Stan Ogden
| Stan Ogden | |
|---|---|
Irma Barlow Sylvia Ogden | |
| Grandsons | Darren Barlow Damien Ogden |
| Granddaughters | Jayne Ogden |
| Uncles | Edwin |
| Aunts | Clara Etheridge |
Stanley Josiah Ogden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Bernard Youens. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 29 June 1964 and remained for twenty years until his death on 21 November 1984. Stan was introduced by executive producer H. V. Kershaw. He has been portrayed as a well loved layabout and many of his storylines centred on his marriage to Hilda Ogden (Jean Alexander).
The Ogdens
The Ogdens, Stan and his wife Hilda (Jean Alexander), have been hailed as one of Coronation Street's favourite couples.[1] The bickering pair stayed together through mishap and financial difficulty. A working-class couple, they remained a screen double act for 20 years until actor Bernard Youens died on 27 August 1984, forcing the writers of the soap to kill off Stan on-screen.[1] A scene following Stan's screen funeral, showing Hilda weeping at the sight of Stan's signature spectacles, has been described as "one of the most moving moments in TV history" and "instrumental in winning [Jean Alexander] the Royal Television Society's Best Performance Award for 1984–1985".[1] Neil Marland, who worked as Granada Television's stills photographer for 30 years, has described the scene as terribly poignant, adding, "Everyone was crying and the camera tracked in – she had to undo his handkerchief, and in it were his glasses. She broke down sobbing. And, of course, I had to do a picture of this. So I left her for a minute or so sobbing. Then, as I got nearer, I just went, 'Jean, Jean...' And she sat bolt upright and said, 'What picture do you want Neil? I'm only acting'. It was just amazing because everyone on the floor was in floods of tears."[2]
Commenting on the screen partnership, actress Jean Alexander has said, "It was a real pleasure working with Bernard Youens, who played my screen husband, Stan. Any success I have had is really down to Bernard because we worked well as a team and each knew how the other would want to play a scene. It was a happy screen partnership but it was strictly professional. We didn't socialise after work."[1] Alexander has stated that the Ogdens were a brilliant set-up: "They were the only couple in the street who were married – permanently. They were the only ones who owned their own house where everyone else rented, they stayed together and didn't stray or have affairs and, yes, they bickered among themselves but let anyone else criticise either of them and they would be up in arms."[3]
Hilda and Stan Ogden were voted Britain's top romantic TV couple in 2002, in a poll of more than 5,000 people carried out by NTL:Home. They beat off competition from
Storylines
Hilda and Stan met in 1943, when Hilda fell over an inebriated Stan in the blackout. Six days later, they married. The morning after they were married, Stan was arrested by the
Stan Ogden first appeared in the Street in 1964, looking for his eighteen-year-old daughter
Stan managed to convince Irma that he had changed his ways, giving up lorry driving and trying to control his temper. He promised Irma anything if she would return to the family. At the time, No.13 Coronation Street was for sale –
Hilda quickly found work as a cleaner in the
Stan had mended his ways, although he was still quite fond of his beer and quickly became
While Stan remained faithful to his local, for a few years he drifted from job to job. At various times, he was a
Through many harsh years of drinking and rages, Hilda stuck by him, believing that he was her man, no matter what. They were uncommunicative to each other, and Stan left Hilda to take all responsibilities for their home, including trying to pay the bills with their limited resources. This proved too much for Hilda, and in 1967 she suffered a
To prove himself a dab hand at whatever he turned his hand to, Stan installed a serving hatch between the kitchen/living room and the front room, but goofed and made it big enough for a canteen. Hilda liked the hatch, but pointed out that she had little use for it, as they never used the front room anyway. He also ruined Hilda's precious Alpine "muriel" that covered one entire living room wall when he fell asleep in the bath and overflowed water seeped through the floor.
The seventies brought the Ogdens a long streak of bad luck. Their grandson Darren Barlow was killed along with his father David in a car accident in
In the seventies, as Stan aged, he grew weaker and more tired. He often didn't work, claiming his back wasn't up to the job. Hilda had to assume responsibility not only for all the household chores and looking after Stan, but also scraped to make ends meet on her wages as a charwoman. One day she had had enough, and ordered Stan out. He went, and disappeared for three weeks, much to everyone's shock. Hilda enlisted the aid of Stan's drinking buddy Eddie Yeats (Geoffrey Hughes) to find Stan. Eddie finally tracked him to Hilda's brother's chip shop, where he was helping himself to the chips and his brother-in-law's girlfriend, Edie Blundell (Avis Bunnage). Hilda dragged Stan home, and things went right back to the way they were.
Thirteen years after his disappearance, Stan and Hilda tracked Trevor down. He was married and living in a semi-detached house in Chesterfield. Stan and Hilda made a special visit, only to have his wife Polly (Mary Tamm) tell them that Trevor had led her to believe that his parents were dead.
One high point of the Ogdens' marriage was in the late seventies, when they won a second honeymoon at the Savoy hotel. A limousine whisked them from Coronation Street to the hotel, where they received free champagne. Hilda decked out in a silk nightdress, only to find that, typically, Stan had fallen fast asleep. Although the night was a quiet one, it was a fond memory for Stan and Hilda as they entered old age.
In the early eighties, Eddie Yeats secured a job as a
In December 1983, Stan and Hilda celebrated their greatest milestone, their Ruby wedding anniversary. Eddie left the same night to move to Bury, and thanked Stan and Hilda for being there for him and acting as surrogate parents.
Stan's disappearance was explained as him being in bed, ill, and later admitted to hospital offscreen. He made his last on-screen appearance on 7 March 1984. After that, actor Bernard Youens became too ill to continue working and died on 27 August 1984. Shortly afterwards, the decision was made to kill off the character.
On 21 November 1984, Hilda received a phone call telling her that Stan had died in hospital of gangrene. This led to a memorable scene as Hilda returned from the hospital after his funeral with a small package of Stan's belongings. As she silently opened the package, she found a case containing his spectacles. Opening the case, she begins to cry, and the episode ends in silence, without the usual theme tune.
Reception
In Dorothy Catherine Anger's book "Other worlds: society seen through soap opera," she brands Stan as one of the "middle aged men" who "over the years have, stymied their wives' efforts to be accepted as respectable".[6]
In the January 1985 issue of British current affairs magazine
References
- ^ a b c d Donn, Leita (19 July 2004). "'Hilda? I'm surprised people remember her'". Manchester Evening News. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
- ^ "30 years on the street". Manchester Evening News. Guardian Media Group. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "I could never go back to the Street – it's not fair to Hilda". Daily Mirror. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ "Hilda and Stan top love chart". BBC News. 8 February 2002. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
- ^ "Emmerdale tops ITV 50th ratings". BBC News. 23 September 2005. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
- ISBN 1-55111-103-9. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
- ^ ThirdWay. Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd. 1985. p. 18. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2010.