Tony Hayes was the landlord of The Flying Horse in April 1980. Described generously by Annie Walker as “common and odious” he riled Fred Gee when he formed a Barber Shop Quartet at his pub and bragged that the Rovers couldn’t do better. Fred impetuously took up the challenge and dragged Bert Tilsley, Alf Roberts and Eddie Yeats into joining him. Things went badly from the start when Ena Sharples pointed out that Fred was tone deaf and they should dump him. Renee Roberts was pushed into joining them when it was realised that a quartet needn’t be all men and the team practised for the big night.