Coronation Street in 1981



1981 was Coronation Street's twenty-second year. It is well-remembered for the wedding of Ken Barlow and Deirdre Langton, watched by 24 million viewers - a higher ITV audience than watched the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana two days later.

Also in 1981, the conclusion of the Arnold Swain bigamy storyline which saw Arnold try to convince Emily Bishop to commit suicide with him.

104 new episodes were broadcast on ITV in 1981.

Main cast

 * Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson
 * Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander
 * Mavis Riley - Thelma Barlow
 * Mike Baldwin - Johnny Briggs
 * Vera Duckworth - Elizabeth Dawn
 * Emily Bishop - Eileen Derbyshire
 * Betty Turpin - Betty Driver
 * Bert Tilsley - Peter Dudley
 * Fred Gee - Fred Feast
 * Bet Lynch - Julie Goodyear
 * Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth
 * Eddie Yeats - Geoffrey Hughes
 * Eunice Gee - Meg Johnson
 * Deirdre Langton/Barlow - Anne Kirkbride
 * Alf Roberts - Bryan Mosley
 * Rita Fairclough - Barbara Knox
 * Ida Clough - Helene Palmer
 * Ivy Tilsley - Lynne Perrie
 * Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix
 * Brian Tilsley - Christopher Quinten
 * Ken Barlow - William Roache
 * Annie Walker - Doris Speed
 * Jack Duckworth - William Tarmey
 * Arnold Swain - George Waring
 * Gail Tilsley - Helen Worth
 * Stan Ogden - Bernard Youens