Veteran actress June Whitfield has been signed up for a short stint on Coronation Street to play Blanche Hunt's grieving friend at her funeral.
The Absolutely Fabulous star will play May, Blanche's friend from Portugal, who comes to Weatherfield to explain to Deirdre Barlow how her mother died and to attend the service.
Actress Maggie Jones, who first appeared as Blanche in 1974, died in December aged 75.
In the soap, the character is house-sitting for a friend in Portugal, but news of her death will reach the cobbles in May.
Whitfield, 84, said she will head to Manchester on Tuesday to start filming.
She was full of praise for the Coronation Street cast, saying: "I admire them all. I think they have an amazing schedule and I don't know how they do it. I only hope I don't let them down."
A spokeswoman for the soap said: "We felt it fitting to have someone of June's calibre be involved in Maggie's swansong."
Roy Hudd is also reprising his role as undertaker Archie Shuttleworth for the funeral storyline.
© Press Association