The following is a list of the original 21 regular characters from the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Series creator Tony Warren is heralded as the mastermind who devised each and every one of these characters, drawing inspiration from his own life growing up in the back streets of Manchester, where the series is set.[1]
Contents |
| Character | Actor | Duration | Character's Status | Actor's Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Barlow | Alan Rothwell | 1960–1961, 1963, 1964–1968 | died in car crash in 1970 | alive |
| Frank Barlow | Frank Pemberton | 1960–1964, 1967, 1971 | off-screen death in 1975 | deceased |
| Ida Barlow | Noel Dyson | 1960–1961 | died after being knocked down by a bus in 1961 | deceased |
| Ken Barlow | William Roache | 1960–present | alive | regular cast member |
| Minnie Caldwell | Margot Bryant | 1960–1976 | died off-screen in the late-1980s | deceased |
| Ivan Cheveski | Ernst Walder | 1960–1961, 1962–1963, 1966, 1967 | unknown | alive |
| Linda Cheveski | Anne Cunningham | 1960–1961, 1962–1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1984 | unknown | alive |
| Christine Hardman | Christine Hargreaves | 1960–1961, 1962–1963 | off-screen death from liver failure in mid 1980s | deceased |
| Esther Hayes | Daphne Oxenford | 1960–1961, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972 | unknown | alive |
| Harry Hewitt | Ivan Beavis | 1960–1964, 1965, 1967 | died from van jack accident in 1967 | deceased |
| Lucille Hewitt | Jennifer Moss | 1960–1961, 1962–1969, 1970–1974 | unknown | deceased |
| Florrie Lindley | Betty Alberge | 1960–1965 | off-screen death in 1991 | deceased |
| Martha Longhurst | Lynne Carol | 1960–1964 | died from heart attack in 1964 | deceased |
| Concepta Riley | Doreen Keogh | 1960–1964, 1967, 1972, 1975 | unknown | alive |
| Ena Sharples | Violet Carson | 1960–1974, 1975–1977, 1978–1980 | off-screen death between 1980-89 | deceased |
| Leonard Swindley | Arthur Lowe | 1960–1961, 1962–1965 | unknown | deceased |
| Dennis Tanner | Philip Lowrie | 1960–1962, 1963–1968, 2011–present | alive | regular cast member |
| Elsie Tanner | Patricia Phoenix | 1960–1973, 1976–1984 | off-screen car crash over cliff in 2004 | deceased |
| Albert Tatlock | Jack Howarth | 1960–1984 | off-screen death from natural causes in 1984 | deceased |
| Annie Walker | Doris Speed | 1960–1983 | off-screen death between 1983-95 | deceased |
| Jack Walker | Arthur Leslie | 1960–1970 | off-screen death from heart attack in 1970 | deceased |
Of the original cast, few survived the sixties. The first to quit was Alan Rothwell, who played aspiring footballer David Barlow, although he later returned for a further four-year stint in 1964. Following his exit, Noel Dyson, who played Ida Barlow, declined a new contract and became the first regular character to die, with Ida meeting her maker under the wheels of a bus in September 1961.
In late 1961, when the show was now fully networked and at the height of its popularity, a handful of cast members were forced to leave the show due to a strike of the actors' union Equity. These included the Cheveskis, Christine, Esther, Lucille, Mr Swindley and later Dennis Tanner. The rest of the cast were safe due to having previously signed two-year contracts, a rarity in television at the time. The long break caused actors Philip Lowrie and Anne Cunningham to decline new contracts six months later once the strike was over, though Lowrie later made a full-time return a year later.
The biggest change to hit the cast occurred in 1964 when Tim Aspinall, a young twenty-something bursting with ideas, was named as the new producer. Within days, he axed several fan favourites including Frank, Harry, Concepta and most controversially, Martha Longhurst. It was later reported that ITV bosses had stepped in for the first time in order to save Ken, his wife Valerie and Lucille Hewitt from the chop. Rovers' cleaner Martha was a particular favourite with viewers, who enjoyed her friendship with Ena Sharples and Minnie Caldwell, affectionately known as 'the snug trio' due to their many scenes sat in the snug of the Rovers Return gossiping about the locals. Martha's death caused outrage with the public, so much so that actress Violet Carson, who played Ena, almost refused to take part in Martha's final scene.
Aspinall was sacked later that year, but not before Betty Alberge was given her marching orders and her final scenes as shopkeeper Florrie Lindley aired in June 1965. Weeks before, Arthur Lowe also made his final appearance. He later reprised his role of Leonard Swindley in two spin-off comedy series Pardon The Expression and Turn Out The Lights, which featured several future and, strangely, former stars of the street in different roles. Original cast member Christine Hargreaves appeared briefly in one episode as a character named Dawn.
Coronation Street lost its original teenagers Dennis and David for the final time in 1968, and the cast and crew were shocked in 1970 by the sudden death of one of their own, as Arthur Leslie had a fatal heart attack. As friends, family and fans mourned, his character, pub landlord Jack Walker, suffered the same fate weeks later when he was quietly written out of the show.
Producers were devastated in 1973 when Pat Phoenix handed in her resignation after thirteen years playing tart-with-a-heart Elsie Tanner, becoming increasingly tired of the role. Elsie left the Street later that year with husband Alan Howard, played by Phoenix's real-life husband Alan Browning. A year later, another original departed as actress Jennifer Moss' drug abuse forced producers to axe the character of Lucille Hewitt. 1976 saw Elsie return to the Street for another eight-year stint, while the show lost another of its stars in the form of Minnie Caldwell. Elderly actress Margot Bryant suffered with memory loss and couldn't continue in the role, so it was decided that Minnie would move away. Due to her own advancing age, Violet Carson's appearances also became increasingly sparse in the late 1970s, leading to a low-key exit in 1980.
By the time of the programme's twentieth anniversary in December 1980, only four remained - Elsie, Ken, Annie and Albert. The original landlady Annie Walker abruptly left in 1983, with Elsie departing for the final time only a couples of months later in early 1984. Grumpy war veteran Albert Tatlock was also written out in 1984 following the death of actor Jack Howarth, making William Roache the sole surviving member of the original cast having played Ken Barlow since day one.
Since Anne Cunningham ended her short return stint as Linda Cheveski in 1984, Ken has been the only original cast member still on the Street and along with the show itself, celebrated fifty years on television in December 2010.[2] In January 2011, it was announced Philip Lowrie would be reprising his role as Dennis Tanner after a 43-year absence. He will return in the spring, meaning Ken will be joined by another original cast member on the Street for the first time since Cunningham departed 27 years previous.[3]