a 2011 interview with the Radio Times, Reid said she had enough and wanted to do other things: I was a basket case when I left! I'd already had too much of it. That kind of work suits some people, but it didn't suit me. It was my decision to leave and I was desperate, really desperate, to go. Because I knew I was good at comedy and there was no way that Valerie Barlow was ever going to be funny. On 27 January 1971, 18.26 million viewers watched as Valerie Barlow was written out of the soap, dying after being electrocuted by a hairdryer with a faulty plug. On 1 and 3 February 1971, 18.92 million people watched the aftermath and the character's funeral. Later work Following a break from acting to bring up her son, during which time she made occasional TV appearances for Granada, such as in Crown Court, Reid resumed her career on stage and television in the 1980s. She appeared in the TV Mini-Series The Mallens 1979-1980 as Mathilda Bentham. Reid was a regular performer with Victoria Wood, appearing in several of Wood's projects, including As Seen on TV, the series Victoria Wood in 1989, Victoria Wood's All Day Breakfast and Pat and Margaret. From 1998 to 2000, Reid played the major role of Jean in the BBC comedy series dinnerladies written by and starring Victoria Wood, and has appeared in other television programmes including Boon (1988), Casualty (1992), Heartbeat (1993 “Baby Blues” as Marjorie Doubleday in series 2 and Auntie Alison in 1997 “Affairs of the Heart”in series 7) and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996). She played Alice Conway in the TV Mini-Series The Wingless Bird (1997). She also made an appearance in the Doctor Who serial The Curse of Fenric which was broadcast in October 1989. In 2003, Reid had a part in Midsomer Murders in the episode "A Tale of Two Hamlets" as Sarah Proudie and a main part in the comedy drama The Booze Cruise. She also had a major role in the ITV drama series Life Begins, which ran from 2004 to 2006, in which she appeared alongside Caroline Quentin and Frank Finlay. In 2005 she had a supporting role in the BBC's adaptation of Bleak House and in 2006 made a brief appearance in Jane Eyre. In 2007 she appeared in Agatha Christie’s Marple “Nemesis” as Sister Agnes. On 31