JOHNNY BRIGGS 1935 – 2021: CORO LEGEND Street farewells Johnny

THE LOVABLE LARRIKIN BROKE MANY HEARTS

He played one of Coronation Street’s most iconic characters, and news of Johnny Briggs’ passing has deeply saddened both his former castmates and fans of Britain’s longest-running soap.

Johnny, who passed away on February 28 at the age of 85, following a long illness, played womanising wheeler-dealer Mike Baldwin, who ran the Street’s knicker factory, from 1976 to 2006.

In his 30-year run on the cobbles, he was linked to a whopping 25 girlfriends and four wives, but he was best known for his long-running affair with Deirdre Barlow (played by the late Anne Kirkbride), who was married to Ken Barlow (William Roache).

When Deirdre eventually chose Ken over Mike in an episode that had viewers wringing their handkerchiefs from the edge of their seats, Mike was devastated. The heart-wrenching footage became one of the show’s highest-rating in its 61-year history, and news of Ken’s triumph was even announced on the Old Trafford scoreboard during a Manchester United vs Arsenal match, with the words “Ken and Deirdre reunited. Ken 1 – Mike 0”, resulting in cheers from the crowd.