Mrs Houghton was the mother of Lucy who met Tracy Langton on her first day in the infants' section of Bessie Street School. She got Deirdre Barlow's relationship to Tracy confused due their different surnames and Deirdre had to explain that she had remarried. Mrs Houghton told Deirdre that the girls' teacher, Mrs Sumner, had told her that the two had quickly become friends and remarked on how the twice-daily walk to the school would keep them fit. The conversation started Deirdre thinking that Ken Barlow should officially adopt Tracy from Ray Langton.