Jane Danson was left too frightened to leave her home after rising to fame on Coronation Street.
The actress, 45, first joined the soap as Leanne Battersby in 1997, with Leanne arriving in Weatherfield with her mother Janice (Vicky Entwistle), father Les (Bruce Jones) and sister Toyah (Georgia Taylor).
They were billed as a working class ‘family from hell’ and their presence on the cobbles left many viewers unimpressed.
Recalling her first days on the ITV serial, Jane said she was written to and accosted by viewers while out who would scold her for her character’s on-screen behaviour.
Jane explained to the Mirror: ‘The Street was in a very different place back then, with a small cast and long-established characters, then this rough family came in behaving terribly and everyone hated them.
Jane Danson, 45, was left too frightened to leave her home after rising to fame on Coronation Street (Jane pictured as her character Leanne Battersby on the soap in 2022)
Jane joined the soap as Leanne Battersby in 1997, with Leanne arriving in Weatherfield with mother Janice (Vicky Entwistle), father Les (Bruce Jones) and sister Toyah (Georgia Taylor) (Jane, right, pictured as Leanne with Georgia, left, as Toyah in 1997)
‘People wrote to me all the time saying, “We hate you. Leave our street!” I was just a girl from Bury who’d done a few bits of acting so as an 18 year old that was a big shock.
‘One day I was out at my local shops when an old woman hit me with her handbag and told me to “turn that bloody music down” because Leanne had been shaking the cobbles with her big boom box!’
Jane said she became too scared to leave her house and took extra care if she ever did.
However, the star understands who fans of the soap acted the way they did, saying Coronation Street seemed like a real place to them at the time and her character Leanne was simply too ‘gobby’ for their liking.
Meanwhile, Coronation Street favourite Helen Worth has signed a new one-year contract worth a whopping £250,000, according to reports.
The soap legend, 73, who has played Gail Platt in the show since 1974, has been at the centre of many explosive storylines.
Corrie has been suffering a ‘rocky patch’, a source told The Sun, following a drop in its Christmas viewing figures, which saw it fail to make it into the top 10 most viewed shows.
But ‘dedicated’ Helen, who is said to receive £2,500 per episode, has reportedly signed a new one year deal in a boost for the soap.
The Battersby family was billed as a working class ‘family from hell’ and their presence on the cobbles left many viewers unimpressed (L-R: Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor), Les Battersby (Bruce Jones), Janice Battersby (Vicky Entwistle) and Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson))
Recalling her first days on the ITV serial, Jane, who is still on Corrie, said she was written to and accosted by viewers while out who would scold her for her character’s on-screen behaviour (pictured in 2019)
‘Helen is dedicated to the soap and is determined to help steer it through a rocky patch,’ the source said.
The source went on to say that Helen is bonded to the character of Gail and is excited about the dramatic storylines to come over the next year.
‘She still enjoys her work and seeing her castmates and crew every day,’ the source added.
MailOnline contacted ITV and Helen’s representatives for comment.
The Platts have been a staple of the show for a long time, but viewings figures have declined.
The Christmas Day episode was viewed by 2.6million – down almost three quarters from 10 years ago.
In December, it was reported ITV bosses are discussing a major shake-up of its soaps which could see them screened first, or exclusively, through online streaming.
Coronation Street favourite Helen Worth has signed a new one-year contract worth a whopping £250,000, according to reports (Helen, right, seen as Gail Platt with Gail’s daughter Sarah Louise Platt (Tina O’Brien))
The move has been prompted by declining viewing figures, forcing budget cuts to Coronation Street and Emmerdale, say ITV sources.
Anxious bosses are desperately looking at how they can attract a new audience, as even their older viewers are watching less terrestrial TV in favour of streaming giants such as Netflix.
An ITV insider said: ‘Soaps don’t make as much advertising money as they used to.
‘There are some chiefs looking enviously at all the consumer-themed documentaries Channel 5 makes and thinking that there could be better commercial opportunities in that kind of programming and using the slots allocated to the soaps for those.
‘Corrie and Emmerdale are losing viewers at a drop of around ten per cent on last year.
‘Budgets have already been cut on both shows and it is hard to see how they can sustain so many episodes.’
The Ossett-born actress who has played Gail Platt on the soap since 1974, collected her honour from The Prince Of Wales last year
Helen was awarded an MBE for services to drama at Windsor Castle in January 2023, largely down to playing Gail.
Heading to the Castle collect her honour, Helen couldn’t contain her delight as she spoke to Prince William.
She said: ‘To have had a job and one that I love, and to be able to work in it is quite extraordinary. And then to get an award for it is just the icing on the cake.
‘I have a little time off to begin with but I will walk in with my medal the day I do.
‘There are quite a few medals scattered around the cast. They’ve all already been given them. I’m bringing up the rear really.’
Helen made her debut as a young Gail in the 1970s, and was soon followed by her despairing mother Audrey (played by Sue Nicholls).
In her nearly 50-year stint on the soap, she has been married five times, including Brian Tilsey (Christopher Quinten), who was tragically stabbed to death, and Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), one of the soap’s long-serving characters.
One of her most iconic moment came when she was nearly drowned by her killer husband Richard Hillman
More recently, Gail has been dealing with the fallout of her grandson Max’s grooming at the hands of far-right extremists, to the despair of her son David
While she has been at the centre of numerous hard-hitting storylines, including her daughter Sarah’s (Tina O’Brien) teenage pregnancy, and the death of her fourth debt-ridden husband Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale) during a failed life insurance scheme.
One of Gail’s most iconic moments came when she featured in a two-hander episode with her husband Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) in 2003, after learning that he was a serial killer.
The famous episode, which featured a slew of one-liners, saw Richard confess he had killed several people on the cobbles, including Maxine Peacock.
It all culminated in a famous 2003 episode when Richard attempted to end his own life, and the Platts, by driving their car into a canal, and he sadly drowned while the rest of them were rescued.
