Coronation Street

Coronation Street is Britain's longest-running television soap opera, and the UK's consistently highest-rated show. It was created by Tony Warren and first broadcast on the ITV network on Friday December 9, 1960. The working title of the show was Florizel Street, but Agnes, a tea lady at Granada Television, Manchester, (where Coronation Street is produced) remarked that "Florizel" sounded too much like a disinfectant. Jubilee Street was another option considered.

Long-established characters

• Ken Barlow (William Roache) is the only character who has been on the Street since the first episode. His family left one by one: his mother died under the wheels of a bus, his father married a younger woman and left town, and his brother died with his young son in a car accident. He has married three times: to Valerie Tatlock (who died when she was electrocuted by her own hairdryer), Janet Reid (who divorced him and later committed suicide when he wouldn't take her back), and Deirdre Hunt Langton (who cheated on him, begged him to reconcile, then divorced him when he cheated on her). Ken and Deirdre have since remarried.
• Emily Bishop (formerly Emily Nugent, played by Eileen Derbyshire), who joined the cast in the 1960s as a young woman, working at Gamma Garments. She jilted lay preacher Leonard Swindley in 1964, and stayed a virgin until her 37th year, when she made love with her Hungarian revolutionary boyfriend. She finally married in 1972 Ernest Bishop, and had to cope with his murder in 1978. Emily is now a widow in her seventies, a neighbourhood stalwart respected and liked by all, and the Street's only character to be heavily involved in the religious community. In January 2003, she was badly injured after being hit over the head by Richard Hillman (who minutes later killed Maxine Peacock) but made a full recovery and returned home.
• Ray Langton (Neville Buswell), first husband of Deirdre Barlow and father of Tracy Barlow. He first appeared in 1966 and was a Street mainstay in the 1970s until he became a wandering husband who left the Street on 15 November 1978. He reappeared in Viva Las Vegas as a now-gay barman, and then reappeared in the Street itself when he nearly crashed into Tracy and his grand-daughter on 2 March 2005. He died at Deirdre and Ken's wedding reception on 8 April 2005.
• Betty Williams, (formerly Betty Turpin, played by Betty Driver), was a policeman's wife first brought to the Street as convenient help for her sister Maggie Clegg (Irene Sutcliffe). Since then, she got a job pulling pints at the Rovers and has been a bartender there for over 35 years.
• Rita Sullivan (formerly Rita Littlewood/Fairclough, played by Barbara Knox), one-time nightclub singer, twice-widowed owner of a small newsagent's shop, whose role often is to play the 'straight' part of a comedy double act, the other being the invariably odd-ball co-worker, Mavis or, most recently, Norris.
• Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs), London-born businessman who ran the Baldwin's Casuals jeanswear factory before selling to a property developer, who built the houses in which many characters now live. He then established an underwear business further up the street, called Underworld. Married four times — to Susan Barlow, Jackie Ingram and Alma Sedgewick, all of whom divorced him; and Linda Sykes, from whom he is estranged. Has two sons — Mark Redman (from an affair with florist Maggie Redman in the early 80s) and Adam Baldwin (by first wife Susan, though Mike always believed Susan had aborted the baby).
• Deirdre Barlow (formerly Deirdre Hunt/Langton/Rachid, played by Anne Kirkbride) third and current wife of Ken Barlow. Her first husband Ray Langton left her. Ken Barlow was her second. Her third husband, Samir Rachid, died in mysterious circumstances while on his way to donate a kidney to Deirdre's daughter Tracy (he died, so she got both kidneys). Deirdre and Ken reconciled after being divorced for over a decade, and remarried in 2005.
• Gail Platt (formerly Gail Potter/Tilsley/Hillman, played by Helen Worth), thrice-married, twice-divorced and twice-widowed (she remarried her first husband, who was later killed) forty-something who came into the series as a teenage girl in the 1970s, whose third husband, Richard Hillman, was a serial killer. Her oldest son Nicholas (born 1980, played by Adam Rickitt) was involved in several major storylines, including a gay kiss with Todd Grimshaw and a marriage at the age of 17 to Leanne Battersby. Gail's second child and only daughter, Sarah (born 1987), became pregnant at the age of 13. Gail's second son and youngest child, David (born 1990), has been involved in only one major storyline - he was abducted and nearly drowned along with three other family members by step-father Richard Hillman in March 2003. Gail, David, Sarah and Bethany were saved but Richard drowned and his body was recovered hours later from the canal into which he had driven the family car.
• Audrey Roberts (formerly Audrey Potter, played by Sue Nicholls), widow of former Weatherfield mayor Alf Roberts, owner of the local hair salon, mother of Gail and near-victim of Richard Hillman;
• Vera and Jack Duckworth (Liz Dawn and William Tarmey) — the street's most legendary comedy duo, the perennial losers, with a villain son who returns to visit and rip them off occasionally. Having inherited a large sum, they lost it to Richard Hillman. Vera initially appeared without Jack, who was mentioned for two years before appearing onscreen.
• Kevin and Sally Webster (Michael Le Vell and Sally Whittaker), a hard-working garage mechanic and his pushy, ambitious wife. The couple has had many marital troubles, including Kevin's affair with Alison Wakefield (who he married after filing for divorce: Alison died less than a year after they tied the knot). Currently, Kevin and Sally are remarried. Sally has just ended an affair with her boss, which indirectly led to the murder of Tommy Harris, and will lead to further repercussions later.
• Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), a nurse who joined the show as a 20-year-old in 1985 and entered into a relationship with Gail Tilsley, 14 years his senior. They married in 1991 and had a son, David. Martin adopted Nick and Sarah Louise, Gail's children from a previous marriage. They split up after he had affairs with Cathy Power in 1994 and with Rebecca Hopkins in 1999-2000. He eventually fell in love again with Katy Harris, which was controversial for all parties involved due to their two-decade age difference. Katy eventually committed suicide.
• Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), the only member of the McDonald family (parents Jim and Liz, twin brother Andy) to have remained constantly on the Street since their arrival in the autumn of 1989, although his mother Liz has now returned. Steve is an ex-rogue, now running a taxi business. First married to heiress Victoria Arden, then the devoted but demanding Karen Phillips (Suranne Jones), whom he threw out at the end of 2004. He has a daughter called Amy by Tracy Barlow, daughter of Deirdre. In September 2000, Steve was badly injured in a fight with Jez Quigley. Jez was later beaten to death by Steve's father Jim who subsequently received an eight-year prison sentence for manslaughter.
• Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh), who joined the Street in 1998 as Hayley Patterson. She joined the show as a pre-op transsexual. She is now 'married' to café owner Roy Cropper. Though accepted by most of the characters as a woman, occasionally comments about her past arise - such as when the Rovers Return ladies bowls team got disqualified (though that humorously turned out to be not because she is a transsexual, and the captain of the opposing team turned out to be a transsexual too).