 Her fan-base even included such international stars as the actor Laurence Olivier and the poet John Betjeman.After only three years in the series, the character of Martha Longhurst was axed by a new producer, who assumed that Carol would be likely to find other acting jobs.Carol was deeply shocked to read in the newspaper that the days of her character were now numbered Martha died quietly of a heart attack in the snug (one of the three bars in the Rovers, the others being the public and the select) of the public house in May 1964.