Alison Oakley, played by Helen Swift in 1989 and Shelley Willetts in 1998, is a woman who Brian Tilsley meets in a nightclub on 15 February 1989 after splitting from his wife Gail. Brian tries to defend Alison against three young thugs who begin harassing her, which results in Brian being fatally stabbed. In her first appearance, she is only credited as "Disco Girl" and not by her name. Nine years later, Brian's son Nick seeks her out at a bar to learn the truth about Brian's death. Alison reveals that Brian had goaded his killer, shattering Nick's illusion of his father.
Darren Whateley, played by Ian Aspinall in 1989 and Andy Robb in 1998, is Brian Tilsley's killer who stabs him when he defends Alison Oakley, a girl he has met at a club, from Darren and two friends. Darren stabs Brian in the abdomen whilst his friends hold him against a wall and leaves him to die in an alleyway. In his first appearance, he is only credited as "Disco Youth" and not by his name. He is subsequently found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Darren reappears in Weatherfield in 1998, by which time he is about to be paroled from his life sentence, when he appears at Brian's son, Nick's college as a guest speaker talking about life in prison. Nick, who was eight years old at the time of the murder, then realises that he is his father's killer. Nick then writes to Darren pretending to be his wife Leanne in order to trap him; however, this backfires, when Leanne's life is endangered after Darren arrives at her home. Leanne and Nick report Darren to the police and he is arrested and his parole is rescinded. He is subsequently returned to prison. However, Leanne and Nick's mother, Gail, later force Nick to tell the police that he set Darren up.
Tina Fowler, played by Michelle Holmes, made her first screen appearance on 13 March 1989. Tina was employed as a barmaid in The Rovers Return following the departure of Gloria Todd (Sue Jenkins). She was interviewed by landlady Bet Gilroy (Julie Goodyear) in the pub during opening hours and given the job shortly afterwards. Curly Watts (Kevin Kennedy) set his sights on Tina; however, she rejected him. Rovers cellarman Jack Duckworth (Bill Tarmey) became infatuated with Tina; she kept Jack at bay until one day when, for a laugh, she agreed to go out with him on what Jack thought was a date. Tina was happy to spend Jack's money but when he tried to get frisky with her she demanded he drive her home. Jack's wife Vera (Liz Dawn) was furious when she found out about Jack and Tina's "date" and was even more furious when Tina revealed that she only went out with him for a joke which resulted in Vera throwing a pint which missed Tina and drenched landlord Alec Gilroy (Roy Barraclough).
Tina won the 'Newton & Ridley's Barmaid of the Month' competition. Tina almost didn't receive the award when she got into a row with Alec. She got revenge by arriving late, making Alec worry that she wouldn't turn up and embarrass the Rovers. The award was presented by Nigel Ridley (John Basham), who was impressed by the young barmaid and started seeing her in secret. As Nigel was a top brewery director, Tina thought she'd struck gold and started taking liberties at work by not turning up for shifts and demanding a raise. Alec wanted to sack her for that alone, but Bet stopped him after seeing Nigel and Tina kissing. However, when Tina, bored of Percy Sugden (Bill Waddington)'s war stories, told the pensioner that he was barred, Bet sacked her on the spot herself. Tina later saw Nigel at a wine bar to complain about the Gilroys; she found him with a girlfriend and, realising she meant nothing to him, threw a glass of wine over him.
Mervyn Watson (1989) Phil Collinson (2012) Iain MacLeod (2022)
In-universe information
Occupation
Council secretary Journalist Foster carer
Stepmother
Sylvia Crozier
Husband
Christos Papadopoulos (1991–2006)
Wendy Papadopoulos (also Crozier), played by Roberta Kerr, made her first screen appearance on 28 June 1989. Wendy worked for the council and had an affair with Ken Barlow (William Roache), which led to his divorce from his wife, Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride).[1]
When Mervyn Watson joined Coronation Street as their new producer, he felt that the serial "needed gee-ing up slightly" and set about making changes. He implemented many fast-paced stories, including Wendy and Ken's affair.[2] The storyline began in September 1989, when Wendy is fired from her job at the Town Hall after she leaks information to Ken. He subsequently offers Wendy a job working for his newspaper the Recorder.[3] By October the pair had begun an affair. Kirkbride told Daran Little in his book The Coronation Street Story that she and Roache were upset by the storyline because it ruined their routine.[4] Roache said that he had a hard time understanding why Ken would be unfaithful again. Wendy and Ken's relationship failed and he attempted to reunite with Deirdre.[4] Wendy departed on 7 May 1990.
On 13 July 2012, it was announced Kerr had reprised her role and Wendy would be returning to Coronation Street later in the year.[5] Wendy reappears again as a potential governor for Bessie Street Primary School and she discovers she is up against Ken for the role. The former couple get reacquainted, but Ken decides to keep Wendy a secret from Deirdre.[5] Of Wendy's return, series producer Phil Collinson stated "Ken's affair with Wendy was one of Coronation Street's defining stories during the 1980s. Viewers were on the edge of their seats as they watched the disintegration of The Barlows' marriage and over 20 years later I hope they will be again. I'm delighted to welcome Roberta back as Wendy and can assure viewers that her reunion with Ken will be one of many must-see storylines this summer"[5] Wendy returned on 24 September 2012.[6]
While working as a secretary for the council's Planning Committee, Wendy begins leaking information about corruption to Ken, owner of the Weatherfield Recorder. Ken's wife, Deirdre, who is a councillor, finds out about the leaks and warns Ken and Wendy to stay away from each other. When Deirdre is threatened with removal from the committee, she exposes Wendy as Ken's mole. Consequently, Wendy is sacked from her job. Feeling responsible, Ken gives Wendy a position with the newspaper. Ken and Wendy grow closer and they share a kiss when she cooks him a meal for his birthday. They eventually begin an affair and Wendy decides to leave the newspaper so Ken can use the excuse of having to run the office by himself to stay out late. Wendy starts asking Ken to tell Deirdre about their affair and Ken agrees. However, he does not tell Deirdre and Wendy briefly stops seeing Ken. Deirdre finds out about the affair and throws Ken out. Wendy takes him in and helps him run the newspaper, while he sorts out his finances and the divorce. Deirdre demands half of the Weatherfield Recorder's profits and Ken sells the paper to the Gazette. He and Wendy are kept on in their jobs by the new owners. Wendy forms a bond with Ken's daughter Tracy (Dawn Acton). Wendy is offered Ken's job when he leaves the paper and their relationship eventually breaks down. Wendy asks Ken to meet her stepmother, Sylvia (Avril Angers), but they end up arguing in front of her. Ken becomes depressed and admits to Wendy that he should not have left Deirdre for her. He then walks out on Wendy.
Twenty-two years later, Ken runs for the Chair of Governors at Bessie Street School and is shocked to learn Wendy is also a governor at the school. Things between them are initially awkward, but they go for a drink and agree to put the past behind them and focus on the school. Wendy tells Ken that a year after they parted, she married a man called Christos Papadopoulos and moved to Norfolk. However, Christos got sick and died fifteen years later, so Wendy moved back to Manchester. Now remarried to Deirdre, Ken initially tries to keep Wendy's return a secret from her, but she suspects something and follows him to Wendy's house. When Deirdre confronts Ken, he assures her the relationship is purely professional, with Deirdre reluctantly accepting this. However, Wendy later misconstrues Ken's friendliness and makes a pass at him. Ken politely but firmly turns her down, reasserting his love for Deirdre.
In 2022, Abi Webster (Sally Carman) is placed under the supervision of Wendy - now an experienced foster carer - as part of her attempt to regain custody of her infant son, Alfie. Wendy is unnerved to hear Abi lives on Coronation Street and tries to hide her reluctance to accompany Abi to visit her husband, Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell). Abi notices Wendy is uncomfortable on the street, and is shocked when they run into Tracy and she is abusive to Wendy, demanding she stays away. Wendy later admits to Abi that she has 'history' with Ken. After being encouraged by Abi to go and see Ken, she pays a visit to No. 1 and the two agree to put things behind them and become friends. She later develops feelings for Ken and after realising that he feels the same way about her, they decide to rekindle their relationship. Following the return of Ken's ex-lover Martha Fraser, she ends their relationship, having felt a lack of romance between them.
Reginald "Reg" Holdsworth, played by Ken Morley, made his first screen appearance on 25 October 1989.
Supermarket manager Reg was married to Veronica; however, she left him after discovering his affair with a store detective. Rather than slink off wounded into the sunset, Reg approached several of the single women of Coronation Street, starting with Rita Fairclough. They attended a couple of tea dances together and struck up a friendship. To secure his relationship with Rita, Reg rigged a trolley race at the supermarket so that Rita would be the winner. When Rita discovered this, she dropped him and donated the trolley race winnings to a local charity.
In 1993, Reg recognized his former girlfriend Maureen Naylor, stacking shelves at Bettabuy. They had first met in Llandudno in 1968 and fell in love. Now, after 25 years, they began a new relationship. However, Maureen's mother, Maud Grimes, had always disliked Reg, and tried to break up their relationship. Reg, desperate to consummate the relationship, finally lured Maureen to his waterbed, which burst and flooded the shop below. Reg and Maureen married in January 1994 and bought the corner shop from Alf Roberts for £68,000. Maureen managed the shop with her mother behind the till. The three lived in relative harmony - Reg as a member of the Square Dealers - until he was posted by Firman's Freezers to their Lowestoft branch, which meant a long commute. There he began another affair, with Yvonne Bannister. Reg left the street and a heartbroken Maureen behind, to start a new life with Yvonne who was pregnant with his child.
Morley later crossed over his role of Reg into the 1999 Emmerdale video spin-off Emmerdale: Don't Look Now! - The Dingles in Venice. He also reprised the role in 2010 for the DVD special A Knight's Tale, in which he worked for former colleague Curly Watts as an event planner at Tatlock Towers, a medieval castle and tourist attraction. He got sacked after an incident at the event, but was rehired again by Curly. He was attracted to Mary Taylor, who in a December 2010 episode received a Christmas card from him.
Liz McDonald, played by Beverley Callard, made her first screen appearance on 27 October 1989.[7] Callard previously appeared in Coronation Street as June Dewhurst in 1984. A few years later, Callard's agent called and told her that the soap's series producer, Mervyn Watson, wanted her to come in for an audition as he had remembered her.[8] The actress won the regular role of the McDonald family matriarch, Liz.[7] The character was married to Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson) and they had twin sons; Steve (Simon Gregson) and Andy (Nicholas Cochrane). During Liz's tenure, she endured being beaten up by Jim, divorce, catfights and numerous love affairs.[9] The storylines made her "one of the Street's best-loved characters."[8]
Andrew “Andy” McDonald, played by Nicholas Cochrane, debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 6 December 1989. He was a regular character from 1989 until 1997, and made guest appearances in 2000, 2004, 2009
Andy was introduced as part of the McDonald family, so he was, consisting of parents Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard) and Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson) and their twin teenage boys Andy and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson).[10] Cochrane and Gregson were chosen by producer Mervyn Watson and casting director James Bain from their school in Manchester. Teachers informed them of the chance to join the cast of Coronation Street and they had photographs taken of themselves.[10] One week later they were called to attend an improvisation session with Callard and Lawson who had already been cast in the parental roles. They chose which two actors they liked the most from thirty that auditioned. While their characters are twins, Cochrane was one year older than Gregson.[10]
Cochrane told a reporter from Look-in that his character is "a bit of a devil [and] a bit of a rogue".[11] Andy has "brains and knows it" but often he does not use them. He added that Andy "always enjoys himself, but hates to be told things. He's a sound character, a bit like me, but with brains." However, Andy got on the actor's nerves at times because he acts "like a wimp and never sticks up for himself".[11] While he is gifted in the "brains department" he is easily led into trouble by Steve. Cochrane explained that the only way to end Andy's "problems" would to be given "a good steady girlfriend to sort him out". Gregson told the writer that "the good thing" about the McDonald brothers is that "they stick up for each other [...] they get on most of the time".[11]
Cochrane's first fight scene as Andy occurred when he and Steve clashed over a girl. The actor was sixteen at the time and he told Paul Byrne from the Daily Mirror that it was his "first taste of proper action".[12] The pair had "great fun" as they memorised fight sequence choreography to make it appear as though Andy and Steve were "having a real go at each other". Cochrane and Gregson ended up damaging the set during filming and incurred costs to the props department.[12]
In one storyline Andy decides to drop out of university. But Jim was not happy with his son's decision and they argued.[13] Cochrane told Rob Sharp in the book The Official 1997 Annual of Coronation Street that he loved arguing with Lawson during filming. He explained that Jim's attitude to his decision "infuriated Andy so much that he turned on his dad and branded him a failure". Cochrane enjoyed the scenes because he felt that it "really pushed" him as an actor.[13] Their relationship came under more strain when Andy began drinking which led his alcoholic father back into drinking. The scenes featured Jim challenging Andy to a drinking session.[12] Cochrane told the Daily Mirror's Byrne that it "really frightened Andy to think his dad was going back on the bottle". The pair end up fighting, Crochane and Lawson had rehearsed the scene prior to the actual shoot. He said that he was "in awe" of Lawson's performance; during the shoot "the adrenaline was pumping" for Cochrane so much that he ripped Lawson's shirt.[12]
In 1997, the serial's new producer axed the character during his revamp of the series. Cochrane was filming a scene in the Rovers Return when he was called in to see Park who informed him that he had lost his job. The actor was being paid £60000 to play Andy and he initially worried about his mortgage.[12] Byrne said that Lawson, Callard and Gregson were supportive towards him after they read about his sacking in the national newspapers. Park informed Cochrane that Andy "was in a rut" and they were "struggling to find storylines" for him.[12] Cochrane admitted that he was already aware of this because Andy "was too much of a goody two-shoes". Park suggested that the character needed a break from the series with possibility of a future return. The actor added that "looking at it now, I realise it is probably best for both me and the character."[12]
He makes occasional returns to his former home, attending remarriage of his parents and the wedding of his twin brother, Steve, where he serves as best man. During his return in 2000 for his parents' wedding he has a one-night stand with Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) and then when he returned in 2004 for Steve and Karen (Suranne Jones)'s wedding he is reprimanded by Toyah's mother Janice (Vicky Entwistle).
In June 2008, Steve goes to Spain to visit Andy for their 34th birthday and returns to the Street in July. Andy does not appear on screen. In April 2009, Liz visits Andy after he has injured himself and stays there for several months. In 2009, Andy and Liz return to the Street for Steve and Becky (Katherine Kelly)'s wedding. He leaves Weatherfield with his dad Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson) a week after the wedding.
Elsie Seddon's sister Bertha and her husband Jack appear as moral support for Elsie when her abusive husband Eddie dies in a road accident. The couple are among the few mourners at Eddie's funeral the following week, attending to support Elsie, and went along to a luncheon at 13 Coronation Street organised by Elsie's daughter, Sally Webster afterwards. Reflecting on the service, at which the vicar had praised Eddie's character, Bertha remarks that the vicar could not have known Eddie to say those things about him. Jack then interjects, calling Eddie "a bad 'un", but with respect to Elsie in her time of grief. Under no illusions about the kind of man Eddie was, Elsie admits that they are right but that she misses him anyway.
Deirdre Barlow is a fictional character from the British 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.
Beverley Jane McEwan is an English actress, known for her role as Liz McDonald in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street and Flo Henshaw in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.
Steve McDonald is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Simon Gregson. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 6 December 1989. He arrived as part of the McDonald family introduced by producer Mervyn Watson along with his twin brother Andy and parents Liz and Jim McDonald. For the first year on the Street, the character was credited by the actor's real surname Gregory, before changing to Gregson from early 1991 onwards. Steve is Coronation Street's most married character, having been married seven times to five women. In September 2015, Gregson announced a break due to personal reasons and Steve was off-screen from November 2015 to 22 April 2016.
Tracy McDonald is a fictional character and a main antagonist from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 24 January 1977. She was played by Christabel Finch until 21 November 1983. Holly Chamarette played the role from 8 July 1985 until 23 March 1988. Dawn Acton played the role from 12 December 1988 to 10 July 1995. Acton reprised the role for two short stints in November 1996 and December 1997. She reprised the role once again on 14 March 1999 and made her final appearance as Tracy on 10 October 1999. Kate Ford took over the role from 25 December 2002 to 8 April 2007. Ford reprised the role for a brief stint from late May to early June 2010, returning full-time from 24 December 2010 before her final appearance on 2 April 2024.
The Rovers Return Inn is a fictional public house in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street.
Weatherfield is a fictional town based on Salford, Greater Manchester, which has been the setting for the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street since its inception in 1960. Much of Weatherfield has been seen by viewers throughout the years, though the primary focus from the viewer's perspective is the eponymous Coronation Street, a cobbled street where many of the programme's characters live. The soap opera is often shot on location around Salford and the neighbouring large city of Manchester, as its filming studios, the Granada Studios complex on Quay Street in Manchester city centre and its replacement set MediaCityUK in Salford Quays, only house the outdoor sets of Coronation Street and its immediate surrounding streets.
Amy Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Elle Mulvaney. She was born on screen during the episode broadcast on 9 February 2004. To date, the character has been portrayed by eight child actors; Holly Bowyer, Rebecca Pike, Louisa Morris, Rachel and Sarah Corker, Madison Hampson, Amber Chadwick and Elle Mulvaney, making her the most recast character in Coronation Street. Although Amy's surname has stayed Barlow, Chadwick was credited as Amy McDonald for three episodes from 2009 to 2010.
Vernon Tomlin is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Ian Reddington. He appeared from December 2005 until September 2008, when the character was written out of the series. The character was the second husband of Liz McDonald, played by Beverley Callard.
Lloyd Mullaney is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Craig Charles. He made his first on screen appearance on 20 June 2005. The character departed on 23 July 2006, while Charles was suspended from work. He returned on 12 February 2007. Charles took a temporary break from the show in autumn 2011 to film new episodes of Red Dwarf, with Lloyd departing on 15 December 2011. After a seven-month absence, Lloyd returned on 2 July 2012. Charles announced his departure from the show in May 2015. Charles' final scenes aired on 25 September 2015 after Lloyd departed for good after 10 years alongside his pregnant fiancée, Andrea Beckett when they left the street together to move to Jersey.
Peter Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Chris Gascoyne from 2000 to 2023. The character of Peter was born on screen during an episode broadcast on 5 April 1965, he was born along with his twin sister Susan to parents Ken and Valerie Barlow. Gascoyne made his first appearance in the role during the 40th anniversary live episode airing on 8 December 2000. Gascoyne left the role in 2003 and returned in 2007 for a brief stint before returning full-time in 2008. In January 2014 it was confirmed that Gascoyne would be leaving once again. His final scenes aired on 14 November 2014. In April 2015, it was announced that Gascoyne would reprise the role for two episodes for the funeral of Deirdre Barlow and Peter returned on 15 July 2015 and left once again the following day. In July 2016, it was announced that Peter would be returning as a regular character, with his return airing on 17 October 2016. Peter departed the series again on 26 December 2023. Peter made a voice appearance on 24 January 2024. Peter's storylines have included a number of affairs, alcoholism and a custody battle involving his son Simon Barlow. Peter became involved in a bigamy storyline when he married Rovers barmaid Shelley Unwin and florist Lucy Richards. Having been discovered, Peter was left alone and fled Weatherfield. He returned briefly in 2007 when his adoptive sister Tracy Barlow was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Charlie Stubbs. He returned for good in 2008 with five-year-old Simon, whom he had by Lucy; who had since died from breast cancer. Peter began a relationship with Leanne Battersby and they married during the 50th anniversary episode; however, they divorced in 2012 after Peter's affair with Carla Connor was discovered. Peter later went on to marry Carla, and then had an affair with much younger Tina McIntyre. Peter was framed for Tina's murder by Rob Donovan and upon his release from prison, his marriage to Carla broke down and he left Weatherfield.
Jim McDonald is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Charles Lawson. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 27 October 1989. He appeared as a regular character from 1989 to 2000, and has made brief comebacks between 2003 and 2018.
Karen McDonald is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Suranne Jones. Karen was created by producer Jane Macnaught as a recurring character and one of the factory girls. She made her debut in the episode airing on 21 June 2000. On 13 May 2004, Jones announced her decision to leave the soap and her final episode was broadcast on 26 December 2004. Karen's storylines have focused on her number of boyfriends including, Vikram Desai and Joe Carter, also her relationship with Steve McDonald and her miscarriage and her feud with Tracy Barlow, the mother of Steve's daughter, Amy.
Nicholas Marc Cochrane is an English actor, known for his role as Andy McDonald in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.
Elizabeth Liz McDonald is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She is portrayed by Beverley Callard. She made her first appearance on 27 October 1989. Callard opted to leave the series, and Liz departed on 13 November 1998. Callard reprised the role for a short stint with Liz appearing between 6 October 2000 and 12 January 2001. Callard reprised the role for two separate stints between 19 November and 30 November 2003 and between 13 February and 22 March 2004. She returned on a permanent basis on 22 June 2004. Callard departed once again with Liz's final appearance airing on 14 April 2011. Callard reprised the role once again on a permanent basis and Liz returned on 14 October 2013. Callard announced her departure in November 2019, with her final scene broadcast on 17 June 2020.
Coronation StreetLive is a live episode of the British soap opera Coronation Street which was broadcast on Friday 8 December 2000 as part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations. The episode was an hour long and aired at 8:00pm. It aired one hour after a repeat of the first episode, and included an introduction by actor William Roache from the soap's outdoor set, where last-minute preparations for the live episode were under way. The episode was number 4945 in the series and was the first live edition to be broadcast since Episode 17, which aired on 3 February 1961. It was seen by 17 million viewers.
Owen Armstrong is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Ian Puleston-Davies. He made his first on-screen appearance on 9 June 2010 and left the show on 15 April 2015.
"East Street" is a charity crossover mini-episode between British soap operas Coronation Street and EastEnders. It was broadcast on 19 November 2010 as part of children's charity Children in Need's 2010 telethon on BBC One. Written by Daran Little, it stars several actors from both television shows, and depicts humorous encounters between their characters.
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