Leonard Swindley
| Leonard Swindley | |||||||||
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| Coronation Street character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Arthur Lowe | ||||||||
| Duration | 1960–1965 (Coronation Street) 1965–1967 (Pardon the Expression and Turn Out the Lights) |
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| First appearance | Episode 3 16 December 1960 Coronation Street |
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| Last appearance | 6 February 1967 Turn out the Lights |
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| Created by | Tony Warren | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Tony Warren | ||||||||
| Book appearances | Coronation Street: The Complete Saga | ||||||||
| Spin-off appearances |
Pardon The Expression Turn out the Lights |
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| Profile | |||||||||
| Occupation | Shop Manager | ||||||||
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| Father | Thomas Swindley |
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| Mother | Eliza-Jane Swindley |
| Sisters | Hilda Barrett |
| Aunts | Veronica |
Leonard Swindley is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. He was played by actor Arthur Lowe between 1960 and 1965. The character of Mr. Swindley also appeared in two spin-off series following his departure from the Street - Pardon the Expression and Turn Out the Lights, making him a unique character in UK soap opera.
At the time filming commenced of the pilot episode of Coronation Street, the character of Leonard Swindley had not even been cast. Because he wasn't supposed to appear until episode three, auditions were still taking place until Arthur Lowe walked in and read for the producers. Lowe, who went on to become most recognised as Captain Mainwaring in sitcom Dad's Army, was already an established actor by the time of his Coronation Street casting, having been in several feature films, but it was his turn as pompous Mr. Swindley that made him a household name in the early 60s.
In December 1961, only a year after the show's launch, a strike of the actor's union Equity meant that Lowe, who was not under contract with the show at that point, was forced to leave the series along with several other stars of the Street. The strike lasted until April 1962, and Lowe agreed to reprise his role once again, returning in June along with Eileen Derbyshire.
Upon hearing of Lowe's decision to quit the series in 1965, ITV bosses offered him the chance to continue in the role as the star of a new sitcom based on his character. The end result Pardon The Expression debuted two months on from his final appearance in Coronation Street and ran for two series until 1966. It in turn produced its own spin-off Turn Out The Lights, again based on Swindley, which lasted only six episodes.
Leonard Swindley, known simply as 'Mr Swindley' to most people, was a lay preacher for the Glad Tidings Mission Hall, a local missionary church on Coronation Street, and chairman of the committee. Swindley came from a family of drapers, and had inherited his shop 'Swindley's Emporium' from his father. The clothes store, situated on Victoria Street (now home to Roy's Rolls), originally employed Emily Nugent.
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Wikipedia