Brenda Palin was a cleaner who employed her services in the window of the Corner Shop. Hilda Ogden was sick of cleaning for others and decided as a Christmas treat to employ a cleaner for herself. A well-spoken lady, she and her husband had fallen on hard times after he was made redundant from Weatherfield Chemicals six months previously. She asked for £1.75 an hour and couldn't start until late in the morning as she needed to take her nine-year old son round to a friend's house beforehand. She thanked Hilda for giving her her first job and trusting her in her house, though her face showed that she wasn't impressed by 13 Coronation Street.
Stan and Eddie Yeats were surprised when they came home for their dinner and found Brenda busily vacuuming the carpet. Stan told her that she had the wrong house but she confirmed that Hilda had appointed her. As Hilda wasn't there to supply their food, Eddie asked her if she could cook something for them but she refused. Stan wondered if his wife had gone bonkers but Eddie felt that the house had never looked so clean. Hilda was delighted with the first day's work but Eddie almost dropped himself in it when he said he'd noticed the difference in the house as soon as he'd walked in.
Hilda enjoyed dropping the fact she herself had a daily when talking to Annie Walker and the staff in the Rovers. She was surprised herself when Brenda told her that Stan had helped her empty the hoover bag and was told that she was lucky to have a husband who was willing to help in such a way.
Annie and Bet Lynch thought the idea of Hilda employing a cleaner was ludicrous and Annie told Hilda that Nellie Harvey had agreed with her when she'd told her. Annie also grew tired of hearing how good Mrs Palin was and to put a stop to it suggested to Hilda that she'd like to meet her herself. Hilda sensed that would mean she could lose her own position and instantly dropped the subject. Time had run out anyway in the financial sense and Hilda couldn't afford Brenda's services so with real regret told her she was no longer required.
List of appearances[]
1980