Maudie Edwards


Elizabeth Maud Edwards, professionally known as Maudie Edwards, was a Welsh English actress, comedian and singer, now best remembered for playing Elsie Lappin and speaking the first line of dialogue in the first two episodes of Coronation Street.

Career

Born in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales, Edwards had a talent for comedy and formed her own repertory company, The Maudie Edwards Players, who performed in the Palace Theatre, Swansea. In films of the 1940s, she provided a singing voice for stars such as Diana Dors and Margaret Lockwood.
She made her first screen appearance in 1936 and her last in 1972. In 1950, she appeared on stage with Frank Sinatra at the London Palladium. She played Elsie Lappin in the first two episodes of British soap opera Coronation Street in 1960 and was the first performer to speak during the first scene in the show's history: "Now the next thing you've got to do is to get a signwriter in - that thing above the door'll have to be changed."
She died in London in 1991.

Filmography