Maureen Lipman was moved to tears by Sunday's recreation of classic Coronation Street episodes penned by her late husband, Jack Rosenthal.

The tribute was staged at the Lass O'Gowrie pub, a short distance from Granada Television's studios in Manchester, where the original episodes were filmed. Current stars of the soap attended a later VIP performance and the tribute raised money for the Myeloma UK charity. Mr Rosenthal died of myeloma in 2004.

Ms Lipman told the audience: "Whoever cast this show has done such a brilliant job.

"To hear the 'voice' of Jack again is just so moving. For me, it's such a mixture of comedy and tragedy." She added that, "nobody, let alone someone of Jack's enormous sensitivity and gentleness, had to suffer myeloma. Every penny given here will go straight to finding a cure.

"It took Jack - it was too late for him. But how lucky is this widow to be able to stand up and talk about that man."