Kenneth "Ken" Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by William Roache. He 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.
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.
Maria Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Samia Longchambon. The character made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 19 May 2000. During her time on the show, Maria has been the centre of major storylines. In late-2009, Longchambon took maternity leave and Maria was off-screen from November 2009 until June 2010. Longchambon went on maternity leave again in 2015 and Maria was off-screen from October 2015 until April 2016. In June 2019, it was announced that Longchambon had signed a new contract keeping her with the show for at least another 12 months.
John Frederick Joseph Savident was a British actor, known for his numerous television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera Coronation Street from 1994 to 2006. He was also known for his performance as Monsieur Firmin in the West End cast of The Phantom of the Opera. His other credits include The Avengers (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Professionals (1978), Blake's 7 (1979), Yes Minister (1980), Gandhi (1982), The Remains of the Day (1993) and Middlemarch (1994).
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 Vicky Arden, Karen Phillips (twice), Becky Granger, Michelle Connor, and Tracy Barlow (twice). In September 2015, Gregson announced a break for personal reasons and Steve was off-screen from November 2015 to 22 April 2016.
Audrey Roberts is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by actress Sue Nicholls. Audrey made her first appearance on 16 April 1979 and appeared on a recurring basis for three years until April 1982. She returned over two years later in July 1984, before becoming a full-time regular character from 1985.
Charlie Stubbs is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Bill Ward. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 10 November 2003 and last appearance on 15 January 2007.
Ashley Sibelius Peacock is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Steven Arnold, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 1 February 1995. Ashley was a victim of the tram crash and died as part of the show's 50th-anniversary episode in December 2010.
Shelley Unwin is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Sally Lindsay. She is the daughter of Bev Unwin.
Raquel Watts is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Sarah Lancashire from 23 January 1991 until 15 November 1996. Lancashire returned on 2 January 2000 for one episode.
Bill Webster is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Peter Armitage. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 February 1984 and remained in the show until 1985 when Armitage decided to leave. The character was reintroduced in 1995 but he was again written out two years later. Armitage returned once again in 2006 and appeared frequently until late-April 2010 when the character suddenly appeared only a recurring basis. It was reported in 2011 that Bill was going to be axed completely, however, he continued to make appearances on a recurring basis. His last appearance was broadcast on 29 December 2011, where Bill was in attendance at youngest granddaughter Sophie's wedding to her fiancée Sian Powers. Armitage died on 30 November 2018, therefore ruling out a future return for the character. The character was killed off-screen in April 2023.
Eddie Windass is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Steve Huison, the character's first appearance on-screen was broadcast on 14 November 2008. On 5 December 2010, it was announced that Eddie was to leave Coronation Street in spring 2011 after being axed by producer Phil Collinson. Huison made his final appearance as Eddie on 25 April 2011. This was Huison's second role in the soap; he previously played criminal Andy Morgan in 2003.
Becky McDonald is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Katherine Kelly. Becky was created by producer Tony Wood, and made her debut in the episode airing on 5 February 2006. Kelly was initially contracted to appear for three months, but became a series regular after impressing the serial's producers. In April 2011, Kelly announced her decision to leave the soap. Producer Phil Collinson created dramatic storylines in the build-up to her exit.
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.
Lionel Hipkiss, using the alias Mel Hutchwright, was a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Ian McKellen. He made his first on-screen appearance on 1 May 2005 and was last seen on 22 May 2005.
Ciaran McCarthy is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Keith Duffy. He made his first on-screen appearance on 7 August 2002, before departing in 2005. He returned in 2010 until Duffy temporary departed in January 2011 to go on Boyzone Tour, and returned on 3 November 2011. Duffy departed the role again on 25 November 2011 due to family commitments. In his duration on the show the character has been at the centre of several romances including relationships with Sunita Alahan, Tracy Barlow and Michelle Connor. Ciaran has been characterised as a ladies' man and a charmer. The character is also known for his "sex symbol" status. Duffy has received nominations at various soap award ceremonies for his portrayal of Ciaran.
