Coronation Street's Ben Price has named the "hardest" actor on the famed cobbles, and it's a selection that may raise eyebrows.
Podcaster and stars of Corrie, Ben Price, together with Colson Smith and Jack P Shepherd, revealed who they reckon could come out top in a battle of strength.
While Jack and Colson originally tipped Jimmi Harkishin (Dev Alahan) and Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald) as the set's tough guys, Ben shared his somewhat left-field choice: "I'm going left field here, I think one of the hardest (is) Maureen Lipman. Tell you what, you wouldn't mess with Maureen, not in a million years."
Colson also threw a few female cast members into the mix, saying he wouldn't bet on himself in a tussle with them: "There's a couple of the girls I wouldn't (fight with), Alison King (Carla Connor) you wouldn't fancy your chances with Ali King, Fordy (Kate Ford)."
Adding a pinch of humour to their chat, Ben quipped: "I tell you what, there's a match in here, isn't there? There's a whole card."
While Ben might've been having a bit of fun by picking Dame Maureen as the toughest actor in Weatherfield, the 78-year-old joined the Coronation Street family as Evelyn Plummer in 2018 but had long been lauded for her acting prowess before stepping onto the famed street.
Before her stint on the cobbles, she had roles in Doctor Who and The Pianist, and even earned a BAFTA nomination for her performance as Trish in the critically acclaimed Educating Rita.
She also has a string of stage successes under her belt, having appeared in plays at the Old Vic and London's West End theatre.
Most recently, she was seen portraying Evelyn in Corrie, Tyrone Dobbs' great grandmother, and has been involved in some of the soap's major storylines. However, she announced late last year that she would be partially stepping back from the show.
Despite receiving numerous awards throughout her distinguished career, Dame Maureen's proudest moment may have been in 2020 when she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to charity, entertainment and the arts.
English (United States) ·