Phyllis Pearce

Phyllis Pearce
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Jill Summers
Duration	1982–1996
First appearance	20 September 1982
Last appearance	1 May 1996
Classification	Former; regular
Introduced by	Bill Podmore (1982) Mervyn Watson (1984)
In-universe information Occupation Waitress Father Joshua Grimes Mother Violet Grimes Husband Harold Pearce Daughters Margaret Whiteley Grandsons Craig Whitely

Phyllis Pearce is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Jill Summers. She made her first appearance as Phyllis during the episode broadcast on 20 September 1982. She is introduced into the series as the grandmother of Craig Whitely (Mark Price). Phyllis is characterised as a pensioner, who has a blue-rinse hair style and a distinct tone to her voice. She takes a waitress job at Jim's Café and assumes the role of a gossiping woman. In her initial stories, Phyllis is portrayed at odds with Craig's paternal grandfather Chalkie Whitely (Teddy Turner), who she accuses of being an unfit parental guardian. In Phyllis' backstory, her husband Harold and her daughter, Margaret had died. Craig's father, Bob Whitely (Freddie Fletcher) decides to emigrate to Australia and Chalkie later joins them, leaving Phyllis without any family. Summers was only contracted to appear for a couple of weeks, but the character's popularity convinced producers to make Phyllis a permanent character in the series.

Writers developed an on-screen partnership between Phyllis and fellow pensioner, Percy Sugden (Bill Waddington). They portrayed Phyllis as determined to romance Percy, who takes a dislike to Phyllis. It formed the basis of numerous comedic storylines throughout their tenure, as Phyllis never gave up her hapless pursuit of Percy. In another story, Phyllis romances Sam Tindall (Tom Mennard), but this ends due to her infatuation with Percy. Producers reduced the role from 1994 onwards due to Summers' health deteriorating. She made her final appearance during the episode broadcast on 1 May 1996. Writers depicted Phyllis as moving to sheltered accommodation to facilitate Summers' absence, but she did not return and Summers died on 11 January 1997.

Phyllis has been well received by television critics for her pursuit of romance with Percy. She has been described as a battleaxe type of character and noticeable via her blue rinse hair and gruff voice. She has appeared in lists of the show's greatest characters and been described as a "forgotten gem" of the show.