His main connection with the field of drama was in being the brother-in-law of Laurence Olivier and Granada were able to make full use of this in persuading the ennobled actor to act in, direct or present a series of plays from 1976 to 1978 under the umbrella title of Laurence Olivier presents… Another coup was to have the actor portray, at the correct age for the character, Shakespeare's King Lear in a production of the play which is viewed by some as being a definitive performance and also guest star in the acclaimed adaptation of Brideshead Revisited. Olivier's frequent attendance at Granada's Quay Street studios meant that he often met the cast of Coronation Street and lavished compliments on Doris Speed and Jean Alexander when he was introduced to them (although filming commitments me