Former Coronation Street star Wendi Peters has revealed she has stopped watching the long-running ITV soap, blaming a shift towards excessive 'doom and gloom' and a noticeable lack of the comedy that once defined the cobbles.
From Fan to Street Legend: The Birth of Cilla Battersby
Peters, who famously portrayed the loud and mischievous Cilla Battersby-Brown for four years from 2003, landed the life-changing role while on holiday in Spain. "I got a phone call from my agent," she recalls. Upon returning, she headed to Manchester for an audition, deliberately exaggerating her natural Lancashire accent to create Cilla's distinctive, squeaky voice. She saw the character as a "strong, northern battleaxe" who was warm and funny on the page.
What began as a standard six-month contract turned into a memorable stint. "I kept coming back for more because I was thrilled with what they did with the character," Peters explains. Cilla evolved from being mischievous into a full-blown "monster" and "real trouble-maker," a transformation the actress relished. "It's always more fun playing a baddie," she admits, though she concedes Cilla would have been a "nightmare neighbour."
Favourite Storylines and a Fond Farewell
Among her standout plots was an early clash with Weatherfield icon Rita Sullivan, played by Dame Barbara Knox, which saw Cilla get Rita "banged up for a night." Peters describes the experience of shouting at a legend she used to watch with her grandmother as "surreal." She also fondly remembers a particularly wicked storyline where Cilla faked a terminal cancer diagnosis to scam money for a trip to swim with dolphins.
By 2007, Peters felt it was time to leave, wanting to return to theatre and pantomime and spend more time with her young daughter, Gracie. She departed on good terms, making a brief return in 2014 to help with a storyline for her on-screen daughter, Fiz (Jennie McAlpine).
Why the Cobbles Lost a Viewer
The actress has now stopped tuning in altogether. "The last time I did, it was all doom and gloom," she states. "I rather missed the fact there was no longer any comedy on the cobbles." Peters believes the show is now targeting a younger audience, a shift that has alienated her as a viewer. Would she ever return? Her answer is a classic soap refrain: "Never say never," but only if an "irresistible story" came along.
Her career has flourished away from the Street, with current starring roles in theatre. She is playing Queen Rat in Dick Whittington in Derby until New Year's Eve, before embarking on a national tour from January 19 in 'Glorious!', where she portrays the famously off-key socialite Florence Foster Jenkins.
On a personal note, Peters has found happiness after a difficult period following the end of her marriage. She met her new partner, Gareth Wale, through a dating website for arts professionals two years ago and has since bought a house with him in Leicester.
While grateful for the doors Coronation Street opened, Wendi Peters' viewing habits, like her character Cilla, have now firmly left the cobbles behind.
