 Annie (Doris Speed) was the manager of the Rovers Return Inn - immaculately kept, regarded as snobbish and condescending, yet still liked and respected by the other characters, who seemed to need a queenly figure on the scene.She and her mild-mannered husband Jack (Arthur Leslie) remained a popular double-act for years; their two children were Billy (Ken Farrington) and Joan (June Barry).Albert (Jack Howarth) is a grumpy retired widower with nothing to do, except work on his allotment and talk about his service in World War I.