She didn't bring her hotpot but Betty did bring Mavis Riley on her visit to hartlepool

Were you there when Thelma Barlow and Betty Driver - also known as Mavis Riley and Betty Turpin - came to Hartlepool?

They paid a visit to Binns in November 1985 and the staff from the haberdashery department were delighted to meet them. Hundreds of fans also turned out to get a glimpse of the stars who signed autographs and visited the Binns gala night.

There were competitions, demonstrations, and lucky youngsters got a chance to meet the Corrie duo, including Christine Anderson and Claire Dalkin who both got autographs.

Haberdashery staff even got into fancy dress for the occasion, including Maureen Robson, Karen Crosby, and Susan Atkinson.

Meanwhile on the telly, the Coronation Street episode that week featured drama in the Rovers Return but Gloria came to the rescue.

Other programmes included Girls On Top and Minder on ITV, Wogan and Dynasty (the one where Daniel came face-to-face with the daughter he had never known) on BBC1, and The Allotment Show on BBC2.

If the cinema was more your thing, Brewster’s Millions and Pale Rider were showing at the Fairworld in Horden while the Christmas panto Babes In The Wood was being performing at the West View Community Centre in Miers Avenue.

What was it about Binns in Hartlepool that you loved the most?

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