Irma Barlow

Irma Barlow (née Freda Ogden) was a fictional character in the long-running ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, played by Sandra Gough between 1964 and 1969, then from 1970 to 1972.

Life From 1964-1969

She was the daughter of Stan and Hilda Ogden and married David Barlow. David and Irma bought the Corner Shop in 1966 and ran it together for several years. They moved to Australia together and were later mentioned to have a son, Darren David Barlow.

Life From 1970-1972

In 1970 the directors of Coronation Street asked her and David to rejoin the cast. The actor who played David refused (he had found other work), but Gough was unemployed and agreed. David and two-year-old Darren were killed in a car crash and widowed Irma returned to the street. She then went to work in the corner shop again along with Maggie Clegg and shared the shop flat with Bet Lynch. She developed a close friendship with her sister in law, Valerie Barlow. Irma was grief-stricken when Valerie was killed in a house fire on 27 January 1971. Irma had a brief fling with Ray Langton in 1971.

"Vanishing"

Following Sandra Gough's unexpected departure from the show, Irma was swiftly written out and was sent to Llandudno, in Wales. Irma was in Llandudno when it was her parents Ruby wedding anniversary in December 1983, she was then know to be living in Canada from where she never returned, not even for her father Stan's funeral in 1984.

Family

• Father:Stan Ogden
• Mother:Hilda Ogden
• Brother:Trevor Ogden
• Husband:David Barlow (deceased)
• Son: Darren Barlow (deceased)

Friends

• Ray Langton
• Maggie Clegg
• Bet Lynch
• Valerie Barlow
• Len Fairclough