Coronation Street is a British soap opera first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960.[1] The following is a list of characters introduced in 2024, by order of first appearance. In February Emily Wilkinson (Ellena Vincent) joined the cast as the wife of Joel Deering (Callum Lill),[2] followed by John Perry played by played by former Peaky Blinders actor Ian Peck, who was an associate of Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor). Rowan Cunliffe (Emrhys Cooper) made his debut in March and will be followed by Absolutely Fabulous star Helen Lederer is also set to make a guest appearance as Elspeth on March 27. Kit (Jacob Roberts) made his first appearance on 13 May 2024, part of a plot-twist as being the son of Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove). In June 2024, the parents of Joel Deering, Anthea Deering and Gus Deering, were introduced. [3]
Emily Wilkinson (also Deering), played by Ellena Vincent, is the mystery woman who knows Joel Deering (Calum Lill). She interrupts him whilst he is to the middle of a meeting with a client and she didn't seem happy with him. After she bumps into him, he escorts her out of the Bistro and Toyah Habeeb (Georgia Taylor) watches on them.[4] In 2024, Vincent was spotted in EastEnders and lots of fans were baffled to see her in Coronation Street and EastEnders at the same time.[5]
Emily is the ex-wife of Joel and is a part of a big storyline about Joel's past along with his parents, who arrived on 5 June 2024.[6] When Joel revealed to his girlfriend Dee Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) that Emily was his soon to be ex-wife, and that he also has a daughter named Maeve, Dee Dee broke up with him after she found out. Days later, she talks to Dee Dee to let her know that she was over with Joel and they are getting divorced.[7]
John Perry, played by Ian Peck,[8] is a man who is prepared to confess to the murder of Natasha Blakeman (Rachel Leskovac) so Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor) can be released from prison sort out his half-brother Damon Hay (Ciaran Griffiths) for Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson), whose wife Sarah Barlow (Tina O'Brien) had an affair with and subsequently begins a relationship with. Peck's casting was announced on 31 January 2024. His character was described to be a "guest" and would only appear for a "short stint."[9] He appeared in five episodes between 9 February and 26 February. This was Peck's third guest role in Coronation Street after playing a prison officer named Lindworth and drug dealer Denton in 2015.[8]
Harvey arranges for Adam to meet him at Weatherfield General Hospital. He does so, but finds out that John is a cancer patient and doesn't have long to live as it's terminal and has finished treatment. When Adam realises this and that he has a family including grandchildren, his conscience begins to make him feel like backing out of the plan as he believes that John should spend the rest of his time left with his grandchildren, but John says he would see the jail time as a punishment for the crimes he committed when he was younger. However, when Adam finds out that his wife Sarah wants to move out of the flat and into a new home with Damon and his stepson Harry Platt (Freddie and Isaac Rhodes), whom he sees as his own son, he decides to go along with the plan, but his conscience later gets the better of him.
Rowan Cunliffe, played by Emrhys Cooper, made his debut on Friday 15 March.[10] His casting was announced by Digital Spy on Tuesday 5 March.[11] He met Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) and Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) at the Chariot Square Hotel where they attend an event together.[12] After Simon confessing to drink driving with Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan) in the back of the car, Leanne decides to help Simon by taking him to a seminar at the hotel being held by a mysterious group called The Institute.[13]Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) advises Nick goes along with them as there's a wedding fayre on local to the hotel.[14] On Rowan's character, Digital Spy reported that "Rowan approaches Leanne and offers her some unsolicited advice. Leanne is initially taken aback by Rowan's approach, but she drops her guard when he encourages her to share her deepest thoughts and feelings. When Rowan leaves and flashes Leanne a smile, she can't help but blush. Does this Weatherfield newcomer have a hidden agenda?"[15]
When Rowan arrived in Coronation Street, he begins to manipulate Leanne into The Institute, which begins to cause a rift in her relationship with Nick.[16] This led to him having an affair with Leanne's step-sister, Toyah Habeeb (Georgia Taylor), which Rowan finds out about and uses the information to blackmail Nick into investing into The Institute after he suggests to Leanne that it would be a good idea to invest £40,000 in the business.[16] Rowan, along with Leanne have also been trying to persuade Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) into joining The Institute. Cooper spoke out about the behaviour of his character: "I think that he really wants to open another resource centre, so he's on a mission to raise the investment needed, however he can do that, and he wants to 'help' more people, so there might be some more characters he's bringing into the organisation…."[16] Cooper added that he had "quite a lot of insight" when he researched into the role of Rowan before auditioning,[16] and said it was "because I want to try to make the story as believable as possible".[16]
On 12 July 2024, it was announced that Cooper would be departing Coronation Street.[16]The Mirror reported that he would leave when his story "eventually comes to a close",[16] but the storyline "is not ending soon, as the character's behaviour will worsen and escalate over the coming months."[16] However, Digital Spy reported that Rowan's storyline was "always intended to run for a fixed period of time and set out with a clear beginning, middle and end."[16]
Elspeth, played by Helen Lederer, made a guest appearance on 27 March.[17] She caught the eye of Ken Barlow (William Roache) during a singles' cocktail night at the Chariot Square Hotel.[17] She sends drinks over to him and his son-in-law Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson).[17] Lederer had already teased a potential role on Coronation Street before her casting was officially announced on March 17.[17] She first spoke out about her casting to Digital Spy saying "It came out of the blue but for me Coronation Street, of all the soaps, is the most substantial and ironic with such humour, it's really a class act. So when you get the call for Coronation Street you drop everything. And to be offered a part playing a role opposite William Roache is even more exciting. I had met him once before when I sat next to him at an event and I thought what a lovely man he was and so personable. So for me to be offered this brief role was a joy."[17] Although Elspeth is only set to appear in one episode for now, Helen confirmed that she's open to returning to the role in the future and said "The answer to that is 'most definitely'. Ken had Steve to deal with but he was certainly interested in her. He definitely made sure he got her number, he initiated it. So who knows one day he might actually call her and I can come back to Weatherfield."[17]
Rebecca, played by Gemma Merna, is a client of Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) whom he is to set his sights on.[18] She made a guest appearance on 15 April. Inside Soap first reported Merna's casting on 2 April 2024 and Rebecca has been described to be a guest character as "Digital Spy understands that it is indeed just a small appearance in an episode, and it isn't expected to be a recurring role."[18] Merna also commented on her casting by saying "I've wanted to be on Coronation Street since I was a little girl."[18] She further discussed her feelings towards her casting by saying "Can you believe it?! I've wanted to be on Coronation Street since I was a little girl. Being born and bred in Manchester, it's truly a dream come true for me. It's been on my vision board for over 10 years, and finally, I got the chance to walk the cobbles. I can’t even believe I'm writing this. I think the best part was ringing my mum and telling her."[18] Merna also told Digital Spy that her family have been fans of Coronation Street by saying "To my dad, nana, grandad, and grandma, who all watched it for many years, and were huge fans. I hope you're proud of me up there. Rebecca will be gracing your screens in the next coming weeks."[18]
Denny Foreman, played by Danny Cunningham,[19] is the estranged father of Gemma Winter (Dolly-Rose Campbell) and Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) who made his first appearance on 29 April 2024 after hearing Paul talk about motor neurone disease and the struggles he has from suffering from it on the radio.[19] His casting was announced on 22 April.[19] Denny walked out on his family in 1992, when he and Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) split up. Gemma and Paul were two years old.
Digital Spy reported that Denny's arrival will cause concern for Paul's family including his husband Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank), who "is also unhappy over Denny, reminding Paul that Denny used to be violent towards him when he was a child."[19] Bernie is also upset at Denny's sudden arrival as "she's worried that Denny might expose secrets from her past"[19] to her current partner Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin). This will be Cunningham's second role in the soap as he previously appeared as Jimmy Sykes between 2000 and 2001.[19] Chloe Timms from Inside Soap called the character "horrid" and hoped that Bernie would chase the character "out of Weatherfield".[20]
On 24 September 2024, it was announced that Denny would be returning to Coronation Street for Paul's funeral.[21] He will appear in scenes airing 30 September and 2 October 2024.[21] As the day of Paul's funeral arrives, Billy is emotional as it would have been their first wedding anniversary.[21] After he arrives at the church, he is appalled to see Denny lurking around drunk.[21] Knowing that everyone will be upset to see Denny again after he tried to steal from Paul, he orders him to stay hidden.[21]
Ellie Benton, played by Lola Blue, made her first appearance on 8 May 2024.[22] Blue was introduced as part of the disappearance of Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) storyline. She is first seen when Nicky Wheatley (Kimberly Hart-Simpson) was having a conversation with her to see if she had any information on Lauren's disappearance.[22] Later Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) went to visit her after to see if she knew who attacked Lauren but she lied to her and told her it was Nathan Curtis (Christopher Harper), as Bethany left Joel Deering (Calum Lill) walked into the room and it was revealed that he also abused Ellie. Later when Bethany is speaking to her mother Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien), Joel overheard that the police were going to speak to Ellie, but when they got there Ellie was already gone and Joel threatened her to stay quiet.[22]
On 16 September 2024, Ellie reappeared alongside support worker, Nicky Wheatley (Kimberly Hart-Simpson) to see DS Lisa Swain (Vicki Myers) as Ellie is another victim of Joel's abuse.[23] Joel had tried to enter the Underworld factory to serve Carla Barlow (Alison King) the proceedings for slander against her,[23] however Swain stepped in to diffuse the situation.[23] Swain then tells Dee Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) that Ellie was coming to see her with Nicky and they all meet in Dee Dee's flat.[23] Whilst in the flat, Ellie confirmed that Joel had groomed her, abused her and attacked her, just like he did to Lauren.[23] Dee Dee and Swain both desperately tried to convince her to make an official statement against Joel, but Ellie was too terrified of what he would do if she did.[23] She had a change of heart after visiting Lauren at the hospital and seeing Frankie Bolton in an incubator and hearing Lauren's heartbreaking story about Joel abusing her.[23] Ellie also revealed that Joel's former company forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) regarding her 'relationship' with him.[23] Dee Dee then visited the firm and convinced the boss to do the right thing and drop the NDA and provide all the incriminating texts on Joel's old workphone.[23] Dee Dee then took the evidence to Weatherfield Police Station with the hope that Swain's boss would reopen the case against Joel.[23] She briefly encountered Joel and hinted that he wouldn't be free for much longer.[23] Swain later confirmed to Dee Dee that the case had been reopened with the hope that he would be sent down for his crimes.[23]
Christopher "Kit" Green, played by Jacob Roberts, made his first appearance on 13 May 2024. He is the secret son of Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) that she had conceived whilst she was with her other children's father, Denny (Danny Cunningham).[24] His casting details were initially announced on 23 April 2024; however, the character's name was not yet revealed.[25] Roberts' revealed he knew about the plot-twist beforehand.[24] He also added that he had quite a journey during the audition process to obtain the role.[26]
"I got a call just before Christmas and I submitted a self tape. I actually put it to the back of my mind and didn't think much of it because I think I assumed I wasn't successful after not hearing back. Around a month later I was invited to a meeting, which was more of a casual audition, and after this was the screen tests which still had five people auditioning for the part but in the end, I got it and was delighted!"[26]
–Roberts' on his casting process (2024)
Teasing his character, Roberts' told ITV: "Kit is working as a detective and has been brought in to try and solve the Lauren Bolton case and of course is Bernie’s secret son. I do think he is going to be a very misunderstood character at first. He’s been really hurt throughout his life and although he has a good heart, he has some deep rooted resentment with his biological mum, which will be really interesting to play out."[24]
Anthea Deering, played by Carol Royle, is the mother of Joel Deering (Calum Lill) who first appeared on 5 June 2024.[27] It was initially announced on 15 February 2024 that Joel's parents would be arriving in Coronation Street;[27] however, the names of his parents were revealed on 28 May.[27] Anthea, along with her husband Gus, are set to meet Joel's girlfriend. Dee Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown).[27] She and Gus take a dislike to her as it has been described, "it is an uphill battle with Joel’s parents Anthea and Gus, who make their disapproval of Dee Dee clear."[27] Anthea caused Dee Dee to feel upset and "when she makes a patronising remark, Dee-Dee storms out."[27] Joel subsequently proposed to Dee Dee.
When Lill, who plays Joel, was asked about whether the introduction of Joel's parents would help audiences understand his past, he said, "definitely. Joel is the middle child from a middle class family. He's navigating that and trying to be good enough. I'm looking forward to seeing how that unfolds."[28]
Gus Deering, potrayed by Chris Garner, is the father of Joel Deering (Calum Lill) who first appeared on 5 June 2024.[27] It was initially announced on 15 February 2024 that Joel's parents would be arriving in Coronation Street;[27] however, the names of his parents were revealed on 28 May.[27] Gus, along with his wife Anthea, met Joel's girlfriend, Dee Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown).[27] However, he and Anthea took a dislike to her as it has been described, "it is an uphill battle with Joel’s parents Anthea and Gus, who make their disapproval of Dee Dee clear."[27] Joel subsequently proposed to Dee Dee.
When Lill, who plays Joel, was asked about whether the introduction of Joel's parents would help audiences understand his past, he said, "definitely. Joel is the middle child from a middle class family. He's navigating that and trying to be good enough. I'm looking forward to seeing how that unfolds."[28]
Betsy Swain, portrayed by Sydney Martin, was initially introduced as an unnamed friend of Sabrina Adetiba (Luana Santos) on 21 June 2024,[29] when lawyer, Joel Deering (Calum Lill) was beginning to manipulate her and gave her his business card. Betsy pretended to dispose of it, but later went to find him to warn him off. A week later, on 28 June, Betsy begins to blackmail Joel into paying her to keep quiet after realising he has dark secrets.[29] After Joel paid Betsy off, she went and bought herself some chips, which was when she was revealed to be the daughter of DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers),[29] who confronted her about the chips and she knew that Betsy didn't have the money for them, so she lied to Lisa and said a friend bought them, showing some tension in their relationship. Betsy is set to be employed at Underworld after blackmailing Carla Barlow (Alison King) when she sees her having a "violent altercation with a yob who's hassling Roy Cropper (David Neilson), she threatens to tell the police unless Carla hires her at the factory over the summer."[29]
Martin told Digital Spy, "Betsy has been brought up by two female detectives, but she seems to have contempt for the law."[29] She also discussed her character's background and her behaviour by saying, "obviously she's lost her other mum when she was on duty, so she already has some disrespect for the career. Lisa stayed on, and that causes a bit of tension in their relationship."[29] Martin also described her character's personality, "there's also this feeling that 'Mummy can get me out of it'. There's this playfulness there. She's a little bit naïve and thinks that the law doesn't apply to her, so she's teetering on the edge."[29]
Dorin Pop is the son of Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) and Alina Pop (Ruxandra Porojnicu).[30] He first appears in the episode originally broadcast on 9 August 2024. The creation of the character was leaked into the media after the announcement of Porojnicu's return had been unveiled.[31] The plot twist was set to "bring up a lot of emotions" with Tyrone.[30] Dorin first appears jumping into a taxi with Alina and grandmother Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney), unbeknownst to Alina that Cassie is Tyrone's biological mother. She takes Alina to Coronation Street, where she comes face to face with Tyrone for the first time since she departed the serial in 2021.[31]
Halsall was interviewed by Digital Spy about the plot twist.[30] "First and foremost, he's [Tyrone] just settling into married life now with Fiz", Halsall explained, "It's only a couple of years, after a 20-year romance, that they finally got married. He's living this domestic bliss so the last thing he wants is anything interrupting that."[30] Halsall conveyed he "could only imagine" the emotions Tyrone would endure throughout the ordeal. Halsall believed "not knowing about it" and "missing all that time" will stir emotions up for Tyrone on his own childhood. Halsall added, "Obviously knowing there's nothing he can do [about the past], he wants to make a point from now to be the best person he can be in that child's life."[30] Even though this drama would make things difficult for Fiz and Tyrone, Halsall is confident the "iconic couple" will survive the "latest test".[30]
Fans speculated that Dorin is not Tyrone's biological son.[32]
Francis "Frankie" Bolton is the son of Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) and Joel Deering (Calum Lill).[33] He is born in August 2024 prematurely after Lauren is unknowingly spiked by Joel. She gives birth to a fighting Frankie who is unable to support his own life. Lauren decided to name Frankie after her grandfather, Francis. Joel also points out his grandfather was also called Francis.
Lauren returns pregnant in early July 2024, much to Joel's dismay.[33] Speaking about the plot twist and storyline, Fitton explained "Lauren has never had unconditional love – she doesn't know what that is. When anyone tries to get close to her, her guard automatically goes up. I think with her child, she will be that child's role model. That baby is going to be with her through everything. She is powerful and she has got someone that's going to love her unconditionally, when she's never had that."[33] Fitton conveyed Lauren's fears for her baby and herself of Joel, adding she is "petrified". Fitton further explained, "Parents will know that your baby comes first – that's Lauren. She doesn't care what happens to her now – as long as that baby's safe, that's all she cares about. I think she'll always make mistakes, though. What is the perfect parent if you've never been one? There's no such thing. You go with your gut instincts and what's right."[33]
Coral Brent, portrayed by Kate Cook, is the mother of Corey Brent (Maximus Evans) and ex-wife of Stefan Brent (Paul Opacic).[34] She made her first appearance on 2 September 2024; however, the character's details were announced on 29 August 2024.[34] Cook was introduced as part of the storyline where Stefan creates deep fakes of Abi Webster (Sally Carman-Duttine).[34] She departed in the next episode, airing 4 September 2024.
Coral is first seen having an argument with Stefan in court where Jack Webster (Kyran Bowles) is on trial for setting fire to Stefan's office. Abi intervenes and tells Stefan to leave her alone. Coral then arrives at the garage where Abi works and tells her that she is Stefan's ex-wife and Corey's mother. Abi takes Coral back to her house, No. 13, and they talk. Abi tells Coral that her son Seb Franklin's (Harry Visioni) murder at the hands of Corey has torn her life apart. Coral takes the blame for her son and ex-husband's actions and reveals that she is pleased that Stefan's life is in ruins. Furthermore, she also reveals that Stefan doesn't have any friends and Corey refuses to see him in prison. Coral then offers Abi £10,000 from her divorce settlement, which she is grateful for, but wishes that Coral left them alone.
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.
Jamie Baldwin is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Rupert Hill. He first appeared in 2004 and left in 2008, returning briefly in 2011.
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 for personal reasons and Steve was off-screen from November 2015 to 22 April 2016.
Tyrone Dobbs is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Alan Halsall, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 30 November 1998 and is still a cast member over 20 years later. Tyrone's storylines have been focused on his relationships with Maria Sutherland and Fiz Brown as well as his doomed marriage to Molly Compton and suffering domestic violence at the hands of his fiancée Kirsty Soames. In 2018, following the death of his mother Jackie, Tyrone discovers that Jackie was not his biological mother and while searching for his birth parents, meets his maternal grandmother, Evelyn Plummer.
Maya Sharma is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Sasha Behar. Fans of the program remember Maya for her relationship with Dev Alahan and her feud with Dev's wife Sunita Parekh. Notably, Maya held the pair hostage in her flat, and set the building on fire. As she made her escape, Maya was involved in a car accident.
Fiz Dobbs is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Jennie McAlpine, the character first appeared on screen on 20 April 2001. Initially appearing for five episodes, McAlpine's contract was soon extended and Fiz became a regular character. In May 2014, it was announced that McAlpine was expecting her first child and Fiz temporarily departed on 14 November 2014, returning on 19 June 2015. In November 2017, McAlpine took a break from filming to take part in the 17th series of the ITV reality show I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and her exit aired on 18 December 2017, she returned on 2 March 2018. In April 2018, McAlpine announced that she is expecting her second child; she took maternity leave from the show on 5 December 2018 and returned on 30 August 2019. McAlpine took maternity leave a third time in 2023 and returned in March 2024.
Nick Tilsley is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He was born off screen during an episode broadcast on 31 December 1980, but made his first appearance on 5 January 1981. He was played by Warren Jackson from 1981 until 6 September 1996. Adam Rickitt took over the role on 15 October 1997 until 21 April 1999 but returned for three separate stints between 2002 and 2004 and made his final appearance as Nick on 11 July 2004. Ben Price took over the role on 21 December 2009. Price announced his intentions to leave the serial on 26 January 2017, before making his on-screen departure on 2 June 2017. However, on 23 April 2018, it was announced that Price would reprise his role as Nick, and he returned on 12 October 2018.
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 May 22, 2000, played by an uncredited walk-on actor. He was renamed Kirk and has been played by Andy Whyment since October 2000.
Lucy-Jo Hudson is an English actress, known for her roles as Katy Harris in Coronation Street, Rosie Trevanion in Wild at Heart and Donna-Marie Quinn in Hollyoaks. Her role as Rhiannon Davis in Doctors earned her the British Soap Award for Villain of the Year in 2017.
Kirsty Soames is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Natalie Gumede. She made her first on-screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 September 2011.
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.
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