Vivian Barford was an old friend of Alf Roberts who was very big in WARTS (Weatherfield Association of Retail Traders and Stockholders). Vivian had known Alf since at least 1987, when her husband Desmond died and she emigrated to Spain although she later returned. A few weeks later, Vivian made a badly-timed visit to Alf's house while Alf was in the bath. Audrey saw them together and assumed something was going on as Alf was in his robe, causing her the next day to change the locks and demand a divorce. Credited as "Miss Barford" in her first appearance.