Corrie - Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw)

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Coronation Street: Sue Cleaver
Ian Wylie
October 02, 2009
manchestereveningnews.co.uk

CORONATION Street actress Sue Cleaver admits the fear is slowly creeping up on her. She’s about to return to the stage for the first time in 13 years in a play about marriage, co-starring her real life ex-husband. “I had a real hankering to go back to the theatre,” explains Sue, who plays Streetcars controller and Weatherfield force of nature Eileen Grimshaw. “Now I’m rehearsing and the date is getting closer, that hankering is turning into blind terror.”

Manchester-trained Sue is appearing in JB Shorts 2, six more short plays by top TV writers at the Joshua Brooks pub in Princess Street. All six are around 15 minutes in length and are performed together back-to-back each night in a short run which begins next Tuesday. Fans will see a different side to Sue in black comedy Marriages Made In Heaven. She plays Victoria, about to get married for the fourth time even though her three previous husbands have all died in tragic circumstances.

Her co-star is Early Doors actor James Quinn, who has also written another of the short plays – And That’s A Rap – which features Shameless actress Samantha Siddall. Sue and James were married for 10 years until 2003. She recognises some people mind think the casting a little strange. “It’s a bit bizarre isn’t it? But we’re very good friends and we’ve worked a lot with each other in the past, and it’s always worked. One of my very first stage performances was with James in Alan Ayckbourn’s Man of the Moment. I drowned him in a swimming pool on stage, so not much has changed, really.”

Her play is directed by Kay Patrick in her first job since the accident on the Corrie set in May when she was hit by a car in front of horrified cast members. “I wasn’t on set that day and I’m very glad I wasn’t because people were very shocked,” recalls Sue. “It’s lovely to be working with Kay again but she doesn’t really want the fuss. She just wants to get on with it. She’s doing very well, has a nice colourful stick and will be going back to work at Corrie after this.” A number of Rovers Return regulars have said they plan to be in the audience. “I’m worried they’ll turn up and there won’t be any room for any of the other punters, because the venue is so small,” she laughs.

Sue will still be filming on the cobbles by day while performing on stage at night, with Eileen receiving a visit from the green-eyed monster tonight.

Coronation Street (ITV1, 7.30pm and 8.30pm) sees children’s entertainer Jesse (John Thomson) taking photos of Julie (Katy Cavanagh), dressed as his assistant Hia-Lowa, for his website. But as his focus arrows in, Eileen realises Jesse fancies her half-sister, so insists he sacks her. Will her partner go through with it?

The decision to team Sue and John up on screen has sparked plenty of comedy.”It’s worked well. But I think the public are more in love with the parrot than us.” That’s Jesse’s parrot John – real name Charlie – who has already made headline for his ability to mimic and worse. “He does swear, his mouth is foul,” confirms Sue. “But he didn’t get any of that from us,” she insists. “I’ve noticed it getting worse week by week and I don’t know why… He’s quite well trained, very clever and very amusing, but Charlie only does it when Charlie really wants to do it. I’d be in the middle of the scene and I’ll say something and he’ll mimic me, come out with the same sentence immediately after I’ve said it.” Sue has a more regular acting relationship with co-star Katy. “We worked together years ago in Cops and have a similar way of working. We’re really eager that the relationship is explored more.”

Coronation Street marks its 50th anniversary next year. “I don’t think any of us really know what to expect or how big it’s going to be. There isn’t ever time here to think beyond the next six months, so it just creeps up on you and is there. “But hopefully it’s going to be a great year for Corrie. It deserves to be.”

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Drunk driver at the wheel of a Land Rover... a cyclist's nightmare.

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Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver double the limit
By Brian Roberts
15/04/2010
mirror.co.uk

Corrie star Sue Cleaver was hit with a 17-month road ban yesterday after admitting driving at 2am while nearly twice over the drink drive limit. The 46-year-old actress, who plays dowdy cab controller Eileen Grimshaw, had confessed to her lawyer she was "highly ashamed" of herself.

Magistrates heard she had been driving for 20 years without picking up any points and that driving after boozing was a "spur of the moment decision". Cleaver was pulled over less than a mile from her home in Didsbury, Manchester, on March 29 after her Land Rover Freelander hit a nearside kerb. She was breathalysed after officers smelled alcohol. when the test proved positive she was taken to a station and gave a further reading of 63mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.

Defending Cleaver, Richard Silver told the court: "She is highly ashamed and deeply embarrassed. This could not have been more out of character. Although she has been driving for more than 20 years, she's never had points. She's normally a highly responsible driver. She had not intended to drive that night and deeply regrets her spur-of-the-moment decision to do so."

References from her employers and a charity she supports were handed to magistrates in Manchester. Her cast colleagues from the ITV1 soap have supported her during the run up to the case and say she is devastated by what she has done. One star told The Mirror: "No one could believe it - drink driving is just not Sue at all."

Cleaver, who was fined £1,000 and told to pay £85 costs, arrived at court with partner Brian owen. She made no comment afterwards.

She joined Corrie in 2000 as unlucky-inlove Eileen, the mother of Jason and Todd. Ryan Thomas, who plays her screen son Jason, was fined £2,000 at the same court on Monday for crashing his car and leaving the scene of the accident.

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The Grimshaws both appearing at the same court in the same week for driving offences? Spooky!

[Colston]

[SpursFan1902]

The tv family that goes to court together....Like Mother like son, I guess...

[SpursFan1902]

Selfish, selfish, selfish! What a selfish cow our Ms Grimshaw is. She knew her beau (whose name escapes me at the mo) was a fireman literally from day 1. I understand she is scared and it would be hard to be in a relationship with someone who faced danger every day, but the demise of her relationship lies firmly on her shoulders She has no one to blame but herself. That is what happens when you give someone an ultimatum, it doesn't always go the way you want it to.

[Twirley]

Yeah Spurs, my thoughts exactly. She can't ask a career fireman to leave his job just because she's scared he might get hurt. He's probably got more chance of being run over by a drunk driver than getting hurt in a fire. :-))

[SpursFan1902]

Well despite her best efforts, Eileen has managed to hang on to her fella. She did her best to sabotage her relationship and it STILL worked out for her.

[Twirley]

She came to her senses at last!! Woohoo. I'm glad Paul is staying - I like him as a character.

[SpursFan1902]

Yeah, I like him too. I felt bad for him being caught between a mentally ill wife and wanting to get on with his life.

[Twirley]

I hope they do some good comedy moments between Paul and Eileen. They can even have some thrilling stuff with him and his job. Let's see what the writers do.

I bet Spurs can come up with some good storylines. :-)

[SpursFan1902]

I think between all of us, we could give the writers a run for their money! Let's put our thinking caps on...Maybe Paul should be the one to crack the Rovers fire story...

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there's potential there for a whole big scenario for sure

'citing!

[Twirley]

I'm not very good at this, buthere goes...Paul goes looking for Jason's gimlet and finds something belonging to/incriminating Carl. Spurs - take it from here!

[SpursFan1902]

Hmmm...To keep both sides happy, Paul decides to go into forensic fire investigation. He still gets to work for the fire brigade and Eileen is happy that he is not charging into 5 alarm fires. He is assigned both the Rovers investigation (reopened because of the insurance company's reluctance to pay) AND the fire to Jason's van. Because he is local, the powers that be feel he can prize much needed information from his neighbors who can be just as closed mouthed as the EastEnders when it comes to the law. He puts all the pieces together, but instead of going thru channels, he goes to Carl first....