Dame Maureen Lipman has said she is ready for a “bloody big part” as she approaches her 80th birthday. The actress, who is currently taking a sabbatical from Coronation Street, will return to the stage in a new comedy, Allegra, about an ageing eccentric who cannot help bursting into song. The play begins in Brighton on May 12, two days after her birthday, before touring the UK.
Known for her frank and witty manner, Dame Maureen said she had been enjoying the new Take That documentary on Netflix, praising it as a story of hard work, talent and joy, and the isolation of fame. She also spoke of her admiration for Harry Styles, saying the singer “has got it” and knows how to strike a careful balance in the business.
The newlywed married her second husband, David Turner, last September. The couple first met when she was 16 and he was 17, but did not reconnect until 60 years later at a lunch for elderly single people. Dame Maureen proposed on bended knee in the summer of 2024. Their wedding day included a ceremony at the London home of David's son, a vintage car ride, a Scrabble board-inspired cake, and the government's emergency alert sounding on guests' phones.
Speaking about her time away from Coronation Street, where her character Evelyn Plummer has gone to university to study law, Dame Maureen said she loves the show but does not know when she will return. She told producers at Christmas that she would come back only if given a proper storyline, insisting she does not want to simply stand in the Rovers Return and announce her return.
Reflecting on her life, Dame Maureen described herself as “an actress, a wife, mother…serial marrier”, joking that she was trying to catch up with Elizabeth Taylor. She was previously married to playwright Jack Rosenthal, who died in 2004, and had a 13-year relationship with computer expert Guido Castro, who died in 2021.
