Cyril Partridge was a friend of Alec Gilroy's from the old days. In 1989, when Rita Fairclough was missing from Weatherfield, she turned up at the Cyril-managed The Strand Hotel in Blackpool. Cyril didn't know anything was amiss and rang the Rovers only to confirm that "Rita Littlewood" was an act on Alec's books, as she'd been pestering him to give her a slot in the hotel's piano bar. Relieved that her friend was alive, Bet Gilroy told Alec to make sure Cyril booked Rita so that they could intercept her there. Alec was inclined not to do so, thinking about his reputation should Rita bomb, but grudgingly gave Cyril the necessary assurances and left for Blackpool with his wife.