Phyllis Pearce is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Jill Summers.
In her initial stories, Phyllis is portrayed at odds with Craig's paternal grandfather Chalkie Whitely (Teddy Turner), who she accuses of being an unfit parental guardian.
Craig's father, Bob Whitely (Freddie Fletcher) decides to emigrate to Australia and Chalkie later joins them, leaving Phyllis without any family.
Summers had previously played the role of Bessie Proctor in 1972, a cleaner who worked with Hilda Ogden (Jean Alexander) at the Capricorn Club venue.
She tracks Craig down to Number 9 Coronation Street, where he is living with his paternal grandfather Chalkie Whitely (Teddy Turner).
[6][7] When Chalkie moved to Coronation Street, he decided not to tell Phyllis his new address because he wanted to exclude her from their life, due to her interfering ways.
[9] She continues to appear in numerous episodes visiting Craig and taking every opportunity to criticise Chalkie's suitability as a parental guardian.
[4] In the book Coronation Street, 1960-1985 : 25 Years, Graham Nown profiled her as "bossy, blue-rinsed" Phyllis who "likes a man who gets things done.
[11] Phyllis later loses her job at Jim's Café and takes employment as Des Barnes' (Philip Middlemiss) housekeeper.
She told Phil Penfold from Evening Chronicle that "it's a doddle" and "with Phyllis I don't need all that and I do enjoy playing her.
She told Graeme Kay, author of Life in the Street that "Percy can't stand Phyllis but he does use her.
"[2] Writers played them in comedic scenes, such as a trip to Southport where Phyllis hides Percy's socks and shoes while he is paddling in the sea.
Summers told Penfold from Evening Chronicle that Percy was "downright bloody rude" to Phyllis during the scenes.
[15] In a 1987 storyline, writers featured Phyllis turning her romantic attentions to Sam Tindall (Tom Mennard).
Producers decided to reduce her role within the show and Phyllis began to appear less frequently to accommodate her recovery.
To facilitate her long-term absence from the role, writers created a story explaining that Phyllis had moved to sheltered accommodation.
A critic branded her a "forgotten gem" of the show and described her as "the old lady with a purple rinse and a voice that sounded a little like a didgeridoo.
"[23] Martyn Hett from Manchester Evening News included her eleventh in their list of the fifteen top female characters of all time.
[5] Heather Dixon from TV Guide branded Phyllis the "Sugden chasing", "crusty old manhunter" who became "the Street's veteran vamp".
She added that "the tiny, elegantly-coiffured actress has made Phyllis one of the most colourful characters on the Street with her fruitless but determined pursuit of Percy.
"[25] A writer from Express & Star described her as "the pushy, purple rinsed Phyllis, she gossiped with anyone and pursued the hapless Percy Sugden like an infatuated teenager, to no avail.
[8] Anthony Hayward, author of The Who's Who of Soap Operas described Phyllis as "of the blue-rinse hair do" and that "chasing fellow-pensioner Percy Sugden has become a full-time occupation" for her.
"[14] Kemp added that Phyllis is an "amorous lilac-haired" and a "poor old lovestruck" woman who Percy is "downright rude" to.
[31] Stuart Heritage from The Guardian likened Christian Bale's performance as Batman to a "spot-on impression of gruff-voiced blue-haired" Phyllis.
[32] Dominic Knight from ATV Today believed that Mrs Mack (Gwyneth Guthrie) from Take the High Road had a voice lowered to levels "that could compete" with Phyllis, adding "she like her Corrie counterpart was steeped in gossip.