Julie Goodyear

Presenter0:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young. Thank you for downloading this podcast of Desert Island Discs from BBC Radio 4. For rights reasons the music choices are shorter than in the radio broadcast.

Presenter0:10

For more information about the programme, please visit bbc.co.uk/slash radio four.

Presenter0:34

My castaway this week is the actress Julie Goodyear.

Presenter0:38

For a quarter of a century her Coronation Street character Bette Lynch set the gold plated standard for big brassy back chatting blondes. Behind the bar of the Rover's Return, her bosom swathed in leopard print and her head piled high with platinum curls, she was Manchester's answer to May West. Her MBE was awarded for services to drama, and when she left the series in nineteen ninety five, nineteen million viewers were glued to their T V s.

Presenter1:06

Yet, whatever the scriptwriters came up with, it was never as dramatic as the life she has lived beyond the street.

Presenter1:12

She got pregnant at seventeen her second husband abandoned her for their best man.

Presenter1:18

And in 1979, she was diagnosed with cancer and told she had a year to live.

Presenter1:23

She's now married to her fourth husband. If Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive isn't on her list of eight to day, it'll be a miracle. She says If anyone should be interested in an epitaph for my life, I would like them to consider at least she tried.

Presenter1:38

So, Julie Goodyear, welcome. I quoted that figure of nineteen million people tuning in to your last episode on Coronation Street that you appeared in as Bet Lynch. That must have put

Speaker 11:42

Canning

Presenter1:47

A huge pressure on you knowing that so very many people cared about what was happening to their favourite care.

Julie Goodyear1:52

Not really, Kirsty, because, you know, when you're in a television studio, you can actually blank that from your mind. In fact, you've got to do. It's only if you're on stage or in a theatre that you're you're so aware. I just used to convince myself that I was recording it for my mum and a few of her friends.

Presenter1:59

Okay.

Presenter2:12

And one of the other episodes that you played a crucial role in was when you were caught in an horrific um fire. It was a very dramatic storyline. Twenty one million people watched. What they didn't know, I think, was that you actually you almost caught fire, did you, during the filming of that?

Julie Goodyear2:27

Yes, I did, because the first time we recorded it, the night dress I was wearing had been what they call flame proofed, but obviously not for long enough, and it did catch fire, so a marvellous floor manager, who I will never forget, got me out of the fire, and we had to re do it.

Presenter2:47

Now, we didn't often see you in a night dress on Coronation Street. Usually, I mean I mentioned there in the introduction it was the it was the leopard print, and I am delighted to say that you are not disappointing me here to day. You're wearing I mean, it is exquisitely tasteful, but it is a leopard print jumper, you've got a leopard print scarf on, and you've got a leopard print sparkling hairband. Do you

Julie Goodyear3:05

Do you

Presenter3:05

I seem to have led a leopard-print life. Do you?

Presenter3:09

Do you feel the need in a way to sort of satisfy that demand in your fans, just to be to bring a little bit of bet into their

Julie Goodyear3:16

Bye.

Presenter3:16

Uh

Julie Goodyear3:16

I just I feel it's been so lucky for me, Kirsty. And I actually did a bikini shoot picture. Age 16.

Presenter3:23

I think you were in that picture.

Julie Goodyear3:24

In Leopard Print. So, you know, I'd like to feel that I was instrumental in in passing that on to the character I was playing, because it was very, very tarty then. It wasn't sort of up market as it is now, you know, it was off markets or catalogues, and I made absolutely certain it wouldn't have costed a penny more.

Speaker 23:33

Then

Julie Goodyear3:43

Than she would have been earning at the time.

Presenter3:45

You spent th thirty years pretty much just behind the bar. What would we find you doing day to day now?

Julie Goodyear3:50

Yeah. I have a thirty acre farm in Heywood where I live. I still do work. I don't do the ninety hours a week that I used to do, of course, because I'm the same age as Desert Island Disc. Indeed you are, yeah. I'm delighted about seventy one. But I like to work, you know, I don't want to retire.

Presenter4:02

Indeed you are, yeah.

Presenter4:08

On to the music now. I have to say, you haven't chosen Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive, but tell me about the first disc that we're going to hear this morning. The first disc.

Julie Goodyear4:16

Disc is These Boots Are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra. This was at a time when I just about had enough and I thought.

Julie Goodyear4:28

This'll get amazing.

Speaker 14:29

You keep saying you've got something for me.

Speaker 14:35

Something you call love, but confess.

Speaker 14:41

You've been a messin'. Well you shouldn't have been a messin'.

Speaker 14:46

And now someone else is getting all your best.

Speaker 14:52

These boots are made for walking.

Speaker 14:55

And that's just what they'll do.

Speaker 14:59

One of these days these boots are gonna

Presenter5:01

That was These Boots Are Made for Walkin' sung there by Nancy Sinatra and Read Actions Here with uh Julie Gutierrez.

Speaker 25:08

Come on.

Presenter5:09

You were very much living every moment of that, Julie Goodyear. We should remind people of the extraordinary ensemble cast that was part of Coronation Street back in the beginning. There was um Doris Speed as Annie Walker, Pat Phoenix, of course, Elsie Tanner, she was playing. Uh there was the wonderful Betty Driver, who we've had here as a castaway on Desert Islandists, Violet Carson as Ina Sharples.

Speaker 25:09

You a bit

Presenter5:28

When you walked on to set, the first time around, what was that like walking on to set with those women?

Julie Goodyear5:34

Terrifying. It really, really was. That was in nineteen sixty six. Respect was expected by these older ladies, and it was received. You didn't call anybody by their first name. It was Miss Speed, Miss Carson, Miss Phoenix. Betty was the only exception.

Julie Goodyear5:53

But you'd have been in trouble if you sat in anybody else's chair, even accidentally.

Presenter5:58

You once said um that you need an actress needs to put vanity aside when the script requires it. That's a really brave thing for an actress to do, in increasingly so, in fact, you know, when when uh actresses and women are judged for the way they look. When were the times that you had to put vanity to one side?

Julie Goodyear6:13

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear6:14

I insisted on it, if it was an early morning scene, then there was no makeup, ever.

Julie Goodyear6:20

And I didn't realize how unusual or rare that that was. You know, if I didn't wake up with a full makeup on, then why should Bette Lynch? For the character that I was playing, it I you know, it had to be absolutely correct. I mean, when I went into Granada Studios, I'd be in jeans, trainers, makeupless. What would have been the point in arriving in any other way?

Julie Goodyear6:44

When I was usually at 7 a.m., the first in makeup to get ready to begin to turn into the character.

Presenter6:52

How long did it take to turn into

Julie Goodyear6:53

One hour.

Presenter6:54

One house.

Julie Goodyear6:54

One hour for makeup and costume. Okay, that's pretty

Presenter6:57

An onset.

Julie Goodyear6:58

And the hair, when it was that beehive with the huge curls in it

Presenter7:00

The man was

Julie Goodyear7:00

That was all a wig, obviously, was it? Not initially, no. My own hair initially, when they first tried it, was back combed and lacquered, but eventually I managed to save up enough to get the hair piece.

Presenter7:12

You say you had to save up. Do they not follow your wig?

Julie Goodyear7:13

Well

Presenter7:16

What a cheap bunch they were in.

Julie Goodyear7:17

Not at all. No, no, no, no, no. You have to remember, Coronation Street was the star. There there were no there were no stars.

Presenter7:27

So you left the street in 1995, as I mentioned, but you did return in 2002, but you only stayed for a couple of weeks. What happened?

Julie Goodyear7:35

I think by then it had gone to about five Eps. Yeah, five a week. So it came as a bit of a shock.

Julie Goodyear7:42

Everything was sort of shot out of order and it just was not the way that I was used to working or could work. And I've got the utmost respect for people who do and who can work.

Presenter7:56

Like that.

Presenter7:57

Let's have some more music, Julie Goodyear. We're on your second disc of the morning, then. Tell me about this. What is this, and why have you chosen it?

Julie Goodyear8:03

Yeah. Okay.

Presenter8:03

This

Julie Goodyear8:03

Number two is the alphabet song. My mother used to sing this song to me, and I honestly don't think there's a nicer way of learning for any child to learn the alphabet.

Speaker 28:15

And all adorable

Speaker 28:17

You're so beautiful, see, you're a beautiful charm. And E, you're excited. And you're a feather in my arms. You look good to me, eh? You're so heavenly. You're the one I idle.

Speaker 18:35

Uh

Speaker 28:38

We're like Jack and Jill King's love light in your eyes.

Presenter8:44

That was Eileen Wilson singing the Alphabet song. So, Julie Goodyear, you had two great role models for strong working class women then. Tell me a little bit about your grandmother and your mother.

Julie Goodyear8:54

Of the two my grandmother.

Julie Goodyear8:56

was uh the stronger. I was born in nineteen forty two and my true father, my real father, the sort of war had just finished and they were on the point of getting a divorce. And so I did spend a a lot, lot of time with my grandmother. But it was in the same street, would you believe? Pickup street. That's a good name.

Presenter9:17

I'm frustrated now.

Presenter9:19

And y your grandmother was often called upon I've read this and and I want to learn more about it. She made herbal remedies for locals she would lay out the bodies when somebody had died. So she had she had a sort of stature within the community, did she?

Julie Goodyear9:28

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear9:30

Yes, she did.

Julie Goodyear9:32

They had sort of one sort of person for so many streets who would be asked to lay away the body. It was quite an honour to uh do that, and their clothes would usually be in a bottom drawer, uh white linen, that had been embroidered, and they were laid away in those, and I usually accompanied my grandmother.

Julie Goodyear9:53

which now when I think about it seems crazy, ridiculous. But then it was quite normal. It seemed quite normal to me. It was very peaceful and very quiet.

Presenter10:02

So would you be a little girl sitting in the corner of the I it was probably be the front room or maybe the bedroom where it was

Julie Goodyear10:07

They were always sort of laid away in a casket underneath the window, and the curtains were always closed.

Presenter10:12

So what age would you have been when that was happening? Four or five. Well, that must have made a huge impression on you. Do you think about it ever?

Julie Goodyear10:20

Not really.

Presenter10:20

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear10:20

Bay.

Julie Goodyear10:21

Oh, just to me it was quite n

Presenter10:23

Normal. Right. And you've described your grandmother as the love of your life.

Presenter10:28

How old were you then when she died? Thirteen. So young? Hm. How did it affect you at the time? Very badly.

Julie Goodyear10:34

Yeah.

Presenter10:35

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear10:35

She uh

Julie Goodyear10:37

She drowned in the local canal.

Presenter10:39

Oh, my goodness

Julie Goodyear10:40

Uh

Presenter10:40

Uh

Julie Goodyear10:40

Mm.

Julie Goodyear10:43

and I went into shop.

Julie Goodyear10:47

And my mother

Julie Goodyear10:49

Stopped eating.

Julie Goodyear10:51

Anorexia hadn't been heard of then.

Julie Goodyear10:54

But that's absolutely what it was and I couldn't cry.

Julie Goodyear11:00

Shock can do terrible things.

Presenter11:03

And this it had been an accident, was it? I mean, she was maybe. That was the verdict, yes. Yes. Okay.

Julie Goodyear11:06

That was the verdict, yes.

Julie Goodyear11:09

The verdict was accidental death.

Presenter11:11

And you say you couldn't cry.

Julie Goodyear11:13

No.

Julie Goodyear11:15

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear11:17

And it was many years later before I did.

Presenter11:20

Okay.

Presenter11:21

For now, let's have some music then. We're on your third disc of the morning, Julie Goodyear. Tell me about this third piece of music. What have you chosen?

Julie Goodyear11:30

I'd chosen Blue Moon by Nat King Cole, because long before Coronation Street I would have been about maybe fifteen, and decided that I was going to uh be a singer, went to Bury Pally with a few of my pals.

Julie Goodyear11:44

and uh there was a a dance band playing on stage.

Julie Goodyear11:49

Took a deep breath, jumped up on stage, grabbed the microphone, and launched into Blue Moon. I didn't get very far into the song before a meat pie was thrown at me, and it actually hit me in the face.

Julie Goodyear12:02

Uh

Julie Goodyear12:04

I shouldn't laugh actually. That's terrible. That's all right. That's all right. What did you do? I bent down and picked it up and had it.

Speaker 112:06

That's our

Julie Goodyear12:13

Well, I was hungry, but better than that, I got a round of applause. I bet you did. But I knew I was never going to be a singer then.

Speaker 212:21

Right, let's hear it. The moon

Speaker 212:26

You saw me standing alone.

Speaker 212:31

Would I dream my heart?

Speaker 212:35

Will I love my own

Speaker 212:40

Blue moon.

Speaker 212:44

You knew just what I was there for.

Speaker 212:48

You heard me say

Presenter12:50

A prayer for

Presenter12:53

That was Nat King Cole with Blue Moon there. So, Julie Goodyear, an only child and a child who loved performing. Can you remember, as a little girl, I'm talking about here, when was the first time that you performed?

Julie Goodyear13:03

Oh, I'd always be singing. We used to sort of build stages with house bricks, and local kids would do little turns. It was fun. Um I was in school plays. Um I enjoyed drama very much.

Presenter13:16

And were you told by teachers that, you know, you had you had something? No, they didn't say anything like that. So what were you supposed to do with your life? What did the teachers tell you? What did you do?

Julie Goodyear13:25

Jet a pro

Presenter13:25

Aperture

Julie Goodyear13:25

Which would have been what? For me, shorthand typist. What did your mum do? One of her jobs was in Woolworths, Light Bulbs, and then she moved on to make up, which I think she preferred.

Presenter13:37

We mentioned a moment ago this picture of you aged sixteen.

Presenter13:40

It's a very provocative picture in this leopard skin bikini, but uh as a little girl, what w what were you like? How would you have been dressed? Were you very sort of particular about what you wore and?

Julie Goodyear13:49

Well, no. Really, you got what you were given, and it was usually knitted.

Julie Goodyear13:54

Sha.

Julie Goodyear13:55

But I certainly didn't feel impoverished or left out. I thought everybody lived like that. I didn't realise that we were actually quite poor. But I didn't particularly like my knitted swimsuit. I wasn't keen on that. That was sort of yellow and green stripes. And because that was for the holiday in Blackpool that happened Wakes Week, when everybody went to the same place. And a basin was put on your head, and any hair that was showing was cut. And then you had this sort of home perm. Yeah, tweeny twink it was called.

Julie Goodyear14:30

It smelt dreadful. Did your mum do the

Presenter14:32

Tweeny Twinkie in the kitchen then do you Of the kitchen sink, yeah. Some music then. Uh we're halfway through, would you believe it? We're on your fourth. Tell me about your fourth disc.

Presenter14:40

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear14:40

Disc four is Rock Around the Clock with Bill Haley. I've chosen that because it was all rock and roll at that particular time. Me and my mate Sue, we did the throwing up at the sides, up in the air. Coloured petticoats.

Julie Goodyear14:55

I think I had uh fluorescent lime green knickers and matching lime green fluorescent socks. Thank you.

Speaker 215:06

1, 2, 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock, rock. 5, 6, 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock, rock. 9, 10, 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, rock. We're going to rock around. 10 o'clock tonight. When the slab flags up, join me hot. We'll have some fun when the clock strikes. We're going to rock around. When the clock tonight

Speaker 215:26

But they're like, oh no, I'm the

Presenter15:33

That was rock around the clock from Bill Haley and memories for you, Julie Goodyear, of all that jiving that you did. How old would you have been when you were jiving? Oh sixteen. Right. You were pregnant at seventeen. You didn't know you were pregnant. No.

Julie Goodyear15:46

I thought if you'd still got all your clothes on which I had, how could you be? There wasn't any sex education.

Presenter15:53

No.

Julie Goodyear15:54

And I I remember thinking at one particular time that if anybody touched you sort of there.

Presenter15:59

On your bosom, yeah.

Julie Goodyear16:00

You could have a baby.

Presenter16:01

Right.

Julie Goodyear16:02

So you'd be very careful.

Julie Goodyear16:04

I was so naïve.

Julie Goodyear16:07

It wasn't true. And so, how did you actually discover that you were pre how did you realize that? Well, it was my mother who told me.

Presenter16:11

There's a m

Julie Goodyear16:13

I said, Do you think so? And she said, I'm sure. And did you get into trouble with it?

Presenter16:18

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear16:18

Uh

Presenter16:18

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear16:18

I'm a dad.

Julie Goodyear16:19

Honestly.

Julie Goodyear16:20

She said, Well, God help you when your father finds out, because it was then something to be saw.

Julie Goodyear16:26

Ashamed of.

Julie Goodyear16:28

It is not true.

Julie Goodyear16:30

You know, there were there were only three really three choices where I came from in those days.

Julie Goodyear16:37

Because abortion wasn't legal.

Julie Goodyear16:40

So there was only Back Street abortion.

Julie Goodyear16:43

Adoption or a shotgun wedding?

Julie Goodyear16:46

Otherwise that child would be known as a bastard.

Julie Goodyear16:50

And so it was a shotgun wedding for you? It was, indeed.

Julie Goodyear16:54

It was

Julie Goodyear16:56

Wasn't very pleasant.

Julie Goodyear16:59

He was quite a bit older than I was.

Julie Goodyear17:02

And uh it was just a case of of the local church.

Julie Goodyear17:07

And just

Julie Goodyear17:09

Family, really there.

Presenter17:12

Did you marry after you'd had your baby or were you married actually while you were pregnant?

Julie Goodyear17:16

Oh, now what you know?

Presenter17:18

You had to get married before the baby had arrived.

Julie Goodyear17:19

You'd have to do, yes. And the attitude

Julie Goodyear17:23

In the back streets then was, well, you never miss a slice off a cut loaf. You were immediately branded. Immediately.

Presenter17:32

Did you did you feel that?

Presenter17:34

Yeah, you were made to feel that.

Presenter17:37

So what was the response of then your your greater family? I don't know if you had aunts or maybe uh you know, cousins.

Julie Goodyear17:43

Nothing.

Presenter17:44

Nobody talked to you about it.

Julie Goodyear17:45

No, no, it wasn't discussed.

Presenter17:50

Time for some more music then. Um we're on your fifth choice. Tell me about your fifth choice.

Julie Goodyear17:55

My fifth choice is Barry Manilow. I made it through the rain. And why have you chosen this one, Julie? Because I that's exactly how I felt at that time in my life, that I had made it through the rain. And I love it.

Speaker 218:10

We dreamers have our way.

Speaker 218:14

A face and rainy day

Speaker 218:18

And somehow we survive

Speaker 218:25

We keep the feelings warm.

Speaker 218:29

Take them from the storm.

Speaker 218:32

Until our time arrives.

Presenter18:37

That was Barry Manilow with I Made It Through the Rain. Um the marriage that very first marriage of yours didn't last then, and so you were a young single mum, and you managed to save up enough money to get yourself along to a course at the Lucy Clayton School of Modelling.

Julie Goodyear18:50

I know. I think it must have been a bit of a shock when I walked in initially. But, you know, they did teach me a great deal, and it was another way of earning money for me to provide. What sort of modelling did you do? Just hands and feet. That was one job, and fortunately I did very well out of it.

Presenter19:07

You were very much on your own with your son Gary, were you?

Julie Goodyear19:10

You mean after his father had left? Yes. I w immediately moved back in with my mother and father. They absolutely adored him.

Presenter19:16

So you went to work uh just for a short stint on Coronation Street, but you properly became part of the cast um some time later and you were employed two episodes a week and you got a hundred quid a week, is that right?

Julie Goodyear19:29

Fifty pounds an episode, but first week's wage I got my son his first bike. It was like we'd I'd won the lottery. I'd got it, I was in it.

Presenter19:35

I was in it.

Julie Goodyear19:37

Oh, it was, it was, it was. It was absolutely fantastic. The writers were just incredible, but the more you gave to them.

Julie Goodyear19:47

It was like a fantastic game of table tennis.

Julie Goodyear19:50

the more they would give you in return. You know, I couldn't wait to open scripts when I got home from work and start learning them uh after I'd put Gary to bed.

Presenter20:00

I mentioned the extraordinary cast that you were surrounded by. It was actually a very small caste coordination surrounding. About 20, then. Yeah, that's tiny, isn't it? Really?

Julie Goodyear20:04

About twenty

Julie Goodyear20:06

I think I think there's about

Presenter20:08

Sixty five.

Julie Goodyear20:08

Five.

Presenter20:08

Okay. That small cast that you were working among, and many of them had been working for decades, did you feel like you were

Julie Goodyear20:10

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear20:12

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear20:14

Learning from Oh, good gracious, yes. If I wasn't in a scene I would be standing very quietly behind one of the flats watching. And learning all the time. I was so hungry to learn. I wanted to know it inside out, all of it. Is it true you became friendly with Sir Laurence Olivier? You have done your homework.

Julie Goodyear20:34

He was actually working. I mean, Granada was a hive of activity in those days.

Julie Goodyear20:40

And he was working in the next studio and he was a great fan of the street. And he wanted to play the part of a tramp and forbet to throw him out of the pub. And of course that was not allowed, because anybody who was famous or well known in those days was not allowed to be in the programme. And if I wasn't in any of of of the scenes that I was doing, I would then go into, with permission of course, into the studio as he was working and watch this genius. And he actually taught me to be able to vomit on a queue at five seconds, which I could do for you now, but I won't spoil the desk.

Julie Goodyear21:19

And going back now to our conversation about the rover's fire, indeed it did.

Julie Goodyear21:24

and as I was crawling under the smoke I vividly remembered Laurence Olivier teaching me, and I vomited under the smoke.

Presenter21:33

And on that note, Julie Goodyear, we got to go to music.

Presenter21:38

That's extraordinary. Right, tell me what we're going to hear. We're on your um sixth piece of the day.

Julie Goodyear21:43

My sixth piece of music is When a Child Is Born by Johnny Mathis.

Presenter21:49

Tell me about why.

Julie Goodyear21:50

Because having my son, although it was yes, it was hard, but it was very special and Johnny Mathis's song just seems to sum it up for me.

Speaker 222:00

A ray of hope

Speaker 222:04

Flickers in the sky

Speaker 222:08

A tiny star.

Speaker 222:11

Lights are way apart

Speaker 222:17

All across the land, dawn's a grand new war.

Speaker 222:23

This comes to pass.

Presenter22:27

When a child is born. That was Johnny Mathis with A Child Is Born. So, Julie, good year. When we were talking right at the beginning of the morning, you um we were talking about your grandmother and you were saying that, you know, you couldn't

Presenter22:41

You were in shock and you were grief-stricken, but you didn't cry and and and I said

Presenter22:47

How long did it take? and you said, Oh, well, that came much later. So when did you cry?

Julie Goodyear22:52

Am I to be taught how to cry?

Julie Goodyear22:54

In hospital.

Julie Goodyear22:56

That was after my

Julie Goodyear22:57

Second marriage. I can't give you the exact date, but it would be in the seventies. And I found out that my son was saving up for a dad.

Julie Goodyear23:07

It's pocket money.

Presenter23:08

Right.

Julie Goodyear23:09

Uh

Presenter23:09

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear23:10

And any mother.

Julie Goodyear23:12

What understand?

Julie Goodyear23:15

And I met a a local gentleman who courted me, and he was an absolute gentleman. And eventually

Julie Goodyear23:26

Asked me to marry him.

Julie Goodyear23:28

And I look to my son.

Julie Goodyear23:31

and said yes. And we did get married and uh it was a very big affair, you know, the cast of Coronation Street were there.

Julie Goodyear23:40

And I'd visited uh Ireland at the height of the bombing.

Julie Goodyear23:45

So some of the lads had turned up in a Saracen tank. It was a hell of an affair, it really was. And uh it was at the reception.

Julie Goodyear23:55

that uh I'm afraid he left with the best mum.

Julie Goodyear24:00

And uh

Julie Goodyear24:03

That was very difficult.

Julie Goodyear24:04

It was very, very difficult.

Julie Goodyear24:08

And

Julie Goodyear24:09

Another shock.

Julie Goodyear24:11

As you can imagine.

Presenter24:12

Yes.

Julie Goodyear24:13

Yeah.

Presenter24:14

No sense, there was no sense in which you thought something about this. I'm talking about before the marriage. No, no. No.

Julie Goodyear24:20

Oh.

Presenter24:22

Can I ask you, at the wa you say you left at the reception, what did he come and tell you, or did somebody? No, somebody else told me.

Julie Goodyear24:22

Can I ask

Presenter24:30

What did you say to your son?

Julie Goodyear24:36

It was very difficult.

Presenter24:37

Yeah. As you can imagine.

Presenter24:41

So was it was that the year we started off talking here about how you learned to cry, was that the beginning of learning to cry?

Julie Goodyear24:47

It was because eventually I did have a complete nervous breakdown. Uh I went back to work pretending everything was all right, that we had been on a honeymoon that we hadn't and uh, you know

Julie Goodyear24:59

Cool.

Julie Goodyear25:01

I did have to go into hospital.

Presenter25:04

For how long?

Julie Goodyear25:05

A month, and it helped. And I learned how to cry.

Julie Goodyear25:11

It had been bottled up from the age of thirteen, obviously, when my grandmother had uh drowned. So it all came out. But I got well, and they helped me, thank God.

Presenter25:23

A devastating thing.

Presenter25:25

Then to happen.

Presenter25:27

Did you find that you had to sort of reassess everything that you thought you knew? Because the thing I suppose that that it calls into question is what my I thought I could trust my judgment. I can't trust my judgment.

Julie Goodyear25:37

Well, obviously I couldn't. I th I I just thought there must be something very wrong with me.

Julie Goodyear25:43

You know, Gary's father left. He went to Australia shortly after my son was born. And now here I am, you know, my son.

Julie Goodyear25:51

was saving up for a dad.

Julie Goodyear25:53

And he's gone. What is wrong with me?

Julie Goodyear25:56

You do tend to blame yourself. When did you stop blaming yourself? When did you realize that it wasn't you? Probably when I met Scott, who is my husband now. You've been together how many years? Sixteen years. So something must be right.

Julie Goodyear26:09

Thank goodness. That's for sure.

Presenter26:11

Let's have some music. Why don't we do Lee Goodier? Tell me about this. We're on your round seventh disc of the morning.

Julie Goodyear26:16

This is The Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warne, and this was Scott's song. He had this played when we got married, and I think it sort of says everything.

Speaker 226:30

Between my life

Speaker 226:34

Turns to Mary O'Shaughnessy

Speaker 226:40

Have true.

Presenter27:00

That was Bill Medley and Jennifer Warren singing Time of My Life and the saxophone solo in that was important, Julie Goodyear.

Julie Goodyear27:05

Yeah.

Presenter27:06

Yes.

Julie Goodyear27:06

Uh

Julie Goodyear27:07

Because Scott always minds to that. Always. He doesn't actually play it, he does.

Presenter27:10

Always.

Presenter27:12

Small to it.

Julie Goodyear27:12

Small today.

Presenter27:12

Uh

Presenter27:13

One thing that I said in the introduction, and it would be easy to sort of because there's so much to talk to you about, in nineteen seventy nine you were diagnosed with cancer and you were given a year to live.

Julie Goodyear27:23

Uh maximum.

Julie Goodyear27:25

But I didn't find that out until quite a bit later.

Presenter27:29

Actually.

Julie Goodyear27:29

Uh It was a mobile sort of unit that came to Granada.

Presenter27:32

And this was cervical cancer, they did.

Julie Goodyear27:33

Yeah, and I just joined the queue with cleaners, Winosa Canteen, and everybody else. Really for a laugh, actually. There you go.

Julie Goodyear27:42

And only to get the results at Christmastime that it was positive.

Julie Goodyear27:47

It's a bit of a shock, to put it mildly.

Presenter27:49

And your survival was down to obviously very, very good treatment and even even though the odds were against you.

Julie Goodyear27:53

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear27:55

Yes, excellent treatment.

Julie Goodyear27:58

And I mean, of course, you know, and I was back at work as soon as I could be. I shouldn't have gone back as early as I did, but that helped. It also helped me. And I've been ver ex

Presenter28:08

Extremely, extremely lucky.

Julie Goodyear28:10

Okay.

Presenter28:10

Um, you worked with a lot of talented, very funny, and I would imagine very quick-witted people on Coronation Street. Are there memories, particularly funny memories, that stand out?

Julie Goodyear28:19

There are so many. There is one that I do remember with Betty, and we'd been in Tatton Park Lake in ice-cold water filming.

Julie Goodyear28:27

For a couple of days.

Julie Goodyear28:29

And it was so cold it wasn't true.

Julie Goodyear28:32

And we'd only been given a, you know, a plastic bin liner with two holes to put our legs through as protection.

Julie Goodyear28:38

And there we were, you know, and the the the water was coming in the b holes had been bored in the side of the car and water was pouring in. What was the scene? What was the story? Uh we were going to Tatton Park Lay. You know, Fred was driving Honnie Walker's uh rover car,'cause he quite fancied Bette and Bett wouldn't go without Betty as a sort of chaperone. And b the the the brake, the hand brake, came off in Bette's hand.

Presenter29:01

The handbreaker.

Julie Goodyear29:02

And the car went into the water. Of course it did. And, you know, Betty was in the back, I was sitting in the front. And I remember her saying.

Julie Goodyear29:11

Very quietly, you know, Oh, Julie, I really do need to spend a penny.

Julie Goodyear29:16

And I said, But I've done it.

Julie Goodyear29:20

And she said, No, you've not

Julie Goodyear29:24

I said, I bloody have. Do you honestly think it's going to make any difference? I said, Betty, we're wet through.

Julie Goodyear29:30

And the pair of us just started laughing.

Julie Goodyear29:34

Yeah.

Presenter29:34

Laughing until we cried.

Presenter29:36

And so you are a grandmother now. You got three grandchildren?

Presenter29:39

Do you spend much time with them? Do they come?

Julie Goodyear29:41

Not as much as I'd like. I did when they were very young, Emily Elliott and Jack, you know. But when they grow up, they've got their own lives, but they're terrific. I treasure the time when I'm with them.

Presenter29:52

And given how much your grandmother meant to you, what do you think your your grandmother would have made of this very eventful life that you've led? I think she'd have been very proud. Your mother, of course, did le did live.

Julie Goodyear30:03

Yeah. Oh, see you have great success. She certainly did. She had a badge that she would often wear: I'm Bet Lynch's mum, which I'd be furious about. She literally.

Speaker 230:10

She literally

Julie Goodyear30:12

What, you're my mum!

Speaker 230:12

What's your ma

Julie Goodyear30:13

She literally had a bad Yes, yes, yeah. Fantastic. She was very, very thrilled, delighted about it. My father was a lot quieter, uh, but he was equally as proud.

Presenter30:26

As we know then, very happily married to Scott. You live on this remote farm. You're looking after the horses. You had a recent appearance on on Big Brother. I'm I'm wondering what plans you have next. Is there work still in the pipeline, or are you happier now just to to calm down a bit and do do less? No, I like working. What would you like to do next?

Presenter30:44

Well how do you top Desert Island discs?

Julie Goodyear30:46

Well, that's

Presenter30:50

Okay, on that note, tell me about your final disc of the day. What are we going to hear as your eighth choice?

Julie Goodyear30:55

Oh dear, my eighth choice. And I really wish we had more choices, but we haven't. It's Tina Turner, simply the best.

Speaker 231:04

And sampling the

Speaker 231:23

Found your heart.

Speaker 231:28

I hate on every word you say

Presenter31:34

That was Tina Turner and Simply the Best. Uh before we move on, Julie Goodyear, you met Tina Turner, didn't you?

Julie Goodyear31:39

I did, only because I was on the Royal Variety with other members of the cast of Coronation Street and Tina was topping the bill. And I was invited by her to join in a jam session with her at the very, very end of the show after we'd all met the Queen. And we sang this together. It was quite something. And it will always remind me of receiving my MBE from Her Majesty the Queen for services to television and drama and escorted by my son.

Julie Goodyear32:09

Yeah.

Presenter32:09

So I'm going to give you

Julie Goodyear32:10

Uh

Presenter32:10

The books, naturally, Goodyear. You get the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare, and of course you get to take a book of your own, something you would enjoy reading. What will you take with you?

Julie Goodyear32:18

I would like to take Jonathan Livingston Siegel by Richard Bach.

Presenter32:24

Yeah.

Julie Goodyear32:24

That's yours to take to the island. You're allowed a luxury

Presenter32:25

A luxury as well? What luxury would you like?

Julie Goodyear32:28

Got it here. I'd like to take my mum's bus pass, because since she passed away on the eleventh of may, nineteen eighty seven, I've taken this everywhere with me. Wherever I've been I take this, because I know she's on a journey, and this has helped me with grief, so I'd like to take this to the desert.

Presenter32:47

You may certainly have that then. And we ask all our castaways they had to pick just one disc of of the eight. Which one would you like to pick to save?

Julie Goodyear32:55

Time of My Life with Bill Medley and Jennifer Warns.

Presenter32:59

That's yours. Julie Goodyear, thank you very much for letting us hear your Desert Island Discs.

Julie Goodyear33:03

Yeah.

Presenter33:03

Thank you.

Julie Goodyear33:03

Hugh Kirstev really enjoyed it.

Presenter33:42

You've been listening to a download from the BBC. You'll find more information on the Radio 4 website: bbc.co.uk slash Radio Four.