Ivy Brennan

Ivy Joan Brennan (née Nelson; previously Tilsley) was played by Lynne Perrie.

Ivy was the mother of Brian Tilsley and grandmother to Nick Tilsley and Sarah-Louise Platt (Tilsley) and would have been great-grandmother to Bethany and Billy Platt. Ivy worked as a machinist at Mike Baldwin's factory, and was elevated to supervisor. Her best friend was the mouthy Vera Duckworth.

There was always tension between Ivy, a devout Roman Catholic, and her daughter-in-law Gail, especially after the sudden death of her first husband, Bert, who had been a calming influence. She did not approve of Gail returning to work and placing her children with a child-minder. When Brian was murdered, the tension continued, and Ivy was scandalised when Gail married Martin Platt, who was many years her junior. She was also bitter that Gail has changed Nick and Sarah-Louise's Surname from Tilsley to Platt.

After a short-lived romance with a warehouseman from the factory (whom she dumped when she learned he was divorced), Ivy met Don Brennan one night when he drove her home in his taxi. Don was a widower, and the couple were happy for a while, until Ivy's bitterness came between them and Don was tempted to stray.

Ivy was written out of the Street because the actress who played her, Lynne Perrie, had been sacked by studio bosses. It was said that she was on a long-term retreat in a convent, where she had a heart attack and died in her sleep. In order to inherit under the terms of her will, Nick had to change his surname back from Platt to Tilsley. Ivy was most concerned with Nick's welfare after Brian's death, and focused most of her attention on him, Sarah Louise escaped much of this attention because she believed that Brian was not Sarah's real father (despite the DNA test that stated otherwise) and that in fact her real father was Ian Latimer.

In December 2006, Ivy's old diary was discovered in the loft of Number 5 by Sophie Webster, who visited her friend Chesney Battersby-Brown, who currently resides in the house with his mother Cilla, stepfather Les and his sister Fiz's boyfriend, Kirk Sutherland. Sophie used the diary to fool several residents into thinking she was psychic by referencing past events written in the diary. David Platt, demanded the diary back and read it much to his amusement along with Maria Sutherland until Maria read a particular passage, containing information about Ivy's bitterness toward Gail and David's father, Martin, and the fact that Gail had intended to have an abortion. David then wrapped the diary as a Christmas present, addressed to Gail. David subsequently read to his whole family and their dinner guests, the Websters.