Josephine Caroline Gertrude Mary Faith Harber, born on 29 June 1914 and known by the stage name Lynne Carol, was a Welsh actress primarily recognised for her roles in television series and telemovies. She is best remembered for portraying the gossiping Martha Longhurst in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street, a role she played from the second episode in 1960 until the character’s death in 1964.
Carol married Herbert (Bert) Newell Palmer in 1934 in Bideford, Devon. Palmer, born 22 April 1900, was a character actor from Easingwold, Yorkshire, and had numerous television roles, including appearances in two episodes of Coronation Street and the pilot of its first spin-off, Pardon the Expression. The couple settled in Blackpool, where they raised two sons and a daughter. They remained married until Palmer’s death on 15 January 1980, aged 79. Tragically, Carol’s eldest son, Michael, was killed in a parachuting accident at an RAF event in Abingdon on 7 July 1965. In April 1990, it was mistakenly reported by Granada Television, via a hoax phone call that Carol had passed away in a nursing home in Lytham St Annes while she was in Düsseldorf, Germany visiting her family. She had been hospitalised for angina in May 1990 and died from a heart attack in Blackpool on 30 June 1990, aged 76.
Lynne Carol, born Josephine Palmer, was descended from six generations of actors. She was born in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, while her parents, Charles and Mina Harber, were touring with a stage play. Carol began her acting career at just three years old. Before joining Coronation Street, she worked extensively in provincial theatre. Although she was only 46 years old when she began playing Martha Longhurst, Carol portrayed the character as a sharp-tongued, elderly woman. Martha, along with Ena Sharples (played by Violet Carson) and Minnie Caldwell (played by Margot Bryant), formed a formidable trio that dominated the local pub, the Rovers Return. The verbal exchanges between these characters became emblematic of the show’s depiction of Northern English life and provided some of its most memorable moments. Carol’s popularity became so immense that her unannounced visit to the Ideal Home Exhibition led to a near-riot, prompting security to advise her to leave for her own safety.
After just three years on the show, Carol was informed by the new producer that her character would be written out, under the assumption that she would easily find other work. She was deeply upset to learn of Martha’s impending death through a newspaper article. Martha passed away from a heart attack in May 1964, in the snug of the Rovers Return, one of the pub’s three bars. The character’s burial took place at Manchester General Cemetery, where a special grave had been prepared. Carol was never able to accept the decision to kill off Martha and remained convinced that it was a mistake, as the character was so popular. Viewers echoed her sentiment, with many complaining to the producers, and in later years, the writers admitted it had been an error.
Following her departure from Coronation Street, Carol appeared in the BBC series The Newcomers, alongside Alan Browning, who would later join Coronation Street as Alan Howard. She also featured in the 1979 film Yanks, starring Richard Gere.
MARGOT BRYANT, VIOLET CARSON, LYNNE CAROL, CORONATION STREET, 1971
