Eileen Derbyshire (born 6 October 1931) is a veteran actress on Coronation Street, who appeared in the role of Emily Bishop (formerly Nugent) since Episode 15 on the 27th January 1961 to 2016 followed by a brief return in 2019, and was the second longest serving cast member behind William Roache (Ken Barlow) as well as the longest running female cast member.
Pre-Coronation Street[]
Coronation Street (1961-2016, 2019)[]
Derbyshire was originally offered a role in the original episodes but turned it down due to being busy. She was eventually cast as Miss Nugent and made her debut in the fifteenth episode in January 1961, a month after the show started airing. Miss Nugent had previously appeared in the fourth episode by an unidentified extra with no speaking lines. Miss Nugent's first name was revealed as Emily in August 1961, although she would be credited as "Miss Nugent" until 1969.
Derbyshire and Arthur Lowe (who played Leonard Swindley) were absent from December 1961 to June 1962 due to the Equity strike which meant they couldn't renew their contracts in that time. No explanation was given for Emily and Swindley's absence in that time, they simply remained off-screen.
Derbyshire took a break from 1966 to 1967 to give birth to her son.
In November 2015 Derbyshire took a break from the show, which was granted by the producers and the character departed on New Year's Day 2016. Although originally going to be for six-months which would have seen the character return in the summer of that year, the break was extended.
Derbyshire is known for being a private individual, rarely ever doing interviews or appearing at award shows. However on some occassions she has appeared in interviews, such as a tribute programme in 1988 dedicated to her friend Margot Bryant, who had played Minnie Caldwell from 1960 until 1976.
By January 2019, the 87 year old actress had been on a break for 3 years and a return to the show now seems unlikely. However the writers gave an update on the status of the character, mentioning that she was back in the United Kingdom and staying with her niece Freda Burgess, with Norris paying her a visit off-screen.
The door has been left open for a return. She made a cameo return in October 2019 in which Emily briefly communicated with Ken through Skype.
As of 2023, Eileen is 92 years old and due to her advanced age, a full time return as Emily is unlikely.