Pip Mistral

Pip Mistral was an exotic dancer and showbusiness friend of Charlie Moffitt who caught the attention of Ken Barlow, less than two years after his marriage to Valerie Tatlock. Charlie had only moved into Coronation Street the week before when she called on him at his lodgings at No.5. Her shapely presence immediately attracted the attention of Len Fairclough and Albert Tatlock who saw her enter the house.

Pip was a former trapeze artist whose partners, Frank and Bet, had moved to Germany. She was now exotic dancing at the Kinky Kat Club on Gas Street with a friend named Arlette and being managed by a mutual acquaintance named Bobby Fritz though she denied strenuously to Charlie that the act involved stripping. She invited him to join her and her flatmate Bettina to celebrate the latter's birthday at their flat on Church Street and asked him to supply some fellers along. Charlie roped in Len, Ken and a somewhat reluctant Harry Hewitt along. They decided on a fictional Territorial Army regimental do as a ruse to get past Val and Concepta Hewitt.

On the night of the party, Ken paired off with Pip and, true to form, began to question her on her choice of occupation, telling her that she was far too good for showbusiness. She laughingly accused him of being a snob, pointing out with some truth that he would approve if she appeared in an "arty continental film" and laughingly teased his hurt feelings saying that he was too handsome to frown. When questioned about her ambitions, she told him that she lived for the day and was amused at the picture he painted of her having gone down a different career path and being one of his colleagues at Granston Technical College.

When he leaned in for a kiss, Pip guessed that he was married, telling him that all the interesting men she met were. After Charlie put on a cabaret on his trumpet, the party ended and Ken left, telling Pip that he thought she was great.

Val and Concepta found out about the party and Val was especially hurt that Ken had found Pip interesting to talk to - she'd rather they'd have kissed instead.