Final appearance of Mavis Wilton in Coronation Street (10 October 1997)

After 26 years, Thelma Barlow made her last appearance as Mavis in October 1997. Mavis left the Street to run a guesthouse in Cartmel and, thus, parted company with Rita and the Kabin for the last time. You can see Barbara Knox's tears are real, she must've been devastated to see her dear friend depart.
It's often said that she was angered by the sacking of Peter Baldwin and she quit. I believe that is not true as she had wanted to leave two years beforehand. It was possibly the introduction of a fourth weekly episode in 1996 that caused her to leave, but I think she was still upset over the sacking of Peter.
Thelma got a shoddy departure with Mavis leaving part way through the episode. After 26 years she deserved much better. Still, Thelma had the last laugh as she starred in Victoria Wood's masterpiece dinnerladies a year later. And she was marvellous.
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