Coronation Street/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


The character sheet for Coronation Street. Be warned though, as a Long Runner, the cast is voluminous. Only current characters have full character sheets since doing one for the hundreds that have existed in the shows history would probably be a life long project. Characters not currently appearing on the show have their own section with brief descriptions at the bottom of the page.

Number The Rover's Return

Steve McDonald

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Butt Monkey: Nothing ever goes right for him.
  • Bastard Boyfriend: After getting caught for selling stolen whisky he tried to avoid a prison sentence by pinning the blame on Vicky.
  • Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Even back when he was a more villainous character he was always protective of Liz.
  • Extreme Doormat: With his current wife Becky.
  • Fire-Forged Friends: He had a rivalry with Peter in the early 200's but they became close and Steve even went against Michelle's wishes to put Peter up when he needed help.
  • Gold Digger: He went out with Vicky Arden for her money.
  • Good Parents: Even though he initially wanted nothing to do with her Steve has proved to be a very attentive father to Amy and done everything he could to protect her from Tracy's mind games. Since finding out Emma is his daughter Steve has been very helpful and supportive to her too.
  • Hidden Depths: Despite being a total wimp he showed no hesitation in rescuing Audrey from a fire.
  • Papa Wolf: He threatened Aadi with a spade after wrongly thinking he was the father of Amy's child.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: Steve has definitely grown kinder with age even if he still struggles to stay faithful.

Becky McDonald (neé Granger)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Arch Enemy: Tracy Barlow.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Her general reaction to any sort of bad news is to get drunk and smash up whatever's nearest.
  • Jerkass: When she first turned up, now a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
  • Mama Bear: Though neither of the children she has with Steve are actually hers (Max being her sister's son, and Amy being Steve's daughter with Tracy Barlow).
  • Ms. Fanservice: Particularly in her reaction to being angry at Steve, which is to dress in revealing clothing, then go out, get drunk and get attention from men at other bars.

Betty Williams

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Deadpan Snarker: Her dry commentary has been a Rovers staple for over forty years now.
  • Supreme Chef: The reason she has remained a steadfast employee for as long as she has, her Hotpot is one of the reasons the place is so popular.

Johnny Connor

Johnny is the father of Aidan and Kate. When he arrived in the show he was angry as it was revealed Aidan had stolen money from Johnny to buy charges in Underworld. Because of this Johnny wound up running Underworld alongside Aidan. After he was blackmailed by Rob Donovan it was discovered he was Carla's father as result of an affair with Carla's mother. all three of his children were initially angry, especially after they learned his wife Louise ran into the way of a moving car during an arguement about the affair. Johnny felt bad for his employee Jenny Bradley who was treated badly by a number of the residents and they later ended up married despite Aidan's disapproval and Johnny breifly attempting to push her away when he learned he had MS. after Aidan's suicide Johnny became bitter, constantly making cruel remarks to Jenny and beginning an affair with Liz McDonald. Johnny even kidnapped his granddaughter Suzie from her mother Eva Price. Jenny supported Johnny through the problems with Suzie and Johnny started to be more supportive. Johnny was eventually able to make peace with Eva who allowed him access to Suzie.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Jenny Connor

Jenny Bradley was a teenager who was fostered by Rita. When her father Alan turned up on the scene Jenny was reluctant to give him a chance but Rita convinced her to do so. Jenny supported Alan when he went to prison for assaulting Rita and blamed her for his death. Jenny made peace with Rita after realising Alan was manipulating her to use her as a pawn against Rita. Jenny later left the area. when she came back to visit Rita, Rita realised she only wanted money and gave her some to get rid of her. Many years later she turned back up and dated her old friend Kevin Webster. Despite being distrusted by other street residents Kevin stood by Jenny. Jenny was secretly grieving for her son Tom and kidnapped Kevin's son Jack as a result. Kevin got Jack back from Jenny who was sent to get some help. When she again returned Kevin told her he didn't hold anything against her but couldn't risk having her back in Jack's life. Jenny got a job working for Johnny Connor who she later married.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


  • Lovable Alpha Bitch: Jenny has a very high opinion of herself and relishes in her status as landlady but is a loyal wife to Jenny, is friends with Gemma despite her dodgy past and even risked her life to save Jack Webster from a tram.
  • Tragic Villain: her abduction of Jack is inexcusable but she'd been driven mad by greif for her son.
  • Undying Loyalty: to Alan for a time when he turned her against Rita. Later to Johnny despite him treating her quite badly.

Number One Coronation Street

Ken Barlow

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Arch Enemy: Mike Baldwin, for literally decades, until his death a few years ago.
  • Cultural Rebel: Ken was the first in his family to attend University and has always aspired to somewhat more intellectual than his neighbors and family.
  • Honor Before Reason:
    • He lost his job in the newspaper when he refused to hide things from the community.
    • When he attacked Aidan Critchley, everyone in the room was willing to cover for him but he confessed to what he'd done anyway
  • Long Runner: Worth noting, as he is the only remaining original cast member, from the first episode (from 1960!), and has never left the show at any point.
  • Politically-Motivated Teacher: An ardent socialist, he enjoyed sharing his views with a captive audience or just anyone really.
  • Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Has had moments of this with all of his adult children. While somewhat justified (like when Tracy killed her boyfriend), his treating Peter (who is basically a well meaning chronic screw-up) and Lawrence (who had just met a few weeks ago!!) like this is an example of his frustration with his working class existence.
  • Your Cheating Heart: Frequently, his last affair was only a year ago and he has never been faithful to any of his wives. Although his most frequent wife Deirdre is not that much better having had several affairs herself.

Deirdre Barlow

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Tracy Barlow

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Amy Barlow

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Who's Your Daddy?: Initially thought to be the daughter of Roy Cropper. Tracy kept her true paternity to herself until she felt it was appropriate, the middle of Steve Macdonald's wedding to Karen.

Number Two Coronation Street (Audrey's Salon)

Audrey Roberts

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Maria Connor

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Kirk Sutherland

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Dumb Is Good: He is a very kind soul whatever else you can say about him.
  • Friend to All Living Things: Has said more than once he understands dogs better than people.
  • Too Dumb to Live: He's lucky the residents of the street are kind (particularly his ex Fizz and sister Maria) or he would have starved years ago.

Liam Connor

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number Three Coronation Street

Emily Bishop

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Granny Classic: Acts as this to most of the street despite never having children herself.

Norris Cole

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Mary Taylor (note, actually lives in a motorhome on the street)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number Four Coronation Street

Kevin Webster

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Sally Webster

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Rich Bitch: Often seen as this by the other factory girls. To be fair though, she is very snobbish and big-headed.
  • Ted Baxter

Rosie Webster

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Sophie Webster

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 5 Coronation Street

Fiona "Fiz" Stape (Nee Brown)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

John Stape

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Chesney Battersby-Brown

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 6 Coronation Street

Anna Windass

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 7 Coronation Street

Devander "Dev" Alahan

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Sunita Alahan

Aadi and Asha Alahan

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 8 Coronation Street

Gail Potter/Tilsley/Platt/Hillman/Macintyre

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Arch Enemy: Eileen Grimshaw.
  • Extreme Doormat: Her last husband was drug addict who stole from her repeatedly and drowned while trying to fake his own death, but she loved him anyway.
  • My Beloved Smother: Her boys never do anything wrong despite being two of the shows main antagonists for the past few years.
  • Parental Obliviousness

Nick Tilsley

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Momma's Boy: Recently turned 30, still lives at home and spends most of his time hanging out with his mom.
  • Smug Snake

David Platt

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Attention Whore: His main reason for doing anything.
  • Jerkass: Spent many years as this, now wavers between it and Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
  • Momma's Boy: Despite once shoving her down the stairs, he's the first person to run to her when there's trouble.
  • Smug Snake
  • The Sociopath: Was played this way for several years, but has disappeared over time as he's apparently "mellowed out".
  • The Unfavorite: Compared to high achiever Nick and teenage mother Sarah, he never got much attention and he never fails to remind his mother of that.
  • Troll: Possibly the only way to really describe his character, he simply likes getting a rise out of people, or stirring up trouble for other people.

Kylie Platt

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 9 Coronation Street

Tyrone Dobbs

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Tommy Duckworth

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Underworld

Carla Connor

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Julie Carp

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 10 Coronation Street/The Kabin

Rita Sullivan

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 11 Coronation Street

Eileen Grimshaw

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Arch Enemy: Gail Platt, for a number of years now, though it's cooled more recently as they has less to do with each other.
  • Butt Monkey: Even by soap standards, Eileen has a hard life.
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Mama Bear: God help you if you hurt one of her boys.
  • Stoic Woobie: Refused to cry in public even at her fathers funeral occasionally slides into Jerkass when she expresses affection through yelling.

Jason Grimshaw

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Brainless Beauty
  • Dumb Muscle: Most of the time, although Jason often shows flashes of insight that suggest he's more lazy than truly unintelligent.
  • The Unfavorite: To his smarter more sensitive brother Todd.

Sean Tully

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 12 Coronation Street

Currently[when?] under construction; owned by Jason Grimshaw

Number 13 Coronation Street

Lloyd Mullaney

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Expy: Many consider him an Expy of Craig Charles' other best known character, Dave Lister.
  • Token Minority: One of the streets first black regulars TPTB seemed to struggle with what to do with him other than have him date the shows only other black character. Although more recently, he has developed into storylines of his own.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Steve who he co-own the local cab firm with.

Cheryl Gray

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 14 Coronation Street

Izzie Armstrong

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Gary Windass

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Number 15 Coronation Street/ The Corner Shop

Tina Macintyre

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Graeme Proctor

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Xin Proctor

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Barlow's Bookies

Peter Barlow

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • The Alcoholic: Noteworthy on a show where most consume twice the British average amounts for alcohol and practically live in the pub. Peter is the only actual dry drunk, though by some measures most of the cast qualifies as functional alcoholics.
  • Children Raise You
  • I Am Not My Father: Comparisons to dad Ken are something of a Berserk Button.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold
  • Parental Abandonment: The main reason his relationship is strained is because his father shipped him and his twin sister of to their Scottish grandparents at the age of six following the death of their mother. To be fair though, it was how it was done in those days.
  • Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Circa 2003, he was "the most hated man in Britain" but one recovery from alcoholism and amazingly cute child later, his injury was a central part of the fiftieth anniversary special.

Leanne Barlow (nee Battersby)

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Simon Barlow

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Roy's Rolls

Roy Cropper

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Hayley Cropper

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Sylvia Cropper

A description of the character goes here.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

The Dead and the Departed

Mike Baldwin (played by Johnny Briggs)

Owned the factory over the road (among other things), for most of its existence starting as Balwin's casuals and then after it became Underworld. Mike was a tenacious self made man who got where he had by hard work and a lot of charm, not that he ever let anyone forget it. Mike always liked Deirdre and that turned into an affair in 1983 unfortunately Deirdre decided to stay married to Ken. Ken would never forgive Mike for the affair although Mike and Deirdre would remain friends until his death. A few years later, Mike would marry Ken's daughter Susan (at least partly to piss of Ken on both their parts) but his sexism (she wanted to work he wanted a housewife) would cost him the relationship Susan left him after telling him she aborted his baby. A few years later, he would meet Alma Sedgewick arguably the love of his life who he then dumped for a young blond tart. This would be a pattern for them and they would break up and get back together several times for much the same reason. In 2001, Peter Barlow revealed that Susan had lied and had actually had a son with Mike named Adam. Mike rivalry with Ken flared up again when Susan died and the two men fought for custody of Adam. As he was getting older, Mike decided to bring in a partner his nephew Danny Baldwin. It was revealed that Danny was actually Mike's son, however they never got much time together as Mike developed Alzhiemer's disease. Mike died outside the factory in the arms of Ken Barlow of a heart attack on the seventh of April 2006.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Alas Poor Villain: Despite all the trouble he caused for the street residents his final story of battling with Alzheimer's was portrayed sympathetically. In the last moments of his life Ken who had more reason to hate Mike than anyone was genuinely distraught by the state he saw Mike in.
  • Bad Boss: Mike was very tough on his staff. He deliberately downplayed one of his employees to another company so they'd be stuck working for him. He seemed to have a particular dislike for Kevin and delighted in getting him into trouble with the law by forcing him to take the fall for Steve after Steve crashed his jaguar.
  • Doting Parent: despite his bad qualities he did what he could for his sons Mark and Adam.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder :Mike was not very trustworthy. This was lampshaded in a 2002 story where he pulled a fast one on Fiz and the other girls said she brought it on herself by not being weary of him.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: He had a poor moral compass, conning many people and having Ashley sell dodgy goods for him when the business was doing poorly.
  • Pet The Dog:
    • In 1982 there was a story where Eddie Yeats repeatedly snuck into Mike's flat to convince his girlfriend he was rich. When Mike found out he was justifiably angry but when Eddie revealed his insecurity that there was nothing he could offer a woman Mike felt sorry for him and decided not to call the cops. He then agreed Eddie could use the flat one last time to explain things to his girlfriend.
    • After Janice's boyfriend Dennis died Mike went to her house to comfort her and allowed her as much time of as she needed.
  • Gold Digger: He married Jackie Ingram to get her factory and even signed a prenup without reading it so she would feel guilty about doubting him.

Adam Barlow(played by Iain de Caestecker, Sam Robertson)

Son of Susan and Mike Baldwin he lived with Grandad Ken for a while after leaving school. Last heard to be in Spain.

Daniel Barlow (played by Lewis Harney)

Youngest son of Ken Barlow currently lives with his mother. Mostly mentioned when Peter wants to make Ken feel guilty.

Susan Barlow (played by Katie Heanneau, Wendy Jane Walker, Suzy Patterson, Joanna Foster)

Ken oldest daughter and Peter's twin sister she famously married Mike Baldwin and had his son. Died in a car crash trying to run away from a custody fight with Mike. Mostly mentioned when Ken wants to manipulate Peter.

Valerie Barlow (played by Anne Reid)

Ken's long suffering first wife and mother of Susan and Peter. She kept house and home together while Ken was busy being involved in politics and getting involved with other women. Was the street first hairdresser and ran her own shop out of number 9. Died when faulty wiring on her hair dryer electrocuted her and started a fire in her home.

Jack Duckworth (played by Bill Tarmey)

Jack moved to the street in 1983 with his wife Vera and son Terry. Jack and Vera had a very rocky marriage and many arguments, often about Terry as Vera refused to see him for the scumbag he was. Jack was a rogue and always scheming but had a sense of empathy his son lacked. Jack disowned Terry completely after Terry sold his son Tommy to the in-laws. Jack came to see his lodger Tyrone Dobbs as more of a son than Terry ever was. Jack was devastated when Vera died and Tyrone helped him get through it. after learning he was ill Jack spent his final days performing acts of kindness for those around him before he passed away peacefully.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Doting Parent: To his grandkids. He was distraught when Terry took Tommy away from him and put in alot of time to look after his other grandson Brad. He was apparently fond of Terry when he was younger but over the years the love dissipated.
  • Good Is Not Soft: Jack was a genuinely kind person but uncompromising when it came to Terry and enjoyed making Alec's life hard.
  • Good Is Dumb Wasn't the smartest guy around but had everyone's best interests at heart.
  • Happily Married : Despite the bickering and constant arguing Jack loved Vera more than anything in the world. He took responsibility for miscalculating some money knowing he'd get endless agro from her to protect her from the truth of knowing their grandson Paul had stolen from them.
  • Lazy Bum: He did anything to get out of work and spent most of his work at the rovers drinking Alec's beer.
  • Like a Son to Me: Said this about both Curly and Tyrone.
  • Odd Friendship: Not exactly "friends" but he was fond of his son's girlfriend Tricia despite her loyalty to Terry and chequered past.
  • Papa Wolf: Even though he usually couldn't stand his son he stood by him when he was framed for attempted and risked imprisonment to protect Terry from law enforcement.
  • Took a Level In Kindness: He was fairly unsympathetic in his early years and was portrayed as living off handouts from his own son. Later on he was easily the most likable of the Duckworth clan, defending Gail when Vera launched a harassment campaign against her and showing compassion to Molly even after learning she cheated on Tyrone.
  • Your Cheating Heart: He frequently hopped into bed with other women in his early years in the show though Vera was not much better.
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