Blanche Hunt, played by the brilliant Maggie Jones, was a soap titan. Coronation Street had not seen a tongue as sharp since the blessed Ena Sharples. She whisked her way through those cobbles slaying absolutely everyone who she happened to bump into. Alas, now she is no more.

Maggie Jones died aged 75. She passed away in hospital after a long illness. She first played Deirdre’s battleaxe mother way back in 1974 and made sporadic reappearances. She returned in 1999 as a full-time cast member and developed the wickedly vinegary Blanche which won her a British Soap Award for Best Comedy Performance.

And what comedy she delivered. When dealing with the wimpish Norris, to his “Speed bumps? Oh no, they are so ugly and unattractive,” Blanche shot back with a vicious: “So are you, but at least they have some use.”

She was also prone to incredible surrealism… “There’s one thing I hate…. waving” as well as the withering wonderfulness of “I’d cut off his whatnots wi’ a pair of garden shears, me. The rustier the better.”

Of course, her sparring partner throughout was the long suffering Ken Barlow and her daughter, Deirdre, for whom she scalded with: “Good looks are a curse Deirdre. You and Kenneth should count yourselves lucky.”

No-one was off Blanche’s radar. Dealing with Steve MacDonald’s broken heart, the best she could muster was: “That’s the second fiance to chuck that ring away. You’d be better off buying a boomerang!”

She was snide, cruel and unrelenting. She was also one of the funniest and most enjoyable TV characters to ever grace a small screen. She’ll be hugely missed. In summary, I’ll leave the last word to our Blanche.

Deirdre: “If you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.”
Blanche: “I think I’ll go home then. ”

Perfect.