| Liam Connor | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Rob James-Collier | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2006–2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 6369 30 August 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 6928 17 October 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Steve Frost | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book appearances | Coronation Street: The Complete Saga | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Liam Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street , played by Rob James-Collier from 2006 to 2008.
Liam first appeared on Coronation Street in August 2006 when he and nephew Ryan (Ben Thompson) visit his sister Michelle at the Rovers Return Inn. Whilst there he overhears Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) discussing his unhappiness running local factory Underworld with his half-brother, Danny Baldwin (Bradley Walsh). Liam calls on his wealthy brother Paul (Sean Gallagher) to help him purchase the factory. The brothers manage to convince the teenager to sell his 40% share for £80,000, less than half its value. [1] Liam also briefly romances Frankie Baldwin, putting himself in a difficult situation with Frankie's husband and the Connor brothers' new business partner Danny.
The death of Dean, Michelle's late partner, in a car crash, is later discovered not to have been caused by Dean's own driving, when in 2007 Liam confesses to Michelle that their brother, Paul, was driving that night, and that Paul and Liam had moved Dean's body into the driving seat so that Paul would not face criminal charges. Michelle initially disowns her brothers but is reconciled with Liam after Paul's death. [2]
Liam dates Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), thinking that she is an estate agent but she is secretly working as a female escort. Liam's sister-in-law, Carla, goes shopping regularly with Leanne, and one day one of Leanne's clients sees them together and asks Carla if she is an escort too. Carla reluctantly agrees to keep Leanne's secret from Liam.
Paul discovers Leanne's secret when he books an escort to come to a hotel room he has booked and Leanne turns up; they agree to keep each other's secret until Carla finds out, and refuses to believe that Paul and Leanne haven't slept together. In an attempt to convince her, Paul kidnaps Leanne and locks her in his car boot. After jumping a red traffic light at a crossroads, Paul's Mercedes crashes into a skip and overturns. Liam rescues Leanne from the boot of the car, but Carla reveals that Leanne is working as a prostitute, and their relationship does not survive the revelation. Paul dies of his injuries in hospital and Liam is devastated by his brother's death and blames Leanne.
Liam is attracted to Maria Sutherland, with whom he begins a casual relationship. A few weeks into their relationship, Maria discovers that she is pregnant, and they decide to abort the child. Liam is happy with this initially but after comments made by Carla, he proposes to Maria. He asks her to keep the baby and she agrees happily, unaware of Liam's hidden feelings for Carla. Maria buys Liam a dog, Ozzy. During a trip to the Lake District in January 2008, Liam falls down a ravine while searching for Ozzy. While semi-conscious, he calls out for Carla, making Maria feel insecure. In an attempt to cement their relationship, she brings their wedding forward to 11 February 2008. Liam is a little shocked, but agrees.
During an argument with Carla about her new boyfriend, Liam and Carla kiss passionately. She pulls away, leaving them confused about their feelings for each other. Liam tries to concentrate on his relationship with Maria and their baby but Carla starts interfering between him and Maria. She attempts to create opportunities to seduce Liam, such as booking a double room at a hotel for a conference they are to attend together. Carla's plans are ruined when her romantic partner Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien) turns up at the hotel.
Carla tries to warn Maria off Liam. Prior to the wedding, Maria spots Carla kissing him, and almost calls off the wedding. When Maria refuses to get out of the car, he goes outside and convinces her that she is the one for him. He insists that all he wants was a life with her and their baby and they marry, even though he knows that he really loves Carla.
During April 2008, after a row with Liam about him spending the night at Carla's, Maria is horrified to discover that her baby has stopped kicking. She goes with sonographer Marcus Dent (Charlie Condou) for an emergency scan and is told that her child has died. On 30 April, still estranged from Liam, she goes into hospital and gives birth to the deceased infant. She decides not to tell Liam that she has lost the baby because she fears that Liam has only married her because she was pregnant.
Maria keeps the news of the stillbirth from Liam and stays with her colleague Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) in response to this. Liam only finds out about his child's death from the midwife when she calls to check on Maria. The newly married couple have a huge argument, which climaxes in Maria declaring that the marriage is over, just under three months into it. With Maria leaving him, Liam sinks into depression and seeks comfort in Carla, sleeping with her. Later that day, Liam is just leaving Carla's flat when they stop in the doorway for a goodbye kiss unaware that up the road walking is their assistant Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan). On catching glimpse of the lovers, Rosie quickly jumps out of their sight and seizing an opportunity, takes a video of the tender moment before Liam drives off. Liam and Carla later agree that he will tell Maria about their relationship but instead Maria apologizes for not telling him sooner that she lost the baby and asks him to give her a second chance. So, that day, he tells Carla that he and Maria are back together and are off on holiday.
On their return, Carla's revenge is to insist that Liam sell his share of Underworld to Tony or she would tell Maria about them sleeping together. Liam gives in, as he and Maria are discussing trying for another baby.
Bored at home all day, Liam and his cousin, Tom Kerrigan (Philip McGinley) start a new business called Lad Rags. Tom, however, fails to persuade the bank to loan them £50K so he asks Carla to invest, which she does. Liam is furious when he finds out, telling Tom that her 25% share is coming out of his half of the business. Knowing that neither Tony or Maria would be pleased about them working together, they agree to keep it a secret from them and it is clear that Liam and Carla still have strong feelings for each other.
In September 2008, Rosie Webster decides to seduce Tony and invites him to a hotel room. When he arrives, he is stunned to find Rosie draped over the bed semi-naked and it all becomes clear to Tony what her game is. He subsequently harshly rejects Rosie, telling her he only has eyes for Carla and that she is nothing but a silly little girl. Humiliated, Rosie exacts her revenge and shows Tony the video footage of Liam and Carla kissing. Upon seeing the footage, Tony is silenced and leaves the hotel with Rosie's phone, which he later dumps in the canal after copying the video.
Initially hesitant, Tony sees red when he catches Carla with Liam once again, and plans his revenge. The next day Tony surprises Carla by taking her, Liam and Maria to the lakes on a weekend away, raising suspicion with Liam and Carla who begin to question what he is up to. At the lakes, Tony leads Liam astray on a country walk and the pair end up stood at the edge of a cave cliff with Liam clearly very anxious as it brings back memories of his fall in the Lake District in January that year. Liam is left stunned however when Tony chooses that moment to ask him to be his best man at his wedding to Carla. As they hug, Tony jokingly says that he is going to push Liam over the edge, an ominous sign of Liam's fate.
The following week, upon seeing Carla in her wedding dress, Liam reignites his passion with her as they sleep together once more, with Tony almost catching them in the act as he dashes home. The next day, as the stag and hen parties are about to commence, Liam meets Carla in secret to remind her that he loves her and desperately urges her to call off the wedding. In a moment alone during her hen party, Carla sits down for a heart-to-heart with best friend Leanne, who tells her to follow her heart. Her words strike a chord and Carla finally decides she is going to end her engagement to Tony to be with Liam but when Michelle and Maria return to the table, Michelle shares her suspicion that Maria is pregnant, which she happily confirms to the group. Carla is heartbroken and, not wanting to be the one to take away the unborn child's father, urges Maria to tell Liam the news.
That night, as the boys are on a pub crawl, Liam realises he has left his wallet behind in the pub that they have just left and is told by Tony to go back and get it. However, as Liam is walking across the road, he is hit and killed instantly by a car at high speed driven by Jimmy Dockerson (Robert Beck), the man who Tony had hired to kill Liam. In tears, Tony falls to the floor, and orders everyone to move out of the way and call an ambulance. Moments after the incident, Maria arrives to tell Liam her news but is distraught to find him lying motionless on the road. Carla, meanwhile, is forced to hold back the true extent of her own devastation as husband-to-be Tony looms over the lifeless body. Later, Tony heads to the canal and out of his pocket he pulls Liam's wallet which he had stolen earlier as part of his elaborate plan to kill his love rival. Tony then callously takes out the cash in the wallet throws it into the water below. Liam's funeral is held on 27 October 2008.
Coronation Street's Connor family were introduced by producer Steve Frost after Kym Marsh made a series of guest appearances as singer Michelle Connor. Marsh was soon given a regular role, and a family for her character were brought into the storyline, including a pair of brothers who were likened by newspaper reports to the Gallagher brothers from Rock band Oasis and the Mitchell brothers Phil and Grant from rival soap opera EastEnders . [3]
In July 2006, Rob James-Collier was announced as Michelle's brother Liam, described as "a loveable rogue" with "an eye for the ladies". It was said that, upon his arrival, he would set his sights on Frankie Baldwin (Debra Stephenson). Rob, who had worked as a marketing assistant before becoming an actor, said that the role was "a dream come true". [4] [5]
In February 2008, it was confirmed that Collier had made the decision to leave the programme, after two years portraying of Liam. [6] On his decision to leave the show, Collier stated that he had a fear of being typecast, and wished to experience new projects. [6] It was later announced that the character would be killed off near to the end of the year, at the actor's personal request. [7] Prior to his departure, the three main suspects to fans to murder Liam included his wife Maria Connor (Samia Ghadie), Carla Connor (Alison King) and Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien). [6] [7]
Three alternative departures for the character were filmed, with only one departure being broadcast on television, though the other two were available to be viewed on the official ITV website; Liam was killed off after being hit by a car, arranged by Tony, on Tony's stag night, with the other departures including Tony pushing Liam off a balcony from a two-floored flat, and being shot by Tony during a game of paint-balling. [8] In September 2008, producers said that a week of episodes would unfold in "real time", set over a period of 24 hours following the events leading to his impending exit. [9]
For his role as Liam, James-Collier won "Best Newcomer" at the 2007 Inside Soap Awards. [10] The character of Liam Connor has been widely praised since his introduction. Upon his exit in 2008, columnist Jim Shelley described Liam as "the most handsome, charming, likeable character in the series". [11] Gareth McLean of the Guardian criticised Rob James-Collier's acting skills, writing, "Apparently, Liam (Rob James-Collier) is leaving Coronation Street for fear of being type-cast. (As what? A sideboard? A life-sized wooden replica of a person?)" [12]
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.
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.
Leanne Battersby is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Jane Danson. It was announced in February 1997 that a "family from hell" would be introduced to Coronation Street. This included Les and Janice Battersby, Les' daughter Leanne and Janice's daughter Toyah. Leanne made her first appearance on 4 July 1997. Danson left the series on 23 August 2000 and returned on 7 June 2004. Danson later took maternity leave in 2006 and returned in early 2007. Danson took another maternity break in 2009 and returned in the same year. On 27 September 2017, Danson took an extended break from the show and returned three months later on 15 December 2017.
Jason Grimshaw is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Ryan Thomas, the character first appeared on screen on 25 December 2000. It was announced in October 2015 that Thomas had quit the role of Jason, and the character departed on 29 June 2016.
Kirk Sutherland is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. The character first appeared on-screen as "Mark" during the episode airing on 22 May 2000, played by an uncredited walk-on actor. He was renamed Kirk and has been played by Andy Whyment since October 2000.
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.
Michelle Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by former Hear'Say singer Kym Marsh. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 3 April 2006. Marsh took maternity leave in January 2011, and the character returned on 3 November 2011. On 24 February 2019, it was announced that Marsh would be leaving the soap after 13 years and Michelle's final episode aired on 27 December 2019.
Ryan Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He first appeared on-screen during the episode broadcast on 30 August 2006. The character was initially portrayed by actor Ben Thompson from his introduction until 8 October 2010, when the character was written out of the serial. Ryan was created by series producer Steve Frost as part of the Connor family. The character was reintroduced in 2012, with the role recast to actor Sol Heras. Heras quit the role in July 2013 and Ryan departed on 2 October 2013. Ryan's return was confirmed in February 2018 and he returned on 23 May 2018, with Ryan Prescott recast in the role. It was confirmed that Ryan would leave the soap in late 2023. Ryan’s departure aired on 20 December 2023. Ryan returned on 1 March 2024.
Paul Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Sean Gallagher, the character arrives with the rest of his family as one of Michelle Connor's two brothers, first appearing during an episode that aired on 6 September 2006. He was later killed off on 6 June 2007, following the actor's decision to leave the cast after only nine months.
Carla Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Alison King. She made her first appearance on screen during the episode airing on 1 December 2006 and introduced as the wife of Paul Connor. This was King's second role in the soap as she previously played Mrs. Fanshaw for one episode in 2004. King appeared in her 1,000th episode as Carla on 22 May 2015. Carla has been referred to as "the new Elsie Tanner".
Tony Gordon is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on-screen on 16 September 2007. He appeared as a regular character for two years before departing on 11 December 2009 after being imprisoned for the murder of Liam Connor. He returned on 28 May 2010 after managing to break out of prison with the help of his cellmate Robbie Sloan, whom Tony later betrayed by shooting him dead. The character departed once again on 9 June 2010 after being killed off at the conclusion of his storyline. He was a local businessman, disliked by many of Weatherfield's residents for his ruthlessness. His storylines revolved around his business deals, his relationships with Carla Connor and Maria Connor, and the murder of Liam Connor. Tony was named "Bad Boy" of 2009 at the All About Soap Bubble awards, and "Villain of the Year" at The British Soap Awards 2009.
Natasha Blakeman is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Rachel Leskovac. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 12 May 2008. On 29 April 2010, it was announced that Leskovac had been axed from the show after two years and would depart in "an exciting and dramatic storyline which will be an integral part of the build-up to Coronation Street's 50th anniversary". Natasha departed on 27 September 2010.
Luke Strong is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Craig Kelly, the character appeared throughout 2009. Luke took over Carla Connor's share of the Underworld factory with Tony Gordon. He knew Carla's deceased husband, Paul Connor.
Eva Price is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Catherine Tyldesley, her character and casting was announced in May 2011 and she made her first appearance on screen on 17 June 2011. Eva was introduced as Stella Price's daughter. On 24 August 2014, Tyldesley announced that she was expecting her first child. Eva left the show on 23 February 2015. Tyldesley returned to filming on 13 July 2015, and Eva's return scenes aired on 16 September 2015. It was announced on 1 December 2017 that Tyldesley had decided to leave the show to pursue other acting roles after seven years. Tyldesley filmed her final scenes on 20 June 2018 which were broadcast on 3 August 2018.
Rob Donovan is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Marc Baylis. Introduced as the brother of Carla Connor, he made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 9 July 2012. It was announced in June 2014 that Baylis would be leaving the role after two years following his involvement in a storyline where Rob was responsible for murdering Tina McIntyre. Rob departed on 5 November 2014. It was reported in August 2015 that Baylis would be reprising the role as Rob, and he returned to filming in October for a short storyline. His return aired on 4 December 2015 and he departed a month later, on 4 January 2016. He returned again on 19 April 2017 and departed on 8 May 2017.
"Siege Week" is a week-long special of the British soap opera Coronation Street, which was broadcast from 31 May 2010 to 9 June 2010 on ITV. The special edition was the first time in the history of the programme being on air that it was filmed in high definition. The six 30-minute episodes were directed by Ian Bevitt and David Kester, and were the most expensive Coronation Street had ever produced, costing £1 million. The episodes, ranging from the 7352nd to the 7356th in the series, were written by Martin Allen, Mark Wadlow, Stephen Russell, Chris Fewtrell and Joe Turner, and produced by Kim Crowther for ITV Studios. It was filmed at the Granada Studios complex in Manchester.