Coronation Street's Maureen Lipman has opened up about her nervousness at joining the main cast back in 2018.
The veteran actress currently plays Tyrone Dobbs' grandmother Evelyn Plummer in the soap – after a brief stint as another character years ago – and during a chat with Prima magazine recently, she revealed that she was initially scared about annoying her co-stars on set.
Related: Coronation Street's Maureen Lipman calls on producers not to "ditch the oldies"
"I learned my lines until I knew them by heart, but I didn't know how the rest of the cast would react to me," she confessed. "There's always that feeling when you join something new that the regulars will be slightly cheesed off that you've come.
"They have their jokes, they have their seats, then you arrive seeming a bit aloof because you're actually more nervous than they know. It was a bit like going back to school!"
Related: Coronation Street star Maureen Lipman reveals when older cast will return to filming
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Fortunately for Maureen, she and Claudia Colby star Rula Lenska "hit it off instantly".
"We turned into two giggling teenagers and ended up sharing a flat in Manchester together, which was such fun," she explained.
"We cooked for each other and we'd do weekly online yoga classes, then ruin all our hard work by going out to eat at Wagamama! Now that she's left the show, we still call each other every day."
Coronation Street currently airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm on ITV.
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