Corrie fans ‘baffled’ as star confirms real name of beloved cast member

Coronation Street fans were left scratching their heads after they discovered Georgia Taylor’s real name

Coronation Street enthusiasts were gobsmacked to learn Georgia Taylor’s actual name during a chat on the On the Sofa podcast.

The 45-year-old actress, known for her role as Toyah Battersby on the ITV soap since 1997, was introduced as part of the Battersby family with Janice (played by Vicky Entwistle) and Les (Bruce Jones).

Toyah, who is Leanne Battersby’s (Jane Danson) half-sister, recently found herself in hot water after an affair with Nick Tilsey (Ben Price). Despite the initial outrage from Leanne, Toyah and Nick have since become a strong pair, co-managing the Bistro.

During a discussion about a recent Corrie scene featuring Toyah, Ben Price, who portrays Nick and also hosts the podcast, inadvertently sparked confusion when he referred to Georgia as Claire.

Ben, aged 54, recounted how he playfully threatened to fire some cast members just to make “Claire laugh”, reports Leicestershire Live.

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He shared with fellow actors Jack Shepherd and Colson Smith: “I had to do some ADR (automated dialogue replacement) yesterday and it was the top of the scene and we’re in the Bistro.”

Colson, known for his role as Craig Tinker, interjected: “And you have been naughty.”

Ben elaborated: “So I was like fine, Claire, who plays Toyah, is next to me, and I thought it would be quite funny, I’m serious, to make her laugh.”

Jack Shepherd, who plays David Platt, recognised the story and began to chuckle, saying: “I know what this is.”

Ben recounted a humorous on-set story: “The waiters and waitresses have all been there for years. Anyway, he came over and he had to ad lib with me, and I said, ‘You see those two over there, can you get them sacked and then chucked out because they’re c**p!'”

He couldn’t help but laugh as he continued, “So I have said that and then I get called up to ADR and they go ‘oh hi Ben, yeah the director just wants to hear what you said’.”

Ben further shared his amusement: “It’s hilarious that you mime something and think you won’t get caught up, and they did catch me out.”

A Coronation Street enthusiast responded to the anecdote, puzzled, “Who’s Claire? Toyah is played by Georgia Taylor.”

Another fan clarified: “Her real name is Claire x”, prompting a third to express surprise: “I had absolutely no idea!”

Georgia, who portrays Toyah, was actually born Claire Jackson but opted for a stage name due to its popularity when she joined the ITV soap in the 1990s.

She once told the Mirror about her name change: “It’s not that I planned this to happen. But when I started with Coronation Street I had to register with Equity, the actors’ union, and at the time there seemed to be a hell of a lot of Claires so I had to think of something else.”

Georgia also mentioned: “I couldn’t tell you where I got Georgia from, other than I liked it, but my grandad’s surname was Taylor and he passed away not long before I got the part.”

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV and ITVX