Roy Barraclough-Gap Rating 6/10

He is a comic actor, best known for his role as the shifty, lugubrious landlord of the Rovers Return in the long running British TV soap Coronation Street (1972, 1986 - 1992; Summer 1995; 10 April 1996 - 30 December 1998) where he formed an on-screen partnership with Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear).

Throughout the 1970s he formed a brilliant partnership with the late comedian Les Dawson. They played too grotesque old ladies '...of a certain age...', Dawson playing Ada Shufflebotham, Roy playing Cissy, the more 'refined' of the two.

Roy had made occasional appearances in Coronation Street in the 1970's, playing the rather sleazy Alec Gilroy, theatrical agent to night club singer Rita Littlewood. He returned on a permanant basis in 1986, as manager of The Grafitti Club, a night club on COronation St. On the 9th of September 1986, he married Bet Lynch, former manageress of the Rovers Return. Although Bet's main motive in marrying him was to regain control of the pub, a genuine bond developed between the two, despite the opinions of their closest friends who were convinced the union was doomed to failure.

It was almost like a sea-side post card - big buxom woman with a small, over-weight husband - but there was genuine love and affection between the two. Shortly after their marriage, Bet learned she was pregnant, but then lost the child. The scenes between the two, both in their forties, as they grieved for their last chance of having children, were very moving.

Alec Gilroy could have been a very unpleasant character, but Roy brought genuine warmth and humour to the part. His comic timing was utterly brilliant; when Hilda Ogden told Alec that her employee, Dr. Lowther, had proposed to her, Alec muttered - almost as an aside - "'As he gone senile?" - comic timing that Stan Laurel or Tony Hancock would be proud of.

The problem the producers of Coronation Street had was in getting Roy to sign a long-term contract - he always had itchy feet to get back to the theatre, his first love. A debacle in a 1988 episode of This Is Your Life didn't help, when Roy was called back from a holiday in Torremolinos in order to appear on the show. He was told he was needed back in Britain to urgently re-film scenes. He was furious, and appears uncomfortable and ill at ease throughout the episode.

Roy was to later appear in a sit-com, Mother's Ruin, in which he played a bachelor, dominated by his belligerent mother (Dora Bryan). Despite the fact that it was well written and well produced - the format of a parent who selfishly wanted to retain control of her child - had more of a touch of Steptoe and Son about it - the show was not a success. Roy had concentrated mostly on his beloved stage work, and his stage shows are often sell-outs.

In the 2006 New Year's Honours List, Roy was awarded the MBE for charity work - he is a tireless worker for charity - and his acting career.

He currently appears in the surreal comedy drama, Funland on BBC Two and BBC Three.