Norris Benjamin Cole is the son of Eunice Cole, half-brother of Ramsay Clegg and husband of Mary.
After his mother's death in January 1961 Norris had grown into a bitter man. He held resentment towards his half-brother Ramsay - who he believed had caused their mother untold amounts of stress in her final days - and by 1994 he already had one failed marriage under his belt - to a woman named Myrtle. Eventually, Norris entered into another doomed relationship with Angela Hawthorne (which caused him to become rivals with her ex-husband Derek Wilton).
In December 1999, Norris began renting a room the Park Road B&B after separating from Angela. Over the course of the next year Norris found permanent accommodation as a lodger at 3 Coronation Street - with Emily Bishop as his landlady - before being recruited by Rita Sullivan as her assistant at The Kabin. While working at The Kabin, Norris became known as the local gossip who took pleasure in criticising his customers and neighbours from behind the counter. While his ramblings caused both Rita and his landlady Emily no end of despair, he maintained strong friendships with both women.
A turning point for Norris came in 2009 when he was paid a visit by Ramsay, who wanted to make amends, however Norris rejected his brother and later felt deep regret after learning that Ramsay had succumbed to a brain tumour. With money that had been left to him in Ramsay's will, Norris purchased The Kabin from Rita and then in 2013 as a mark of generosity, Emily signed her house over to him.
In August 2017, Norris was wed once again - this time to his friend Mary Taylor. However, the wedding was actually a ploy for the pair to win a Mr & Mrs competition so that Mary could gain round-the-world tickets to visit her long-lost son Jude Appleton in South Africa. In early 2018, Norris decided to visit Emily - who was now residing in Edinburgh. While his stay was originally thought to be temporary, doubts about his return began to crop up when he decided to sell The Kabin to Brian Packham - without consulting Rita first.
Norris made another shock decision in May 2019, when he sent Emily's niece Freda Burgess down from Edinburgh to put No.3 on the market while he stayed at a silent retreat in Shepton Mallet. This horrified Mary who couldn't believe her friend and husband would betray her.
Biography
1940-1994: Early years
Norris was born on 15th March 1940 to Eunice Cole. In 1960, Norris learned that he had a half-brother named Ramsay Clegg, who was born five years prior to Norris himself but was given up by their mother due to her being single. Ramsay's arrival caused great stress to Eunice as it brought up a past she wanted to forget, and in January 1961 she suddenly passed away. Norris was devastated by his mother's passing and blamed it on the shock of seeing Ramsay, and during the funeral Norris got into a conflict with him. Norris wanted nothing to do with his brother and cut him off, subsequently leading to Ramsay to return to Australia.
At some point afterwards, he met a woman named Myrtle Hargreaves and the pair got married.
Norris in 1994
In March 1994, Norris gave Derek Wilton a lift after he was stranded on a motorway. A grateful Derek told Norris that he would be welcome to visit him in Weatherfield anytime. Taking Derek's advice, Norris left Myrtle and suddenly turned up at Derek's home on Coronation Street unannounced, much to the displeasure of Derek's wife Mavis.
1994-1997: Norris' lucky years
Norris developed a friendly rivalry with Derek Wilton, as Norris was capable of success and luck, whereas Derek was at the bottom. Having divorced Myrtle, Norris set his eyes on Derek’s ex-wife Angela, and the pair married in 1995.
After Derek had passed away suddenly from a heart attack in 1997, Norris broke the news to Mavis. Angela didn’t attend the funeral, with only Norris going in order to represent the Hawthornes. He was late to the funeral service and barged past the coffin, and insensitive to Mavis’ feelings referred to Derek as “Dirk” and mentioned how Mavis had abandoned him on the motorway and forgot his birthday. After the funeral, Norris returned home.
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2018 onwards: Break from Weatherfield
When Emily returned to the United Kingdom in January 2018 to help take care of Freda in Edinburgh, Norris went to visit them and took an extended break. In February 2019, he decided to sell The Kabin in order to travel with Emily and Freda, the news of which was broken to Rita.
Three months later in May 2019, Freda returned from Edinburgh with news that Norris was staying at a silent retreat in Shepton Mallet. She also broke bigger news to Mary and Tracy McDonald that he intended to sell 3 Coronation Street and start a new life. Later in the day, Freda placed a large urn beside a picture of Norris.
Personality
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Traits
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Other information
- Norris became an unlikely midwife in 2001 when he helped deliver baby Ben Watts.
- Mary Taylor bought Norris a wig for his seventieth birthday in 2010. However, he didn't wear it (only briefly trying it on in the Rovers' toilets).
Background information
- Norris was introduced in 1994, and appeared on a recurring basis until 1997. This was mainly due to him not living on the Street and not much of a major character and was normally involved in storylines with rival Derek Wilton. The character was axed in 1997 by Brian Park and last appeared at Derek's funeral. However two years on, he was reintroduced in 1999 on a regular basis, working in The Kabin.
- Norris wasn't Malcolm Hebden's first role in the series. Twenty years before taking the part of Norris, he played the character of Carlos in 1974. There is a touch of irony in this, as the character proposed to Mavis Riley and was close to marrying her. Mavis later married Derek who was Norris' rival and friend, and Norris also ended up working for Rita Sullivan, Mavis' friend, in The Kabin.
- In December 2017, Hebden had suffered a heart attack which led to him to be put into an induced coma. Because of this, he was given an extended break from filming in order to recover, and his last appearance for the time being was Episode 9321 on 8th December 2017. News of his illness wasn't disclosed a month following his heart attack, and the circumstances were later publicised in July 2018. In November 2018, it was reported that Hebden would be resuming filming the following year, although the return was described as a cameo appearance, and that the door would be left open for a future return. His return scenes aired on 6th May 2019 - after a seventeen month absence.
First and last lines
"Might I be right in thinking this is Mr Wilton's residence?" (First line, to Mavis Wilton).
Appendices
(To be completed)
List of addresses
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| Unknown | Prior to March 1994 |
| 4 Coronation Street | March 1994 |
| Unknown | April 1994 to December 1999 |
| Park Road B&B | December 1999 to July 2000 |
| 3 Coronation Street | July 2000 to January 2003 |
| 5 Coronation Street | January to February 2003 |
| 3 Coronation Street | February 2003 to February 2006 |
| 10a Coronation Street | February to May 2006 |
| 3 Coronation Street | 19th May 2006 to April 2018 |
| 16a Turnham Street, Edinburgh | April 2018 to present |
Employment history
| Role | Institution | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant | The Kabin | 1999 to 2009 |
| Owner | The Kabin | 2009 to 2017 |
| Owner | The Kabin | 22nd November 2017 to February 2019 |
See also