Coronation Street is a British soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 1960. The programme centres around Coronation Street: a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by William Roache. Barlow was created by Tony Warren as one of Coronation Street's original characters, and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anniversary onscreen. He debuted in the soap's first episode on 9 December 1960. Having appeared in the role continuously since that date, Roache is the longest-serving actor in a televised soap opera, and was honoured at the 2010 Guinness World Records ceremony for the achievement, having surpassed actor Don Hastings from the American soap opera As the World Turns, who previously held this title. Roache stated in 2010 that he had no plans to leave the role and would remain in Coronation Street for as long as the producers would have him. In November 2020, Roache was again presented with the Guinness World Record for the longest serving TV soap star in the world for his six decades in Coronation Street.
Jean Margaret Hodgkinson, known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera Coronation Street, a role she played from 1964 until 1987, and also as Auntie Wainwright in the long-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine from 1988 to 2010. For her role in Coronation Street, she won the 1985 Royal Television Society Award for Best Performance, and received a 1988 BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actress.
Deirdre Barlow is a fictional character from the English ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Anne Kirkbride. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 November 1972. Her final appearance was on 8 October 2014.
Betty Williams is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by former music hall star Betty Driver. Driver was cast as Betty in 1969, after first auditioning for the role of Hilda Ogden, which was given to Jean Alexander. The character arrived in Coronation Street to help her sister Maggie Cooke run the corner shop, and since then had a number of storylines which saw her become twice widowed, and mother to an illegitimate son.
Albert Tatlock is a fictional character on the British television soap opera Coronation Street. Albert was played by actor Jack Howarth from 1960 to 1984. The character became something of an institution, so much so that grumpy old men were sometimes nicknamed "Albert Tatlock".
Hilda Ogden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, one of the best-known of all the regular characters in the serial, whose name became synonymous with a classic hard-working Northern working-class woman. She was played by Jean Alexander from 1964 to 1987.
Blanche Hunt is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in August 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 840 episodes from 1974 to her death in December 2009. The character subsequently died off screen in May 2010. Blanche was the mother of Deirdre Barlow, grandmother of Tracy Barlow and great-grandmother of Amy Barlow. Her storylines have revolved around her family life, various romances and her "acerbic tongue". The character's "gallows humour" has been well received by critics, and saw Jones win The British Soap Award for "Best Comedy Performance" in 2005 and 2008. Blanche has been described as "a true Coronation Street icon".
Alfred Sidney "Tiger" Roberts, OBE is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, played by Bryan Mosley. He ran a grocery shop at No. 15 and was heavily involved in local politics, including two spells as mayor of Weatherfield. The character first appeared on the programme in 1961 on a recurring basis, before finally becoming a regular in 1971 and remaining in the series until he died on 1 January 1999.
Edward Jeremy Timothy "Eddie" Yeats is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, played by Geoffrey Hughes. He made his first screen appearance on 23 December 1974 and remained a regular until 1983, when Hughes opted to quit. However, he reprised his role in November 1987 to facilitate the departure of Jean Alexander as Hilda Ogden. Despite numerous attempts from producers to persuade Hughes to reprise the role, he consistently declined, and Hughes' death in 2012 ruled out a return for the character.
Stanley Josiah "Stan" Ogden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, played by Bernard Youens. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 29 June 1964 and remained for twenty years until his death on 21 November 1984. Stan was introduced by executive producer H. V. Kershaw. He has been portrayed as a well loved layabout and many of his storylines centred on his marriage to Hilda Ogden.