Rita Tanner

Rita Sullivan (née Littlewood, previously Fairclough and Bates) is a is a long time resident on Coronation Street. She is played by Barbara Knox.

Background and Arrival
Barbara Knox (or Mullaney as she was then known) made her first appearance in Coronation Street in November 1964 as an exotic dancer. A friend of Dennis Tanner, it was a one-off appearance. She returned in 1972 and has appeared consistently since then, maturing from saucy songstress to respected elder and local businesswoman.

Len Fairclough
On her return in 1972 as Rita Bates, married to Harry Bates, with a 12-year-old son Terry. Terry was a pupil at Bessie Street School, where Ken Barlow was teaching. Rita made it obvious she was attracted to Ken, and it came to the attention of the headmaster, who told Ken to cool the relationship. And we soon saw Ken with Rita, by this time had started dating and begun a relationship with Len Fairclough. But when he discovered that Rita wasn't married and that Terry wasn't her son, he soon cooled the relationship. Ken was told to end their relationship as she was a married woman.

It was several month later, after Rita had left the Street, that Len, out for a night with Elsie and Alan Howard, saw Rita singing in a nightclub. This was the start of an on-off relationship which was to accumulate into a stormy eleven year relationship. In 1973, Len bought the Kabin, and installed Rita as manageress with the offer of the flat above it.

Len was none too pleased when he found out she was married. When her marriage ended in violence, Rita leaned on Len and took a job singing in a nightclub. Len soon helped her set up a shop, The Kabin. Fiery Rita and stubborn Len faced a number of obstacles as well as breakups and makeups before finally marrying on 20th April 1977 after a five year on-off relationship. They'd already had one engagment, but broke it off. But this time Rita was going out of Len's life for six months on a singing contract to Tenerife. A going away party was arranged for Rita. Len took her to the airport, but she never boared the plane, and several weeks later they were married by special licence. In 1981, they were unable to adopt, due to their age, being too old, but for some time after much deliberation, took in a foster child, Sharon Gaskell. In December 1983 Len was killed in a car accident while the street were celebrating the forieth wedding anniversary of Hilda and Stan Ogden. Rita was devastated to learn he'd been having an affair.

Alan Bradley
As well as her two marriages, Rita has had three serious relationships, one with the violent Alan Bradley.

In 1986, Rita took up fostering again, when Jenny Bradley, one of her paper girls lost her mother Pat in a road accident. She also met Jenny's missing father of eight years, Alan, who Jenny tried to reconcilate with.

Alan and Rita started a relationship, but Rita was unaware that Alan Bradley was also seeing Gloria Todd, a Rovers barmaid. She eventually found out about their affair and gave Alan an ultimatum. Alan chose Gloria, but Gloria changed her mind and ended their affair.

Alan and Rita eventually settled down to a peaceful relationship. Rita asked him to move into No.7 with her, after refusing his offer of marriage. In February 1989 Alan stole the deeds of Rita's house in the name of her deceased husband, Len. He remorgaged it for £15,000, and set up a security firm. There he started Dawn Prescott as a receptionist, but things began to go downhill when he tried to rape her. Dawn told Rita about the attack and about the letters that arrived in Len's name to the workplace. Rita confronted him on the night of Jenny's 18th birthday party.

When Rita discovered the fraud, Alan was furious when Rita told him she'd informed the building society about him and he tried to kill her by suffocating her with a cushion at their home; No.7. She was saved by the return of Jenny and Martin Platt, who were concerned when she wasn't answering the phone. Alan went on the run, but was captured some weeks later. The first ever episode of Corontion Street shown on a Friday was the trial of Alan Bradley, at the end of which he walked free.

He started working on a building site opposite No.7 and began to stalk Rita, until eventually she had a breakdown and disappeared. Police suspected Alan had murdered Rita, and the site was dug up. Meanwhile The Gilroy's found Rita singing in a nightspot in Blackpool, where she had escaped to, but when Alan got wind of it, and tracked Rita down, and had followed her there, and attempted to take her back to Weatherfield, once Rita was in the car, Alan made his way round to the Driver's side, in which time Rita jumped out and ran across the street. Alan gave chase resulting in him being ran over by a tram in one of the most gripping storylines ever.

Alec Gilroy
Following her ordeal with evil Alan Bradley, she later she became involved with Alec Gilroy, an old friend who had been her manager in her career as a night club cabaret singer, before her first marriage; They lived in adjoining flats - the two above the Kabin. They decided not to move in together, but to have a door built between the two flats. This relationship ended when Alec moved away from Weatherfield. Finally, Rita met Anthony Stephens, a cultured man who wanted to marry her. His grown-up children interfered in the relationship, and Anthony went to live in New Zealand.

Ted Sullivan
Rita met her second husband, Ted Sullivan at the Kabin; he was a sales rep for a firm of sweet manufacturers. Shortly before their marriage, Ted confessed that he was dying of a brain tumour. Rita then abandoned plans to retire abroad, and decided to stay in the Street.

The Kabin
Rita currently runs a newsagent's shop in the street, called "The Kabin", which she acquired in 1973 during her relationship with Len. The shop was originally at 14 Rosamund Street, but re-located to Coronation Street when a new building development took place. As the years passed, more and more of Rita's life revolved around the Kabin, although she sometimes considers retiring or selling up.

The scenes in the Kabin are usually a comedy double-act between Rita and her assistant (first Mavis Wilton, now Norris Cole). Rita was often frustrated by Mavis, but they were very dear friends and Rita was sad to see her leave in 1997.

In 1990 Rita moved from No7, letting it to students, to a flat above he new Kabin. She was persued the next year by Reg Holdsworth, but it wasn't until June 1992 that Rita married Ted Sullivan, who had already been diagnosed as having a brain tumour. Their marriage lasted three months when Rita found Ted dead on a park bench, watching Percy Sugden playing a bowls match.

Life in 1993
In September 1993, Rita was pleased to see Jenny Bradley arrived out of the blue. Things weren`t as they seemed though as Jenny only came back to try and con some money out of Rita. But Rita saw right through Jenny, and gave her £1,000, telling her she didn't want to see her again.

Webster family
In March 1994, Rita felt lonely, so she started taking Sally Webster under her wing when Sally found out she was pregnant with her and Kevin's second child. Rita and Sally became very close. So close in fact that Sally invited Rita to spend a holiday in Blackpool with them. Sally wanted to make Rita see that her bad experience in Blackpool in 1989 with Alan Bradley was over with. To Sally's relief, Rita had a wonderful time there playing with Rosie. When Sally gave birth to their second daughter Sophie, Rita was hurt to find out she was the last to know about it, due to an oversight.

Derek's demise
In April, 1997, tragically, her best friend Mavis Wilton's beloved husband Derek died on Mavis' Birthday of a heart attack due to an incident of road rage. Rita poured all her energy into Mavis' life in helping her cope alone with her grief. To help her cope, Rita persuaded Mavis to start a new life in the Lake District managing a Bed & Breakfast. Mavis agreed, and made plans to sell their houses and the Kabin. At the last minute, Rita backed out and Mavis, anxious to get away from Weatherfield and her bad memories, went to Cartmel on her own.

Leanne Battersby
After Mavis left, Rita realised she needed another assistant for the Kabin as she couldn't cope on her own. In 1998, Rita took Leanne Battersby, a cheeky teenager who Rita sees as a lot like herself at that age. Leanne soon becomes an asset to Rita, even though they didn`t share the friendship and closeness that Rita and Mavis once shared. In July, 1998 Rita collapsed in her flat from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a faulty gas fire that Steve McDonald had installed a few days before. Luckily she was saved in the nick of time by her friend and former manager Alec Gilroy who was worried about her not turning up at the Rovers when she was supposed to. Things took an unexpected turn when Alec realising how he almost lost his best friend, proposed to Rita. After a few days, Rita accepted his proposal after initially turning him down. After a while they both decided to live together and Alec had a connecting door installed between their two flats for easier access - much to the amusement of the other Street residents. In December 1998 Rita and Alec mutually ended their relationship when both realised they couldn`t trust each other. Alec left Weatherfield for good when he went to open up a wine bar in Brighton with his granddaughter Vicky. Their relationship fractured when Sharon returned to town. Leanne felt shut out and when she was falsely accused of stealing money, quit her job to work at the Rover's. Rita offered Sharon the Kabin, but the plans fell through.

Sharon Gaskell
Nothing would keep Rita down for long as she had a wonderful surprise in the form of her former foster daughter Sharon Gaskell. Sharon had come by to visit Rita to invite her to her wedding in Nottingham. Rita persuaded her to have the wedding in Weatherfield. However, in March the wedding didn't take place as Rita had discovered her fiance Ian was two-timing her with the new landlady of the Rovers Natalie Barnes. Happy that Sharon decided to stay around after the wedding fiasco, Rita offered Sharon a job at the Kabin and Alec's old flat. Sharon happily accepted. Much to the horror of Leanne, and a few others of Rita's friends, Rita offered Sharon the Kabin as a birthday gift to her. Leanne didn`t want to work with two bosses, so she left after she was accused of stealing money from the till, and went to work as barmaid at the Rovers. Rita admitted to Sharon that she was lonely, that was why she offered Sharon the Kabin. Her gesture was a living legacy from a woman who always looked upon Sharon as the daughter she never had. Rita was happy to pass on her experience knowing that the Kabin would be well looked after in years to come.

"Attacking" Chesney Battersby-Brown
Rita once clipped Chesney Brown around the ear for repeatedly stealing from her shop. Chesney's conniving mother Cilla attempted to take Rita to court in an attempt to get 'compensation', despite knowing that no harm had come to her son at Rita's hands. Rita was prosecuted and spent a short time in prison following her conviction. Money-grabbing Cilla was disappointed by the compensation money and tried to further con Rita, but this eventually failed. She continued to hate Cilla, but bore no ill will against Chesney, even taking him in one night when he had nowhere else to go.

Moving in with Emily Bishop
In 2006 Rita faced the trauma of her flat being broken into. Orchid, who was in Coronation Street in 2004 when she conned Fred Elliott by pretending to be a Thai bride when actually she was just someone from Manchester and her real name was Stacey. In 2006 she reappeared on the street. She had conned another man called Stuart, he locked her up in his flat for days on end. One day she escaped and was beaten up by the so-called boyfriend. She moved into the street and started to live with Rita. One day they returned from town to find Rita's flat totally ruined, A couple of days later Rita was petrified when Stuart entered the Kabin demanding to see Stacey, he threatened to beat her up if she did not tell him where she was hiding. Once Stacey had got to the shop along with Fred there was trouble. Nathan who was working in Webster's Garage came over and pinned Stuart down on the floor. The police came and arrested him and Stacey. Rita decided to move into her friends house Emily Bishop and her other friend Norris Cole temporarily moved into Rita's flat.

In October 2006 Rita and Norris went on a holiday they had won to Hungary. Rita broke her toes whilst there and had to stay in hospital, while Norris returned. Ken Barlow helped out in The Kabin for a while whilst they were away, but he quit when Norris's nagging became too much for him. Rita returned in November 2006 to reveal that her foot was broken when Norris tripped her while trying to get to a bread bun first.

Doreen Fenwick
Rita has met up with her old friend Doreen. She had invited her to move into her flat which followed Doreen's eviction, much to the chagrin of disapproving Norris. While she and Doreen initially got on, enjoying reminiscences of the old days, Doreen outstayed her welcome, claiming that the council were delaying completion of works to her flat. Rita, who had come to the end of her tether, 'phoned Weatherfield council pretending to be Doreen, and found out that the works were long since completed. After Rita confronted her, Doreen packed her bags and left Coronation Street, however she soon returned after being persuaded by the most unlikely of people - Norris.

On the 2nd September 2007 Norris proposed to Rita, However Rita said no to Norris' proposal, also telling him that she had expected it for some time but had always known what her answer would be - he also went onto propose to Doreen.

Retirement plan
In May 2008, the Kabin was vandalized by a gang of youths. When Tony Gordon made an offer for the Kabin as well as the flat, Rita agreed, as she realized she was getting on in years. Norris was very cross with her, as she made the decision even though he owned part of the Kabin. When Tony began practicing heavy-handed tactics on other local businesses like Kevin Webster, Rita began to doubt her decision. Tony then reassurred Rita after she had confronted him and Carla in the Underworld;Tony then showed Rita an apartment she might be interested in, as Tony was planning to buy her flat as well.

Family
Rita has had three husbands:
 * Harry Bates (1954-1973)
 * Len Fairclough (1977-1983)
 * Ted Sullivan (1992)

Her parents were Harold and Amy Littlewood.

Friends
Rita's main friends nowadays is mainly Emily, and Emily's lodger, Norris who is also Rita's work assistant.

Miscellaneous information
On 7th April 2008, Rita revealed she wasn't a natural red head.