Percy
Sugden
Full name:
Parents:
Born: 8 April 1922
Siblings:
Married: Mary (d: 1978)
Played by: Bill
Waddington
Appeared: 22 August 1983 - 20 October 1997
Percy is a local lad who trained as a commis chef at the Grand
Hotel, and then served in WWII as an NCO in the Royal Army Catering
Corps, driving a mobile canteen across the Western Desert. Seen
by many as a pompous and interfering, Percy is simply one of those
people who takes pride in any job he is given, and someone who
isn't afraid to let anyone know what his opinion is.
Percy first came onto The Street to become caretaker of the Community
Centre. After about a year, his neice, Elaine Prior stayed with
him until she married Bill Webster.
Percy was also a school crossing warden, and it was here he became
Phyllis Pearce's hero. Phyllis
had long-admired Percy and he was injured protecting her on a
crossing. Phyllis then became full-time wheelchair-pusher, much
to her delight and Percy's annoyance.
In 1988, Percy was 66, and was retired from the Community Centre.
Emily Bishop offered to put him
up, together with his budgie Randy, in Nº3 until his council
flat was ready. Within a week, Emily could bear Percy's interfering
no longer, and was glad when he was moved to the flat. However,
when she visited him, she saw how unhappy he was, and soft-hearted
Emily let him return to Nº3.
Percy led a reasonably quiet life, but the strain of sharing a
house with Percy, together with ill-fated dalliances with Arnold
Swain and Arthur Dabner drove
Emily to a nervous breakdown in 1992.
In 1993, two females came into Percy's life - Olive Clark and
Maud Grimes. Olive was the widow
of Percy's closest friend from the war days, and he felt obliged
to offer his hand in marriage. It was her fluffy white cat (who
Percy was allergic to) that ensured the relationship never went
any further.
Both Percy and Maud got on well, and she was a useful foil for
Phyllis, and they became so close they got engaged. In 1994, Percy
wanted to return to Normandy for the 50th anniversary of the D-Day
landings, and knowing how important it was to old soldier Percy,
Maud asked to accompany him. It was an emotional time for Percy
- remembering his fallen comrades - but he was unaware of Maud's
bombshell. She asked to visit an American War Grave, and visited
the grave of Leonard Kennedy, and revealed that the American serviceman
was Maureen's real father. Percy saw this as a betrayal of "our
lads away fighting for our country", and broke off the engagement.
Whilst Emily had the builders in, Percy billeted himself with
Curly at Nº7, and despite initial reservations, Curly seemed
quite happy to have someone cook and clean for him. Emily didn't
invite Percy back (she was having his room secretly decorated),
Percy thought he had been evicted, and it took a sweet-talking
Emily to get him back to Nº3 - despite all his failings,
she missed having him around her house.
In January 1996, 'Mystic Maud' held a tealeaf reading session,
and gave Phyllis the impression that the man of her dreams was
waiting for her (it was a leap year !). Later, it transpired that
the cups had been swapped, and that was Maud's cup. The next day,
Maud set her cap (or should that be handbag ?) at Percy's feet
and asked to marry him. He needed to think about it and went to
The Rovers - where Phyllis asked the same question. Thinking it
was a joke, Percy storms out and complained to Maud. She may have
been on the brink of getting her man, but now we'll never know.
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