Sutherland (Andrew Whyment). Sophie used the diary to fool several residents into thinking she was psychic by referencing past events written in the diary. David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), demanded the diary be given to him and read it. He and Maria Sutherland (Samia Ghadie) were amused by it until Maria read a particular passage, containing information about Ivy's bitterness toward Gail and David's father, Martin, and the fact that Gail had intended to have an abortion. David then wrapped the diary as a Christmas present, addressed to Gail. David subsequently read this to his whole family and their dinner guests, the Websters.

In June 2015, Eileen taunted Gail about her relationship and feud with Ivy causing Gail anger at her. Gail later mentions this to Kylie (Paula Lane) about Ivy. In January 2017, after discovering that Steve McDonald was the real father of Leanne baby, Nick went to visit her graveyard and wish that she was alive and helped him.

Creation

Casting and characterisation

Perrie joined Coronation Street in 1971 as a semi-regular character before joining full time in 1979.^[5] In 1994, Perrie was written out of Coronation Street as she was sacked by the studio bosses.^[6] The character of Ivy was described as a woman who had "a sharp tongue and staunch Roman Catholic beliefs".^[7]

Departure

In March 1994, without consulting her Coronation Street bosses, Perrie had cosmetic surgery to make her lips look fuller, but the results were unflattering, and Perrie was sacked from the show after twenty-three years as Ivy. The press speculated that her departure was a direct result of her plastic surgery, though Perrie denied this, insisting that she felt that her character had simply run its course. This version of events matched accounts given by the show's then producer Carolyn Reynolds. Ivy Tilsley died off-screen the following year.

See also

List of Coronation Street characters (1971)

References