George Layton (1961 character)

George Layton was a customer of the Blue Bell Garage's Weatherfield branch where Billy Walker worked from April to August 1961. He back came into the garage the day after bringing in his dark blue saloon and his belligerent attitude led Billy to believe that he was there to make a complaint. After cleaning his hands, Billy listened to Mr Layton who instead praised him for his work, saying he had taken the car into three other garages who had said that the problem was the big end whereas Billy had correctly diagnosed a simple oil pressure problem. Billy's boss, Phil Marsden, overheard Mr Layton showering praise on Billy, giving him a big tip and advising him that the garage would be getting all of his business from now on. As a result, Phil offered Billy the job of being the foreman at a new garage he was planning to open in Chiswick.


 * The character of George Layton was played by Victor Tandy who had been shortlisted to play Albert Tatlock and had indeed appeared as him in the first of the programme's dry runs in 1960 but had been dropped in favour of Jack Howarth.