If you ask who remembers Hilda Ogden, there's every chance a lot of Coronation Street fans will recall everyone's favourite cleaning lady. As one of the nation's most famous soap characters, she was well-known for wearing her trademark headscarf, hair curlers and apron - a popular look for cleaners in the 1960s and '70s.
Hilda was played for 23 years by Toxteth-born actress Jean Alexander. Her on-screen husband was Stan Ogden, a long-distance lorry driver who later became a window cleaner, played by Bernard Youens. Coronation Street's most famous couple, who lived at number 13, was much-loved by viewers from the moment they made their debut in 1964.
Jean's life pre-Hilda
For Jean Alexander, the character of Hilda Ogden launched her to superstardom and made her a household name. She had begun her acting career at the Adelphi Guild Theatre in Macclesfield in 1949, when she was 23. Working in repertory theatre for much of her early career, she also had a minor role in the TV police drama, Z-Cars.
She also worked as a stage manager and wardrobe mistress, but all that stopped after she made her debut as Hilda on 8th July 1964. Fans immediately warmed to the down-to-earth, working-class cleaner, who had her fair share of adversity. Hilda and Stan were affectionately known as "life's losers", who never seemed to grab a break.
Their wonderful on-screen relationship was a mixture of comedy and poignant drama. The couple had four children and always lived on the breadline, mainly due to Stan's inability to hold a job down. Hilda had to do five cleaning jobs, simultaneously, just to keep the house going.
Despite compensating for Stan, who preferred drinking in the Rovers Return to work, Hilda loved him dearly and defended him against his critics. Her first job was as a cleaner at the Rovers Return, where her daughter Irma was a barmaid.
Pub and factory cleaning
Hilda was renowned for singing while she cleaned, especially at the pub, where she was jokingly likened to Kate Bush due to her rather unusual high-pitched singing voice!
In the 1970s, Hilda became an evening cleaner at the new factory, Baldwin's Casuals. She sneaked onto one of the sewing machines during her shift and made herself some denim cleaning mittens from off-cuts. She found she had a knack for sewing, but when factory boss Mike Baldwin caught her making curtains on his time, he soon ended her new career!
Hilda bounced back by getting a job cleaning number nine Coronation Street for her neighbours, Len and Rita Fairclough, where she worked until 1981. Later, she had an interview for a cleaner at a businessman's flat and found it belonged to Mike Baldwin!
Despite their earlier disagreement, he took her on, as he recognised that she was honest and trustworthy. However, she was fired for interfering in Mike's personal life, when she tried to give him advice about the breakup of his marriage!
Hilda leaves the Street
Although her life and income depended on her cleaning jobs, Hilda liked to enjoy herself when she had the chance, although this was rare, and she was seldom seen without her trademark scarf and curlers. When she finally left Coronation Street, in December 1987, her employer and friends organised a surprise party in the pub.
The scriptwriters gave Hilda a happy ending: she took a job cleaning a beautiful cottage for Dr Lowther and was told she could live in the attached flat following her beloved Stan's death.
Widower Dr Lowther later proposed to Hilda, but she turned him down, as she stayed true to Stan's memory. However, he still left her his cottage in his will, and she never had to worry about making ends meet again.
School cleaning visit
Jean Alexander always took her role as Hilda seriously, and in 1969, she was involved in making promotional visits, in character, around the UK, with other members of the Coronation Street cast.
Leaving Weatherfield, Hilda (wearing her apron and curlers) arrived at Mount Pleasant School in Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire. While there, she gave the real school cleaners a hand, mucking in with their usual cleaning tasks! She was pictured in the press looking completely at home with the actual cleaners, Mrs Smith, Mrs Middleton and Mrs Turner. A newspaper article joked that the pupils perhaps didn't realise they had a star in their midst.
Jean was so believable when in character as Hilda that the kids just thought they had a new school cleaner! She was always very down to earth and fell into relaxed, easy conversation with fans of the show.
As well as being arguably the most popular soap opera in the world, Coronation Street, first launched in 1960, presents a fascinating social history. Cleaning business premises such as schools, factories and pubs have been revolutionised since Hilda Ogden's day in the 1960s, thanks to modern cleaning products and equipment.
A familiar sight with her duster and bottle of spray cleaner, Hilda Ogden wouldn't have believed that her memory would live on in our hearts, 35 years after she left the cobbles behind her.
© Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo