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Charles "Charlie" J. Moffitt was the resident comic of the Viaduct Sporting Club and later insurance agent who lodged with Minnie Caldwell at 5 Coronation Street from 1964 to 1965.

Biography[]

Charlie Moffitt had held down various jobs, including three years service in the Army, nine years working as a painter and decorator and six months as a door-to-door salesman before he arrived in Coronation Street to start work as a resident comedian at the Viaduct Sporting Club in the basement of Elliston's Raincoat Factory. Manager Laurie Frazer instructed talent scout Dennis Tanner to find lodgings for Charlie but Charlie persuaded pensioner Minnie Caldwell to let him her back room at No.5. With Charlie came his greyhound Little Titch and his pigeons.

Charlie wasn't the greatest success at the Club. He was coaxed into organising a talent contest to drum up trade and in December 1964 he was sacked. In early 1965 Charlie decided to retire from comedy and became an insurance salesman, although his new career had a bumpy start as he lost a cigarette pack containing £25 of customers' money. Charlie fled the area, fearing he would be blamed for the loss of the money, when in fact it had been found by Hilda Ogden, who innocently returned it as Charlie returned to face his bosses.

In collaboration with Stan Ogden, Charlie attempted to brew his own beer, which subsequently exploded. Minnie Caldwell, having been told they were bottles of tonic, shared one with Emily Nugent and got drunk. She later claimed this was the only time she had ever been drunk.

Charlie left Weatherfield in December 1965 to go back into show business, although he sent a telegram to Elsie Tanner at her wedding in 1967.

While living in Coronation Street, Charlie was a fixture in the Rovers Return Inn and made many friends, including Stan Ogden, Dennis Tanner and Len Fairclough. In the 1964 pantomime at the Glad Tidings Mission Hall, staged by Leonard Swindley, Charlie played one of the ugly sisters alongside Irma Ogden. Charlie was volunteered by Minnie to help out backstage at Emily Nugent's Gamma Garments (Rosamund Street branch) mannequin show. Charlie was delighted at the opportunity to be backstage with the models (Irma Ogden, Lucille Hewitt and Sandra Petty) as they changed. Charlie's regular attire was a pinstripe suit, with a bow tie and a fedora.

Personality[]

Duckworths 1983
"If you've owt to say, spit it out before it flamin' well chokes yer"
This article or section is unfinished.
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Background information[]

Duckworths 1983
"If you've owt to say, spit it out before it flamin' well chokes yer"
This article or section is unfinished.
Please edit this article to fill in the missing parts and remove this message when done.

First and last lines[]

"It's a proper little ghost town, is this. Hey, Jack! Does no joker live 'ere?" (First line, to Frank Barlow)

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"Right you are love. Oh, and I'll leave the front door key on the table. Bye bye Minnie, take care of yourself." (Final line)

Appendices[]

Duckworths 1983
"If you've owt to say, spit it out before it flamin' well chokes yer"
This article or section is unfinished.
Please edit this article to fill in the missing parts and remove this message when done.

See also[]

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