We’ll miss both Gail and Helen!
If, like us, you’ve been rocked by the news that Coronation Street’s Gail Rodwell will be leaving the cobbles this year, now is the perfect time to consider exactly why her exit will have such an impact.
After playing Gail for the last 50 years, star Helen Worth has announced that she will be bowing out of the soap, with her emotional final scenes set to air by the end of the year.
It’s hard to imagine the ITV soap without our beloved Gail – the matriarch of the Platt clan whose presence always lights up the screen.
Over the decades, Gail has clocked up 5 husbands, 1 of whom was a serial killer – and most recently learned that her brother was also a murderer!
Life has been nothing but eventful for Gail, so let’s dive into her complicated history and remind ourselves of what she’s been through, why we love her and why we’ll miss the iconic character.
10 biggest Coronation Street moments for show legend Gail Rodwell over 50 years
1. Sarah Platt’s pregnancy at 13
Back in 2000, one of the most memorable storylines for Gail saw her hear the bombshell news that daughter Sarah (Tina O’Brien) was pregnant at the age of just 13. Having taken Sarah to the GP due to the teen being sick and not eating, no one could have prepared Gail for this.
While these days, teen pregnancy plots are a more regular occurrence in soap land, Sarah’s condition was a genuine twist at the time, and the look on Gail’s face and her breathless, softly spoken reaction were unforgettable.
Exactly 24 years on, granddaughter Bethany (Lucy Fallon) is all grown up and dealing with her own turmoil, and we’re sure Gail wouldn’t swap her for the world.
2. Gail’s husband Richard Hillman is a serial killer!
Marrying Richard (Brian Capron) in 2002, Gail thought she had finally found happiness after the murder of her first husband Brian (Christopher Quinten) and her second spouse Martin Platt’s (Sean Wilson) cheating on her.
But Gail’s worst nightmare unfolded when she discovered that Richard had bumped off his ex-wife, as well as Maxine Peacock (Tracy Shaw), and also tried to kill Gail’s mum Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) and neighbour Emily Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire).
Gail’s reaction was to brand Richard “Norma Bates with a briefcase!” and the line became one of Worth’s, and Coronation Street’s, most legendary ever. After Gail ended the marriage, Richard’s reign of terror continued when he kidnapped her, Sarah, Bethany and Gail’s son David (Jack P Shepherd).
Richard planned to kill himself and take them all with him, but when his car plunged into the canal only Richard perished.
3. Gail’s scrap with Eileen Grimshaw
In 2004, Gail’s fury over Todd Grimshaw’s (then played by Bruno Langley) treatment of Sarah led to a fight between her and Eileen that spilled onto the Street. Gail screamed at Todd and Eileen, riling Eileen into slapping her and, upon seeing Jason (Ryan Thomas) in his hard hat, delivered the iconic line: “Here they are, the rest of the Village People!”
The full-on catfight left Todd and Sarah mortified, and in the twenty years since, Gail and Eileen continued their feud by making the occasional dig at each other’s love lives.
But the real Gail VS Eileen 2.0 came around in 2015 when the women argued over their shared romantic interest in Gail’s 5th husband Michael (Les Dennis). Gail threw salon products at Eileen, who hilariously batted them away.
The following year, their grief for the late Michael led to a ceasefire as Gail and Eileen united to pay their respects. Luckily, at least in terms of our entertainment, the pair resumed their feud; and Eileen was unimpressed when Gail discovered that she was distantly related to Eileen’s new beau, George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley)!
4. Gail is falsely imprisoned for murder
The year 2010 saw another wedding for Gail. But her hapless, though harmless hubby Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale) sealed his fate when he decided to fake his own death because of his debts.
But while on board a boat, Joe accidentally drowned and poor Gail was arrested for his murder when witnesses revealed her earlier argument with Joe, which incidentally was about his outrageous plan. Cellmate Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) lied that Gail had confessed to killing Joe, but mercifully, Gail was found not guilty and released.
With Coronation Street now a dab hand at jailing its most sincere and beloved residents, Gail’s verdict was a real moment of triumph for one of the show’s most put-upon characters.
5. Gail’s food fight with Deirdre Barlow
That same year, Gail came out fighting once more in an infamous clash with Deirdre (Anna Kirkbride). When Deirdre was exposed for kissing Audrey’s partner, conman Lewis Archer (Nigel Havers), Gail threw some cake at her, and a fuming Deirdre retaliated.
The epic scene left Deirdre with egg on her face in more ways than one as she ordered Ken (William Roache) to “do something!” Nothing has ever stopped Gail from defending her family, and this was an all-out classic.
6. Gail helps son David Platt cope with his wife Kylie’s death
By 2016, the tearaway David had turned his life around and was a loving husband and father with a family of his own. That came crashing down when his wife Kylie (Paula Lane) was stabbed to death and died in David’s arms, just across the road from their home.
In the immediate aftermath, Gail gently advised David to be honest and clear with their children, recalling the day, in 1989, when she had to tell eldest son Nick (Ben Price) that his father Brian had been killed.
Gail explained that because she struggled with telling Nick the truth, the little boy was left confused and unable to grieve properly.
With powerful performances from Worth and Shepherd, this was one of the most heartfelt scenes between Gail and David and was an expert way to draw from Gail’s long history on the show.
7. Gail plays son David Platt at his own game
When David bought the family home and Gail became his lodger, she rather brilliantly chose to play up to the name. Cooking for herself, sitting around in her dressing down and refusing to do any housework or the school run, Gail infuriated her family. And, frankly, after years of catering to everyone else’s needs, we didn’t blame her. Genius!
8. Gail reacts to Aidan Connor’s suicide in a moving speech
One of Coronation Street’s most devastating storylines resulted in Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward) taking his own life. As the news filtered across the cobbles, Gail watched the goings-on outside through the window and relayed her thoughts to Audrey.
Gail hoped that if Aidan had wanted to talk, she would have listened; and perfectly summed up the lack of awareness of Aidan’s torment when she uttered the words: “Happen we’ve all been sleeping.”
This moving speech earned Coronation Street a BAFTA nomination for Must-See Moment – a well-deserved nod to a beautifully scripted scene, delivered with such care by Worth.
9. Gail shoots Lorraine Kelly with an arrow
Surreal as it was, Gail was guilty of injuring ITV broadcaster Lorraine Kelly back in 2019, when she shot an arrow which accidentally struck Kelly in the leg!
Noooooooo. Corrie without Gail. It’s unthinkable. I even forgive her for shooting me in the leg with a bow and arrow (easily done) fantastic actress and a gorgeous woman with a big heart. https://t.co/SPfVm4XYHZ
— Lorraine (@reallorraine) June 5, 2024
“You daft wee woman,” exclaimed Kelly, but at least all is forgiven now as the daytime TV star relayed in a warm message as she reacted to news of Gail’s impending departure!
10. Gail reacts to serial killer brother Stephen Reid
Gail has shared some truly iconic reactions over the years, and we could pick out so many of them for this list, but then we’d be here all day – not that we’d mind all the glorious nostalgia!
Last year, Gail’s evil brother Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce) was exposed as a con artist- the murderous reveal came later – and the Platts gathered to check whether their own bank accounts had been hacked by Stephen, and telly gold wasn’t far away.
Gail asked the family to check her phone, using facial recognition to unlock it for their use as she pulled a hilarious face and warned her relatives not to end up “two sheets to the wind”.
Ah, Gail has always been on hand to provide a bit of light against the darkness. What will we do without her?
Read more:
- Vote now for Best Soap at the RadioTimes.com Soap Awards 2024!
- Vote now for Best Comedy Performance at the RadioTimes.com Soap Awards 2024!
- Vote now for Best Exit at the RadioTimes.com Soap Awards 2024!
- Vote now for Inspiring Storyline of the Year at the RadioTimes.com Soap Awards 2024!
- Vote now for Best Villain at the RadioTimes.com Soap Awards 2024!
- Vote now for Soap Moment of the Year at the RadioTimes.com Soap Awards 2024
Visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.