Name That Cliffhanger 2 - The Answer!

Mavis Riley (Thelma Barlow) thought that Fred Gee (Fred Feast) was a very nice man. Rita Littlewood (Barbara Knox) was quite unmoved.

Thanks so much to those participated in our latest Name That Cliffhanger challenge. Only one right answer this time - and congratulations to Coronation Street Corner , who wrote:

Am I right in saying that she pretended he was her boyfriend because Fred Gee was pestering her to go out with him - she kissed him when Fred came to the shop to check up on her. What would be interesting if you could evaluate the Fred/Rita relationship in a blog post. Fred was one of many that held a torch for our Rita!

Absolutely correct answer, and an interesting idea for a future blog post. Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:

Had Rita been drinking? Was she not responsible for her own actions?

Well, knowing how our Reet liked to nip in The Rovers at lunchtimes, she probably had BEEN drinking, but that didn't contribute to her actions in this case!

Greg wrote:

1976 - the year before Rita married Len - so I wonder if she was kissing Derek to make Len jealous? Mavis was probably in on it.

Interesting scenario, Greg, but not the right one!

Cerys wrote:

Mavis was sick of Derek and asked Rita to take him off her hands. However, Rita's overtures made Derek realise that he loved Mavis.

Another interesting scenario - have you ever thought about taking up soap scriptwriting?!

The full, unexpurgated truth, is below.

At that time in 1976, Fred Gee was new to the permanent cast, and the lazy, randy, ogling Fred of the late 1970s and early 1980s had yet to emerge.

This was Fred's first venture into the romantic arena since losing his wife, Edna, in the warehouse fire the previous year.

He was completely smitten by Rita, took her a pot plant ("Keep blooming," he told her), and invited her to a big band concert.

Rita was horrified and took the coward's way out - telling Fred she already had a boyfriend.

Fred, however, did not give up, and called at The Kabin just to make sure Rita's sweetheart turned up for their date, ready to whisk her off to the big band concert if not.

Derek's arrival at that point, with a message for Mavis, was a gift from the gods for Rita. Fred didn't know him, and she swooped on him, giving him a big kiss and greeting him as her boyfriend.

Fred was crestfallen, telling Derek he was a lucky man - and to look after Rita.

Rita couldn't resist teasing Derek after Fred had left the shop, with her "just ask and it shall be yours!" comment.

Of course, it all came out - and Mavis was furious, telling Rita she couldn't keep her hands off any thing in trousers. She also gave Derek his marching orders.

Rita managed to win Mavis round, and engineered a meeting between her and Derek in The Rovers. So, the relationship which would culminate in marriage in 1988 was back on track.

Meanwhile, Fred was hurt to discover the truth about Rita's fella, and told her there had been no need to make a fool of him.

And Rita was left feeling rather shabby.

Name That Cliffhanger - 2

In our second Name That Cliffhanger session, we've headed back to 1976 and The Kabin (then based at 14 Rosamund Street). Rita Littlewood (Barbara Knox) and Mavis Riley (Thelma Barlow) may have got on each other's nerves at times, but they were the best of friends really - neither would ever do anything to hurt the other.

Or would they?

Witness the scene above - Rita greeting Mavis's boyfriend, Derek Wilton (Peter Baldwin) with a passionate kiss...

Worse still, Mavis was out - having a drink at The Rovers at the time!

At the double doors leading up to her flat, Rita said:

"Derek, just ask and it shall be yours!"

Derek replied nervously: "What?"

Rita smiled, saucily: "Anything!"

And the scene faded to the closing credits.

Was Rita really out to steal the boyfriend of her best pal Mavis?

Does anybody know the answer out there?

Name That Cliffhanger 1 - The Answer...

Actor Ian Mercer - flippin' 'eck, it's Pete Jackson! Nay, yer puddled - it's Gary Mallett...

Thanks to those who took part in my first Name That Cliffhanger quiz.

Tvor said...

That was the guy that later played Gary Mallett but back then he played one of Terry Duckworth's mates (Pete something?). Terry, however, ran off with this guy's missus.

Cerys said...

It's Ian Mercer as Pete Jackson, ex-army mate of Terry Duckworth. Terry ran off with Pete's wife Linda in the 1980's. Ian Mercer returned later as Gary Mallett and thumped Terry!

Darlene said...

Ian Mercer as Pete Jackson - he was dishy back then. I felt sorry for Pete when his mrs ran off with naughty Terry and would of loved to comfort him!

Paula G said...

Yes, Ian Mercer was nice looking. His wife was called Linda in the show and I thought she was a mug to run off with Terry. I remember Pete (Ian) cried and it was well acted and I felt so sorry for him! Terry was back in Weatherfield, minus Linda, in 1988.

Quite right!

It was rather a sad story. Nigel Pivaro had decided to quit his role as Terry Duckworth, and so up popped an old Army pal in the story-line, Pete Jackson (Ian Mercer).

Terry found Pete was living in the Weatherfield district when he was on the rounds with his "Cheap And Cheerful" door-to-door venture, and wasted no time in getting re-acquainted. The two men reminisced about their boozy Army days and "romantic" exploits and Terry discovered that Pete had left the Army and married.

Terry was immediately attracted to Pete's wife, Linda (Kazia Pelka), and she to him.

Pete had been made redundant from his last job as a security guard.

Terry invited Pete to join him and Curly Watts (Kevin Kennedy) at Cheap and Cheerful, and began an affair with Linda.

Linda hated herself for submitting to Terry's advances, but couldn't help herself.

Pete quickly became aware that she was unhappy. "It's not me, is it?" he asked her, aware that he'd been having a few too many boozy nights out recently.

No, she said - she didn't know what it was.

Determined to cut down on the boozy nights out, Pete returned home early one evening to find Linda in Terry's arms.

Unable to believe the betrayal of his wife and "best mate", Pete was stunned. The following day, he broke down in tears and begged Linda to stay with him.

Moved by his distress, Linda agreed, and Pete called at the Yard to tell Terry - and to warn him to keep away from Linda.

But Terry couldn't. He gave Curly £250 for his half share in the works van, dissolved their business partnership, and drove over to the Jackson house.

At first, Linda remained strong - she would stay with Pete, he needed her, she needed him.

But finally her will broke - and she packed her suitcase.

Terry told Pete he'd never wanted to hurt him. Pete replied: "Yer a bastard!"

"I love you. We'll be all right!" he told Linda.

But Linda told him she loved Terry, she'd never felt this way about Pete.

And she felt that if she didn't leave with Terry, she'd regret it for the rest of her life.

Pete was shattered, but as the van drove away, he said: "I'm gonna get you, Duckworth. I'm gonna kill yer."

That was our cliffhanger.

Another person distressed by Terry's actions was Curly Watts, who faced life alone at Cheap and Cheerful. Not realising that Terry had run off with Linda, he called on Pete the following day to invite him to come back into the business.

Pete asked if this was a perverted joke?

Curly was completely unprepared for the news that Terry had scarpered with Linda.

Terry's Mum, Vera (Liz Dawn), was also deeply distressed by the news.

As it turned out, the Terry/Linda relationship didn't last.

Terry was soon back in Weatherfield.

And who knows what happened to poor Pete, betrayed by his wife and his "best mate"?

I must say, Ian Mercer was very good in the role, portraying Pete as good natured, laddish, and touchingly "little boy lost" and tearful at the prospect of losing his wife. He left some of us wondering just how Pete was going to fare alone.

Ian Mercer returned to the show in 1995 as a new character, Gary Mallett.

And Terry Duckworth deprived Gary Mallett of his wife, Judy - by inadvertently causing her death.

Name That Cliffhanger - 1

First in a new series of posts - Name That Cliffhanger.

We'll provide you with screen caps, the episode's final line of dialogue and the year of broadcast and we want you to tell us what was going on, the details of the story-line.

Here, it's 1987 and we see a young man standing in a wet street watching a van moving away.

The closing words are:

"I'm gonna get you, Duckworth. I'm gonna kill yer."