Storylines
Bet Lynch is born to parents Patrick and Mary Lynch. Her father leaves when she is six months old, and Bet receives a strict Roman Catholic upbringing by her mother, but that doesn't stop her becoming Miss Weatherfield in 1955. When she is sixteen, she meets a man called Joe Mason at a party, who is twelve years older than her. After getting pregnant, Joe flees and she gives birth to a baby boy called Martin. However, she is forced to give him up for adoption. A family called the Downes adopt Martin. Bet arrives in Coronation Street in 1966 when working at the PVC factory. She has an affair with her boss John Benjamin and gives Lucille Hewitt (Jennifer Moss) a black eye, because of her jealousy at Lucille's speed of welding. She moves away from the area a few weeks later.
Bet returns to Coronation Street in 1970 when she bumps into Irma Barlow (Sandra Gough), who she worked with in the factory back in 1966. Later in the year, Bet is appointed a junior barmaid in the Rovers Return Inn by Billy Walker (Kenneth Farrington), a place she will work at for the next twenty-five years. She has numerous relationships with many people, including well-known Street residents such as Len Fairclough (Peter Adamson) and Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs). In 1975, Bet receives news that her son Martin (who she gave up for adoption when he was a baby) was a soldier and has died in a car crash. She also finds out that he tracked her down, but was disgusted by her overt sexual nature and left without telling her who he was.
When Annie Walker (Doris Speed) retires in 1983 after 46 years, her son Billy Walker takes over license of the Rovers Return. He is involved in various dodgy dealings and screws up frequently. He is the landlord for less than a year; he gets in trouble with the brewery, and the tenancy is purchased back by Newton & Ridley.
The brewery decides to appoint a manager rather than sell the licence. Sarah Ridley appoints Bet manageress after receiving a petition from many of the Street’s residents who nominate her for the role. Bet is flabbergasted, but ecstatic. She moves out of the corner shop flat into the Rovers in January 1985. Bet is involved in a fire at the Rovers in 1986, but is saved by Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell). The place is gutted but eventually done up and she moves back in a few weeks later.
When the tenancy of the Rovers is being sold up by the brewery in 1987, Bet can't raise all the money in order to buy it. Club owner Alec Gilroy (Roy Barraclough) offers her a loan. However, she can't pay him back so flees to Spain and disappears for a few weeks. Alec manages to track her down to bring her back, and then proposes to her. They later get married. The marriage goes better than expected, and Bet falls pregnant in 1988, however, she has a miscarriage and loses the baby.
In 1991, Alec gets a job on a cruise and wants to sell the tenancy of the Rovers back to the brewery, however, Bet doesn't want to leave her pub behind, so stays and lets Alec go by himself. Bet becomes manageress of the Rovers and continues to run the pub for the next five years by herself.
When the brewery decide to sell up the Rovers again, Bet can't come up with the large sum they demand. She tries to ask some of her neighbours, especially close friend Rita Sullivan (Barbara Knox), for a loan. Rita thinks about it, but has to turn her down. Bet also tries to ask her step-granddaughter Vicky Arden (Chloe Newsome) to borrow some money; Vicky turns down the offer, but later says she will buy Bet a house for her to stay in. Bet gets upset and throws everyone out of the pub. She then leaves in the back of a taxi in her iconic leopard-skinned outfit, not knowing where to go next.
Bet eventually heads to Tenerife where she spends a few happy years before returning back to England. With a twist of fate, Alec had returned to Weatherfield shortly after her departure and starts working for the Duckworths when they take over the pub. Bet doesn't return for Betty Williams (Betty Driver)'s wedding to Billy Williams (Frank Mills) later in the year. While in Tenerife, she meets a man called Bruce and they become lovers. Bruce owns a boat on which the two would spend many happy days together. When he dies suddenly, the boat is left to Bet and she returns to England in 1999, visiting Brighton to make amends with Vicky and with the money she got from selling Bruce’s boat she is able to invest in Vicky’s wine bar.
Bet reappears in Coronation Street in June 2002 for Betty's retirement party, which delights her. Bet reveals that she has made up with Vicky and has been running different pubs across the country for the last seven years, before finally settling down in Brighton. Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) offers Bet a room at her home so she will have somewhere to sleep for the night, although Bet intends on staying for two weeks. Rita visits Bet, the day after, to try to make amends over not buying the pub for her, but Bet doesn't care as she has moved on from the pub and changed. Bet says all Rita did was run The Kabin, which she only has as a result of Len's death. This offends Rita, who tells Bet she should just push off as she has changed and is now bitter. It is later revealed that the reason Bet was back was so she could testify against a former lover who stole money from her. Mike and Audrey go to the court to give Bet support, however, she loses her court case. Bet promptly leaves Weatherfield again soon afterwards without saying goodbye.
In November 2003, Bet crosses paths with Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard) in Blackpool. Bet gets involved in Liz's problems as her husband Jim (Charles Lawson) has escaped from prison and is on the run. Bet is also due to get married to former Brewery boss Cecil Newton (George Baker), but he later dies of a heart attack. Bet returns to Brighton along with Liz, where she continues to run a bar.
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