Blanche Hunt (also Linfield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in August 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 840 episodes from 1974 to her death in December 2009. The character subsequently died off screen in May 2010. Blanche was the mother of Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride), grandmother of Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) and great-grandmother of Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney). Her storylines have revolved around her family life, various romances and her "acerbic tongue". The character's "gallows humour" has been well received by critics, and saw Jones win The British Soap Award for "Best Comedy Performance" in 2005 and 2008. Blanche has been described as "a true Coronation Street icon".