Coronation Street star Maureen Lipman left The One Show viewers astonished on Monday (April 27) as she appeared on the programme just weeks before her 80th birthday. The actress, best known for playing Evelyn Plummer on the ITV soap, was on the show to discuss her upcoming stage tour.
Lipman, who turns 80 next month, will star in a new comedy play titled 'Allegra', written by Peter Quilter. The production follows a relentlessly optimistic woman who bursts into song in everyday situations, causing disruption in her village. The tour opens at Theatre Royal Brighton in the week of her milestone birthday, marking her first major UK tour in two decades.
During the interview with hosts Alex Jones and Roman Kemp, Lipman described her character: "She's relentlessly happy and it drives everyone mad... I have to sing, I have to dance and I have to speak - all at the same time." She added that the play aims to bring joy amid "a world of vitriol and nastiness."
Viewers at home were quick to comment on Lipman's youthful appearance. One wrote on social media: "Maureen Lipman is 80 next month. You'd think she was about 30 years younger!" Another added: "Maureen Lipman is looking well." A third simply exclaimed: "80??!!"
