who spoke the first words in coronation street
List of Coronation Street characters (1960) Other significant characters to appear this year include Elsie Lappin (played by Maudie Edwards) the original owner of the Corner shop and most famous for speaking the first words on the show;[1] Susan Cunningham (played by Patricia Shakesby), Ken's first girlfriend and the subject of a 2010 storyline in which it was discovered she had later given birth to his son; and May Hardman (played by Joan Heath), who became the first character to die in the series on 30 December.[1]