Rita Tanner | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Barbara Knox | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Duration | 1964, 1972–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||
First appearance | Episode 415 2 December 1964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Introduced by | Tim Aspinall (1964) Brian Armstrong (1972) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Spin-off appearances |
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Rita Tanner (also Littlewood, Bates, Fairclough and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by veteran actress Barbara Knox, the character first appeared on-screen as "Rita Littlewood" for one episode on 2 December 1964, before returning as a full-time cast member on 31 January 1972.
She is known for being something of a mother figure to a number of the street’s residents including Sharon Gaskell (Tracie Bennett), Jenny Bradley (Sally Ann Matthews), Sally Webster (Sally Dynevor), Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) and Gemma Winter (Dolly-Rose Campbell).