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Minnie Caldwell Remembered - A Tribute to Margot Bryant was a half-hour tribute programme to the actress who had died on 1st January 1988. The programme was transmitted at 8.00pm on Thursday 4th February, just over one month later.
Title caption card for the programme
The programme was presented by Kenneth Cope with inserts filmed on the 1982 outdoor set. This was Cope's first involvement with Coronation Street since his departure twenty-two years before in 1966 (aside from co-writing two episodes of the spin-off Turn out the Lights in 1967) . His presentation was partially in the character of Jed Stone, the part he had played intermittently in the 1960s, and partly as himself but throughout he wore Jed's trademark cap.
Other contributors appearing were Lynne Carol (filmed at "Longhurst", her Blackpool home), Tony Warren, Doris Speed and Eileen Derbyshire, indeed the programme is notable for containing one of only two known interviews with the latter actress during her time with the programme. Several extended clips from the archives of Margot Bryant playing Minnie were shown.
Kenneth Cope returns briefly as Jed Stone
Lynne Carol spoke honestly about the character of Ms Bryant herself, attesting to the fact that she was very different to the part that the public saw while in real life she could be arrogant and rude with well-wishers. Eileen Derbyshire spoke of her attitude towards children being akin to that of W.C. Fields and yet she took the trouble to make a handmade shirt for her son, Oliver Holt, after his birth. Doris Speed also spoke of her seeming arrogance while also commenting on her tears when she thought there was no regular part for her in the programme after the recording of Episode 2 and she was therefore saying goodbye to a lucrative part. Tony Warren commented on a well-known aspect of Ms Bryant's character - her unconditional love for cats.
The programme was researched by Charlie Moritz and both produced and directed by Spencer Campbell. Its transmission garnered 10,800,000 viewers putting it in 33rd place in the national charts for the week.