Coronation Street in 1983 1983 was " Coronation Street " ' s twenty - fourth year . Production . 1983 was one of " Coronation Street " ' s most tumultuous years to date . After taking over as producer at the end of 1982 , Mervyn Watson ' s first episodes were screened at the beginning of the year , with his predecessor Bill Podmore assuming the role of executive producer . In February , the programme resolved one of its most high - profile storylines ever in the Ken - Deirdre - Mike love triangle . According to Podmore , the story was devised as a means to add excitement back into Ken ' s life , as he had become " a very boring man " , a situation recognised by the writers and William Roache . The writers only decided while writing the story that Deirdre would choose to stay with Ken . Famously , the spectators at Old Trafford during a Manchester vs Arsenal match were informed of the outcome of the storyline over the scoreboard . William Tarmey completed his journey from extra to full - time regular when Jack and Vera Duckworth moved into Coronation Street in Chalkie Whitely ' s old house . Their Machiavellian teenage son Terry was introduced at the same time , played by Nigel Pivaro . Terry was first of a new wave of young male characters who debuted in 1983 , the others being nerdy binman Curly Watts and cheerful mechanic Kevin Webster , with Kevin Kennedy and Michael Le Vell joining the cast respectively . Other newcomers included insufferable pensioner Percy Sugden , who took over Ena Sharples ' s old position of Community Centre caretaker , and recurring factory girl Shirley Armitage , the programme ' s first black regular . Aside from the Deirdre / Mike affair , tabloid headlines concerning " Coronation Street " were dominated by scandal . Early in the year , Peter Adamson took time off from the programme to stand trial on charges of indecently assaulting two young girls in a public swimming bath . He was acquitted of the charges , but while on leave from the programme he angered producers by selling his story to a tabloid , in breach of contract . The producers insisted on receiving his assurance that he would not do so again , but Adamson refused and was sacked . To maximise drama , Len ' s off - screen death in a car crash in December was followed by Rita Fairclough ' s discovery that he ' d been visiting his mistress , Marjorie Proctor . The year also saw the final on - screen appearance of Doris Speed as Annie Walker , the original landlady of the Rovers Return , after 23 years . Speed was recovering from a stomach complaint when the " Daily Mirror " printed a story that she was , at 84 , fifteen years older than she claimed publicly . After suffering a relapse , Speed was written out of the programme for the time being . This was shortly followed by a break - in at Speed ' s home by two young thugs , who ransacked the place while the actress hid upstairs waiting for the police . The event was the final straw for Speed who retired immediately afterwards . Peter Dudley , who played Bert Tilsley , suffered a stroke while awaiting a re - trial on a charge of importuning , at which he intended to plead not guilty . The stroke caused Dudley to lose the use of his left arm , which was incorporated into storylines with Bert being injured in a gas explosion . He was subsequently written out to stand trial , but suffered two heart attacks and a stroke and died before it could take place . Both Annie and Bert ' s exits were dealt with the following year . The programme also lost Eddie Yeats when Geoffrey Hughes resigned after nine years . Hughes was disappointed with the decision to have Eddie marry as he viewed the character as a bachelor . Marion Yeats was written out with him . The year also marked the beginning of a lengthy absence for Tracy Langton when Christabel Finch ' s family moved out of Manchester without informing the producers . It was decided not to recast Tracy until some time had passed , as producers felt that viewers would find it jarring . Yet another blow came late in the year when another of the original cast , Patricia Phoenix , decided to leave . Her final scenes - a romantic reunion with her old flame Bill Gregory - were recorded in 1983 but weren ' t shown until January 1984 . Viewing figures . Despite a high public profile throughout the year , " Coronation Streets ratings were only slightly higher than in 1982 , the decade ' s low point . Seven months saw increases over the previous year , with most months seeing only slight climbs or falls . The average figure for the year was 14 . 64 million viewers " ' , an increase of 137k over 1982 . The highest - rated episode of the year was Episode 2285 , transmitted on 23rd February , which gained an audience of 18 . 45 million viewers . The episode concluded the Ken - Deirdre - Mike love triangle with the Barlows deciding to stay together . The programme ' s performance in the viewing charts was very strong , with all episodes charting inside the top 20 , and 48 episodes reaching number one , a total only surpassed in 1962 , 1963 and 1965 and an increase of 12 over 1982 . Who lives where . Coronation Street Rosamund Street Others