Vera Duckworth grew up unsure who her father was. She married Jack after meeting him at a fair and soon had a son Terry. The Duckworth's moved into No.9 Coronation Street in 1983. At work Vera was known as a troublemaker. She made her first appearance on the Street fighting the management of the Mark Britain Warehouse over the retirement age. After the warehouse burned downshe joined her friend Ivy Brennan in working in Mike Baldwin's denim factory.

When Mike spoke about employing Japanese work techniques she led the girls in making life size effigy of Mike and attacking it with a broom. She became friendly with the factory cat and fought Mike when he planned to get rid of Cleopatra because she spilt coffee all over his paperwork. Vera enrolled the cat in the Union and split her bonus with the cat for its keep. She had some great battles with Elsie Tanner in the factory over the years.

Vera was proud of Terry and had higfh hopes for him. Those hopes were shattered when he ran off with a neighbour after making her pregnant. He soon ended up in prison. Jack and Vera have been together for over 40 years. It's been a relationship built on mistrust and insults. They separated for 7 months during which time Vera dated Fred Gee. She returned to Jack but continued to see men behind his back. a regular fellow she saw was a boiler storker called Harry. When she asked Bet to cober for her, she spent the evening with Jack. When Vera learned of this she flew at Bet in the Rovers calling her a trollop.

In another hillarious storyline Bet attended a video dating agency and was stunned to see Jack as one of the men clling himself Vince St. Clair. She sent Vera along to view the tape and arranged for her as Carol Munroe to have a meeting with Vince.Vera put on a red wig and when he turned up she attacked him with a handbag!

When Jack tried to get barmaid Tina Fowler into bed and Vera found out she cut Jack's trousers in half so he couldn't leave the house. She then confronted Tina and when Tina said she was only going out with Jack for fun, Vera threw a pint at her telling her that nobody gets away with treating her husband as a joke!

When Baldwin's factory closed Vera took a job at Bettabuy's but her big mouth got her into trouble again. Supermarket manager Reg Holdsworth ran a 'fill a trolley' competition which Rita Fairclough won! Vera thought that it was a fix because Reg fancied Rita nd got suspended as a result.

Terry caused more trouble when he brought his girlfriend Lisa Horton over to meet Jack and Vera. Vera liked Lisa and was delighted when they soon married. The service was spoilt because Terry was handcuffed to a priosn officer. when Lisa gave birth to son Tommy Vera was delighted. That happiness was soon spoilt when Lisa was killed corssing the Street.

Vera quit her job to look after Tommy until Terry was released from prison. Two days after his relaease Terry sold his son to Lisa's parents. In a dramatic Christmas Day episode Terry came to take Tommy from a distraught Vera. Jack hit Terry and threw him out but Vera refused to think bad of her son. A few years later when Terry came back with Tommy in an attempt to fleece the Horton's again Vera was not in a forgiving mood. She threw away his photograph and altered her will.

Terry then made Tricia Armstrong pregnant. Their son Brad was born in the Rover's backroom and lives near to Jackl and Vera. Good fortune smiled on the Duckworth's when Jack's brother died and left them money in his will, enough to purchase the Rover's Return. Vera was made licensee. When slimy alec Gilroy saved them fromn a VAT crisis the pub was now owned by the three of them. Alec soon swindled the Duckworth's out of the pub and soon sold it to Natalie Barnes.

Jack and Vera moved into Eunice Gee's B&B and Jack found himself fending off the attentions of Eunice. He had heart trouble in 1998 and relied on a triple by pass to save him. Vera showed her ture love for Jack in the hospital before the operation. When Eunice left for Spain, Jack and Vera took charge of the B&B. They also took youngster Tyrone Dobbs under their wing and now treat him as their own. Vera recently left her job cleaning in the Rover's to work for Roy Cropper in Roy's Rolls.

David's personal opinion of Vera: Personally I think that Vera is one of the best characters in the history of the Street. Her relationship with Jack provides great comic moments. Liz Dawn had shown herself to be an accomplished actress. Her performance when Terry took Tommy away from her was electrifying. She could handle the serious stuff aswell as the comedy. Her comments towards Natalie Barnes are always worth listening to! I hope to see more of her and Jack arguing and providing more great comedy!