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James "Jim" McDonald, known for his violent nature and his passionate love for Liz McDonald (Elizabeth Jane Greenwood), was a fictional character in the soap opera Coronation Street who has appeared on and off since 1989, played by Charles Lawson.He made his first appearance on 27 October 1989, with Liz (his wife of 15 years) and his 15-year-old twin sons Steve and Andy. Jim, from Northern Ireland, had been in the army for more than a decade prior to his arrival in Weatherfield. He then found work as a security guard but left after a violent encounter with two intruders led to him feeling concerned that he could kill someone if such a situation arose again.Jim's next job was as a mechanic. After failing to succeed at running his own garage, Jim got a job working with Kevin Webster at MVB Motors. Jim suffered a tragedy in January 1992 on the death of his one-day-old daughter Katie. He split from Liz a short time afterwards after she berated him for fighting Steve during an argument. Liz went to manage a nearby pub for a short time but they were soon back together.Their marriage hit new depths in 1996 when he battered her at a service station after she admitted to have an affair with one of his former army colleagues. Jim was arrested shortly afterwards for trying to break into their house by using a Snooker cue to smash the windows, and after further breaches of a restraining order placed upon him, he spent several weeks in prison for burglary.Jim was badly injured after Steve pushed him from scaffolding on a building site in 1998, and had to undergo physiotherapy to regain his ability to walk. Jim then caught Liz in bed with his physiotherapist and threw her out famously quoting in his strong northern Irish accent "Get out. Just get out Liz you slapper. Sleeping with my physiotherapist"; and they were soon divorced.In September 2000, Steve was badly beaten by local villain Jez Quigley. Jim gained revenge by beating Jez in his own home, and Jez later dropped dead in hospital from a ruptured spleen. Jim gave himself up to the police and was sent to prison to await trial. He re-married Liz on 30 November 2000, and was later sentenced to eight years in prison. In 2003, three years into his sentence and a year before his scheduled release on licence, Jim broke out of prison after fearing that Liz was having an affair with her manager at a pub in Blackpool. They tried to flee to Ireland, but stopped to rescue Ashley and Claire who were adrift in a boat. Jim was soon recaptured and returned to prison. Shortly after his return, Jim battered another cellmate. His parole licence was cancelled as a result and he was ordered to remain in prison until the end of his sentence in September 2008. By this stage, Liz had divorced him once again. Jim returned to the Street in November 2007, after being released early from prison for good behaviour.[1]On his return to the street, Jim seemed to everyone to have changed for the better - a reformed character, teetotal, and friendly to all. His son Steve gave him a job at the cab firm, valeting the cars, and let him see his granddaughter Amy. But Jim had thoughts deep down about his ex-wife's upcoming marriage to Vernon Tomlin, and in the end it got the better of him. On the day of Liz and Vernon's marriage, Jim gave Vernon a severe beating, even hitting Dev Alahan and Vernon's best man Bob in the process. Son Steve broke up the fight, and in no uncertain terms told his father he was no longer welcome on the street. He made his last appearance in January 2008.
