Doris Speed Doris Speed MBE ( 3rd February , 1899 - 16th November , 1994 ) was a British actress , best known for her role as snooty Rovers Return Inn landlady Annie Walker , a role she played from the debut episode of " Coronation Street " in December 1960 till 1983 . By her own admission , Doris didn ' t have a childhood . Her parents , George and Ada Speed were music hall ( vaudeville ) artists , appearing in a different venue every week . Doris made her debut at four , singing a song about a gollywog . From then on she was hooked , and wanted nothing more than to be an actress . In one version of the story , when she auditioned for the part of Annie Walker in 1960 , she had almost left acting to work for the Guinness brewery in Manchester and was on the point of retiring when she landed a small part in the 1960 film " Hell Is A City " before being cast in the first episode of " Coronation Street " . However in 1983 , the " Daily Mirror " printed a story that she had joined the brewery in May 1920 as a clerk and worked her way upwards to be personal secretary to a regional manager . Whatever the truth of the story , professional parts credited to Ms Speed prior to 1960 are elusive . Unbeknown to her , Tony Warren had written the part specially for her . He had seen her playing Judith Bliss in Noël Coward ' s " Hay Fever " ( to this day he still considers her the finest actress to have ever played that part ) and had made a mental note of her - " One day , I ' ll write a wonderful part for you ! " he said . " She wore a purple dress with a silver stripe , and when Judith Bliss was supposed to be indignant , the silver sash would quiver . . . now it takes real talent to be able to do that . . . or a certain type of physique ! " Arthur Leslie , who played husband Jack Walker tragically died on 30th June 1970 , bringing to and end a celebrated on - screen partnership ; beautifully written scenes between the two of them were played with equally superb comic timing . Doris , who had played opposite Arthur for almost ten years was devastated by his death , yet was to continue in the show for another thirteen years . In the storyline , Jack died suddenly while visiting his daughter Joan Davies in Derby . Out of respect for Mr Leslie ' s family , all scenes of mourning took place " off stage " , and Annie returned to take control of the Rovers as sole licensee . In reality , Doris said at the time that she had seriously contemplated quitting at this time , but " . . . Arthur always said the show must go on . . . and so it will . " For the remainder of her time in the programme , a series of wonderful storylines , most of them comedic , where devised for her , as Annie ruled her " little kingdom " as she referred to it with a rod of iron , her staff of Bet Lynch , Betty Turpin and Fred Gee looking resentfully on . This was a " golden era " for the programme , and the viewing public adored the sparring of Bet , Betty and Fred , while Annie looked on balefully , her withering gaze ( which Doris based on her Aunt Bessie ! ) never far from the surface . In 1974 , a storyline was devised in which the residents staged a production of " The Importance of Being Earnest " , Annie played Lady Bracknell , and Doris ' s comic timing and superb delivery showed off her acting talents perfectly , proving her versatility . Doris would always arrive early at Granada Quay Street studios in Manchester . She always wanted to do " The Times " cryptic crossword before the commencement of work , and Jean Alexander once remarked that she usually completed it in twenty minutes . When Jean told her how much she admired that skill , Doris replied , " Well dear , the words are not necessarily right , but at least they fit in the boxes ! " All whoever worked with her said what a joy she was to be around , often breaking the tension of a long , and stressful studio day with a merry quip or even a comedic song . She was famous for , for many years , adjusting her stocking tops in a very coquettish way as the elderly Jack Howarth , who played Albert Tatlock , entered the room . Howarth , a noted wit himself , would then mutter : " If she does that one more time , I ' ll tell her where babies come from ! " Another memorable incident occurred when Roger Brierley , an immensely tall actor , during camera rehearsal for his scenes as Lanky Potts in 1976 , was constantly bobbing from side to side . After the rehearsal had finished , Doris asked , " What on earth were you DOING , dear ? " Brierley replied that , being so much taller than the diminutive Doris , the cameras were having trouble getting them in the same shot . " You see , I don ' t want to cast a shadow on your face , Miss Speed . " Drawing herself up to her full height , Doris replied , in her steeliest " Annie Walker " voice , " Young man ! The dole queues of Manchester are full of actors who dared to cast a shadow on the face of the great Doris Speed ! " It was only when he saw the unmistakable twinkle in her eye that he dared to laugh . Doris never married , living with her elderly mother who was her closest companion . However , their relationship was not all plain - sailing . In 1967 , the programme featured one of its most dramatic storylines , when the viaduct ( train bridge ) to the south of the street collapsed , covering the street in rubble and trapping several of its residents . Jack Walker was thought to be buried under the rubble , but later turned up safe and well . The usually reserved Annie was delighted to see him and sobbed uncontrollably in his arms . As the credits rolled , Doris , feeling justifiably proud of her ( excellent ) performance , asked her mother what she thought . After an ominously long pause , her mother replied , " Was that your apron , dear , or did the wardrobe department give it to you ? " Doris refused to speak to her for a fortnight . After the death of her mother , Doris became somewhat vague and forgetful . Her health became a source of worry for the bosses at Granada and they were forced to write her out of the storyline for long periods of time , making excuse that she was staying with her daughter Joan in Derby . She had trouble remembering her lines ; Betty Driver said that Doris asked her one day in the studio , " Are you going to sit like that all the way through the scene ? " Betty replied she was . " You ' re not going to turn to camera ? " " Well , no . . . " " Oh , good dear ! " was the reply and Doris proceeded to write her script on Betty ' s arm so she could read off it ! ( It has often been said - but fiercely denied by her colleagues - that when Doris was in the prime of her performance , her famous ' stare into the mid - distance ' , implying that she was a ' cut above ' the people around her was in fact a cover for the fact that she was reading her script off studios monitors ; Julie Goodyear once fiercely told a reporter , " Acting geniuses like Doris don ' t need ' idiot boards ' . " ) Props had always frustrated her , but when she became older and more and more infirm , even the simplest of tasks , such as emptying the pub ashtrays or putting out bar mats led to her fluffing , or even forgetting her lines , something which frustrated her greatly , being such a perfectionist who prided herself on a job well done . When one colleague , who had worked with her for half a lifetime saw her reduced to tears of anger and frustration on the studio floor after " ruining " three takes , they said it was heartbreaking to watch . Throughout her twenty - three years on the programme , she reportedly received more fan mail than any other " Street " actor . Her darkest hour came on 7th October 1983 after the " Daily Mirror " broke the story in its diary column that she was not sixty - nine as she claimed but eighty - four ( despite her various health problems , Doris always looked marvellous for her age ) . Contrary to popular belief , her birth certificate was not printed to accompany the piece . This callous action from the newspaper was roundly condemned from all quarters , particularly from members of the acting profession . The general consensus from public and media alike was what was the point of victimising an elderly lady who had always acted with the utmost decorum , had never before given any cause for scandal to be raked up about her , was so loved by the British public ? Doris was devastated . She returned briefly to the programme , but the " Mirror " ' s story caused her to have a relapse , and she collapsed while filming a scene behind the famous bar of the Rovers Return , much to the horror of the studio staff . Worse was yet to come ; her home in Chorlton , Manchester was broken into by two young thugs . Doris locked herself in her bedroom , called the police , and had to listen , heartbroken , as the thugs either stole or destroyed everything she held dear , precious memories of her beloved mum Ada gone forever . It was the final blow , and she was never to return to the " Street " after appearing in 1746 episodes . She lived the rest of her days in a nursing home in Bury , appearing only four more times on television , firstly on " Minnie Caldwell Remembered - A Tribute to Margot Bryant " a tribute programme to the actress that was screened on 4th February 1988 , then a few months later on a charity telethon on 30th May 1988 , once on the 30th anniversary special " Happy Birthday Coronation Street " on 9th December 1990 , and finally on " Classic Coronation Street " on 3rd January 1993 in an interview with her on - screen son Kenneth Farrington . Julie Goodyear insisted that a picture of Annie be placed in a frame of the fireplace of the pub that Bet Gilroy was to take over - she was to remark that Doris was an original , and that she couldn ' t hope to fill her shoes , " merely to place mine next to hers . " She jokingly - and with more than obvious affection - remarked that when the Queen visited the set on 5th May 1982 that , " . . . I ' m not sure whether Doris had finally met her equal , or that it was all rather beneath her ! " The admiration and the esteem that the cast held for her was obvious when they gave her a standing ovation in the aforementioned 30th anniversary special ; Julie Goodyear burst into tears and mouthed " I love you " to her ; Doris responsed by rakishly blowing her a kiss . Doris made several public appearances off - set too ; at the 25th anniversary party of the " Street " in 1985 , opening the " Coronation Street " set to the public as part of the Granada Studios Tours in July 1988 and even book launches for both Tony Warren and Daran Little . Doris retired to a nursing home , where she died in 1994 , aged 95 . She had been smoking a cigarette and reading a copy of the novel " To Sir With Love " when she died peacefully in her sleep . She was awarded the MBE on 29th November , 1977 , for her services to drama in the role of Annie , and , in 1979 , she was delighted to be awarded a PYE Television Award for outstanding contribution to British TV .