Profile of Betty Driver on Famous Like Me

Elizabeth (Betty) Driver, MBE (born May 20, 1920) is a British singer and actress. She was born in Leicester.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she became famous as a singer in big bands. She appeared for many years on the radio show Henry Hall's Guest Night and on her own radio show, A Date with Betty. She recorded many popular tunes in the 1940s and became an established singer during this time.

She then moved into acting on the stage in the West End. In 1964, she auditioned for the role of Hilda Ogden on the television series Coronation Street (the role went to actress Jean Alexander as the casting directors wanted someone who did not weigh as much). She was cast later in the series Pardon the Expression, a spinoff of Coronation Street. After a much-publicized injury (she damaged her back after the script called for throwing series regular Arthur Lowe), she retired and started running a pub with her family in Cheshire.

In 1969, she was convinced to come out of retirement to be a barmaid on television. She was hired to play policeman's wife 'Betty Turpin' on Coronation Street, a role she has played ever since.

Driver has written a memoir on her years in radio and television, called Betty.

Betty Turpin's story

As an actress, she has shown great range. She has realistically portrayed a woman beset with many problems. For example, Driver's character had to grieve the loss of two husbands (her husbands, Cyril and Billy, both died as a result of heart attacks). She was also forced to tell her nephew that she was not his aunt, but his biological mother, when a greedy family across the Street found his incriminating birth certificate. Mostly, however, Betty has done light work in helping pull pints at the Rovers' Return. She has also served as a maternal mentor to fellow barmaid Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear).

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