The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street in 2003, by order of first appearance.
| Coronation Street characters | |||||
| 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | |
| 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | |
| 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | |
| 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | |
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | |
| 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | |
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | |
| 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | |
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| 2010 | 2011 | ||||
Contents |
| Harry Flagg | |
|---|---|
| Coronation Street character | |
| Portrayed by | Iain Rogerson |
| First appearance | 13 January 2003 |
| Last appearance | 17 May 2004 |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Cleaner |
Harry Flagg was played by Iain Rogerson. Harry worked at Manchester Airport for over 20 years as a cleaner, including a long stint in the VIP suite. Having visited the Rovers Return and commented on how "unclean" it appeared, Harry agreed to clean it for a few pints of beer and £10. Having made such a good job of it, landlord Fred Elliott took him on full-time. Soon Harry became potman and cellarman. He also cleaned at Underworld for Mike Baldwin, saving businessman Preston King from a heart attack at one point. He clashed with Frankie Baldwin when her husband Danny took over as a shareholder in Underworld, she teased him and labeled him 'Half Mast' referring to his surname. Harry eventually left the street to drive around the sights of Europe. He offered Eileen Grimshaw the chance to come with him, but she declined. During his time on the street he told Janice Battersby, that he had lost his daughter to leukemia at 21.
| Brenda Ferns | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronation Street character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Julia Deakin | ||||||||
| Duration | 2003–04 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 9 March 2003 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 15 January 2004 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; recurring | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Home | Manchester | ||||||||
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Brenda Fearns was the mother of Neil Fearns, the school boy who got Sarah-Louise Platt pregnant at the age of 13, and fathered Bethany Platt. Brenda did not play any part in Bethany's life until her son died in a car accident in February 2003.
Brenda first appeared during Neil's funeral, where Sarah took Bethany so when she got older Sarah could give her information about her father. Brenda, who felt she had nothing left in the world, latched on to Bethany as she felt she was the only thing left of Neil and Sarah, who was estranged from her mother Gail at the time, was grateful for Brenda's help until she began to tell Bethany that Sarah would no longer love her when she gave birth to her and Todd Grimshaw's child which she was then pregnant with. Sarah was furious and refused to let Brenda see her grandduaghter which led to her to kidnapping Bethany from nursery and taking her onto the roof of a church where Brenda planned to commit suicide so she could be reunited with her son. Emily Bishop encouraged her not to go through with her threat and eventually she came to her senses. Brenda was last seen praying in the back of an ambulance.
| Bev Unwin | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronation Street character | |||||||
| Portrayed by | Susie Blake | ||||||
| Duration | 2003–06 | ||||||
| First appearance | 24 March 2003 | ||||||
| Last appearance | 22 December 2006 | ||||||
| Profile | |||||||
| Home | Peak District | ||||||
| Occupation | Previously a Barmaid at The Rovers |
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Beverley "Bev" Unwin was played by Susie Blake. Prior to her arrival on the Street, Bev had owned a pub with her husband, until he died. Bev has two daughters Shelley and Sharon Unwin, who dies in March 2003.
After her daughter's death, Bev moves into the Rovers Return, where she works as barmaid alongside her daughter Shelley who is pub manageress. While there she has a fling with barman Ciaran McCarthy and later briefly dates Charlie Stubbs before he begins a relationship with Shelley. Bev also spends some time working at The Weatherfield Arms. She gets engaged to Fred Elliott, and is due to marry him in early October 2006 but he dies on their wedding day before the ceremony whilst visiting Audrey Roberts.
Bev never gets over losing Fred before they married, and after controversially divided his ashes into two halves, presenting Fred's son Ashley Peacock with his share in an instant-gravy jar, she begins to hit the bottle, quite often helping herself to drinks at the bar of the Rovers. When the McDonalds buy the pub from Ashley, who had inherited it from Fred, she moves in with Claire and Ashley, but relationships are strained between them. Bev finally agrees to move away from Weatherfield and joins daughter Shelley at her pub in the Peak District. She moves during Christmas 2006, having scattered Fred's ashes with Ashley.
In May 2011, Deirdre Barlow went to visit Bev, when her absence is explained to Steve.
| Andy Morgan | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronation Street character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Steve Huison | ||||
| First appearance | 13 April 2003 | ||||
| Last appearance | 16 April 2003 | ||||
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Andy Morgan was one of the brothers of Tom Morgan, a criminal who shot and killed a man in a Sheffield pub where Angela Harris worked. She knew both the victim and the reputation of the Morgan family but gave evidence in court that helped to convict Tom. The Harrises then suffered a campaign of harassment and intimidation from the Morgan family and, in particular Andy and his third brother Nick which culminated in their home being set on fire one night and all their possessions burnt. The police put the Harris family on a witness protection programme and moved them to Weatherfield where, living at 6 Coronation Street, they assumed the surname of "Nelson".
Angela's daughter Katy found cutting off all ties with their previous life difficult and after a few months made contact with two former friends from Sheffield, Louise Crawley and Paul Evanson, with whom she went to an indie gig in Manchester. Although she enjoyed the night out, Katy was unaware that Andy had followed Louise and Paul from across the Pennines and, in turn, he then followed Katy home to Coronation Street. He rang his other brother Nick to say that he'd traced the family to where they were living and the two men made plans to exact their revenge on the Harrises. Carrying hand weapons and unsure of exactly which house their targets occupied they called at No. 13 and were told by Sally Webster where they could find Tommy and Angela who they claimed were their "old friends". Only Katy was at home when the Morgans forced their way in, telling her they would wait for the others to return and that a pub full of people in Sheffield was ready to give them an alibi at the time they would be murdering the Harris family. Katy had recently been diagnosed as being diabetic but the brothers prevented her from taking his insulin shot, realising that if Katy's death appeared to be of natural causes then it could not be blamed on them.
The family was saved when Sally told her husband Kevin about two strange men who had called at their house. He was one of the few residents who knew the "Nelson" family's secret, having threatened to sack Tommy from his garage when he saw that he had a wallet in the name of Harris and assumed he had stolen it. When Sally confirmed that the two men had a Yorkshire accent, Kevin went to check on the house and, unknowingly, came close to being shot by the panicking Morgan brothers within. Kevin returned home and called the police. Tommy, Angela and Craig returned home to find police officers outside and they called for back-up when the situation was explained in full to the Harrises. At that moment, Katy screamed for help and Tommy ran through the police and into the house where a shot rang out. Tommy had been shot in the arm and the Morgan brothers ran out of the back door where Nick was apprehended and disarmed. Andy got away but was tracked down and arrested a few days later.
This was actor Steve Huison's first role on the show. He returned five years later after being casted as series regular Eddie Windass in November 2008.
| Sonia Marshall | |
|---|---|
| Coronation Street character | |
| Portrayed by | Tina Gambe |
| First appearance | 16 June 2003 |
| Last appearance | 18 April 2005 |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Machinist |
Sonia Marshall was played by Tina Gambe. Sonia worked at Mike Baldwin's factory for two years from 2003 to 2005. She had a brief romance with resident Martin Platt, their relationship ended and she decided to become a Red Coat at a holiday camp and left the street for good. Her last episode aired on 18 April 2005.
| Penny King | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronation Street character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Pauline Fleming | ||||
| First appearance | 8 August 2003 | ||||
| Last appearance | 17 April 2006 | ||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Occupation | Clothing company owner | ||||
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Penny King is played by actress Pauline Fleming. She is the wife of local businessman Preston King, who often does business with factory owner Mike Baldwin. When Preston dies Penny develops a brief friendship with Fred Elliot, publican of the Rovers Return who takes a shine to her and proposes marriage but she turns him down. Penny and Mike become close and a relationship ensues which creates tensions between Mike and Fred. Mike's Alzheimer's creeps in and Mike kicks her out of his flat. Penny's final appearance is at Mike's funeral. Mike's grandson Jamie Baldwin works for her clothing company King's Robes up until late December 2006.
| Charlie Stubbs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronation Street character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Bill Ward | ||||
| Duration | 2003–07 | ||||
| First appearance | 10 November 2003 | ||||
| Last appearance | 15 January 2007 | ||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
| Book appearances | Coronation Street: The Complete Saga | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Date of birth | 17 November 1971 | ||||
| Date of death | 15 January 2007 | ||||
| Occupation | Builder | ||||
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Charles "Charlie" Stubbs was a builder. He arrived in November 2003 and was a series regular for four years until he was murdered in January 2007. Charlie was portrayed by Bill Ward.
Charlie Stubbs first appears along with another builder in 2003. He needs a parking space for his bulldozer, but Mike Baldwin refuses to move his car so that they can park. Charlie lifts Mike's Jaguar up with the bulldozer in response. Mike only just manages to save his car from being smashed.
Charlie's relationship with Rovers landlady Shelley Unwin is rocky. Although rarely hurts her physically, Charlie isolates Shelley from her family and friends. As part of a subtle campaign of psychological abuse, Charlie tells Shelley that he has heard Sunita Alahan, her best friend, insult her behind her back. One day, he walks into the Rovers back room just as Shelley is walking out and accidentally hits her with the door. She gets a black eye and Charlie asks her to stay out of sight until it heals, knowing people would think he has given the black eye but for different reasons. She agrees but becomes agoraphobic.
Initially thrilled that Shelley now depends on him for everything, he quickly becomes bored. Feeling bad about herself, she refuses to sleep with Charlie so he starts cheating on her. He kisses her colleague Violet Wilson even though he knows she is dating his employee, Jason Grimshaw. He also has sex with another woman in the back room of the Rovers Return Inn, and on his stag night. Shelley's mother Bev Unwin despises Charlie, despite having an affair with him herself. She knows that he is the one who destroyed their mother-daughter relationship and does her best to split them up.
Eventually, Charlie asks Shelley to marry him. She is over the moon and instantly agrees. The wedding takes place in September 2005, but Shelley stands up to Charlie at the altar and jilts him, much to the delight of many Weatherfield residents who are convinced he is abusing her. They split up and Charlie begins dating Tracy Barlow in December 2005. After a very short relationship, Charlie invites Tracy to move into his flat. However, he isn't impressed when she brings her daughter Amy with her. Charlie refuses to allow the toddler to live at the flat. Consequently, Tracy tells her parents, Ken and Deirdre that Amy would be living with them from now on.
However, Tracy plans to manipulate Charlie into allowing Amy to move in. She tells him she is pregnant, much to his horror. He gives Tracy money for an abortion, which she spends on shoes. Following her 'termination', Tracy claims that she needs her daughter so Charlie allows Amy to move in with them. Nevertheless, Charlie becomes suspicious and confronts Tracy, who confesses to her lie. Charlie doesn't end their relationship though, much to Tracy's surprise. Charlie takes his revenge by throwing away one of the shoes she bought with the money he gave her for the abortion and warns her never to cross him again.
Charlie makes an enemy of pensioner Keith Appleyard, who refuses to pay a roofing bill. In revenge, Charlie tears the tiles off from the roof. However, this is just the start of his plot. He meets Keith's landlord and makes an offer for the property, which is accepted. Charlie triumphantly evicts Keith from his home, forcing Keith to leave Weatherfield with his grandson, Craig. When Keith leaves Weatherfield, Charlie plans to renovate the property and then sell it. Girlfriend Tracy Barlow convinces him they should move in themselves and rent out the flat, to which he eventually agrees.
In summer 2006, as Shelley prepares to leave for a new life in Derbyshire, Charlie plans to sleep with her one last time to prove that he will always have a hold over her. He succeeds in doing so and gleefully informs Shelley of his motives following their one night stand. A guilty Shelley reveals the fling to Tracy, who slaps her once finding out. Charlie denies it, but Tracy doesn't believe him. However, at her leaving party, Shelley's mother, Bev, is heartbroken when she discovers the fling. In an attempt to calm her mother, Shelley lies it is a ploy to end his relationship with Tracy. On finding out, Tracy humiliates Shelley in front of a packed Rovers before reuniting with Charlie.
Shelley returns in September that year and reveals that she is pregnant. Charlie is the father and Tracy finds out, resulting in a huge fight between her and Shelley. A furious Charlie threatens Shelley, trying to make her have an abortion but Shelley refuses. She tells him he would know nothing about her child - he is surplus to requirements. Shelley leaves for good, leaving Tracy and Charlie's relationship in tatters. Tracy eventually forgives Charlie but warns him that if he ever cheats on her again, she would then make him suffer.
With his flat now empty, he lets the property to hairdresser Maria Sutherland and subsequently begins having an affair with her in August 2006. Charlie lies about the state of his and Tracy's relationship - lies which she naively believes. Charlie stages a burglary of Maria's flat in a bid to make her rely on him emotionally, but his control of the situation is lost when troublesome teenager David Platt, who is infatuated with Maria, discovers the affair. When David attempts to blackmail Charlie, he attempts to drown him in a bath of water, only for Maria to walk in and rescue David. Maria then ends the affair and tells Tracy the truth leading to a catfight on the Street between the two women.
Enraged that Charlie has betrayed her by having a fling with Maria and getting Shelley pregnant, Tracy begins plotting Charlie's downfall. In January 2007, Tracy murders Charlie by hitting him on the head with an iron statue. She lulls him into a false sense of security by giving him a lap-dance to the sounds of Oasis' 1994 single "Whatever", which features the line "I'm freeeeee, to be whatever I, whatever I like, if it's wrong or right, it's alright". She denies murdering him to the police and uses David Platt as a false witness to the fact she did not kill him. David, however, blackmails her, and she is eventually found guilty, and sentenced to life in 2007 for a minimum of 15 years but is released three years later in December 2010.
On 9 April 2007, it is revealed that Charlie Stubbs is the father of Holly Grimshaw. Eileen Grimshaw has been looking after her, believing her son Jason, is the father. Holly's mother, Emma, gives Eileen her baby on Christmas Day 2006, falsely believing Jason to be the father. Emma later reveals that Charlie gave a false name on the night of Holly's conception. Consequently, Emma delivers her baby to the Grimshaw residence, believing she is leaving her child with the father. However, after reading about Tracy's trial in the press, Emma realises her mistake and Holly is returned to her.
Although primarily remembered as a villain, Charlie did occasionally show a more good-natured side of his personality - most notably, when he risked his life to save Sunita Alahan by running into a burning building and rescuing her after she and Dev were held hostage by Maya Sharma, and then running out into the road to prevent Maya from running Dev over minutes later.
| Karl Foster | |
|---|---|
| Coronation Street character | |
| Portrayed by | Chris Finch |
| Duration | 2003-04 |
| First appearance | 24 December 2003 |
| Last appearance | 30 August 2004 |
| Classification | Former; regular |
| Profile | |
| Home | Manchester |
| Occupation | Nurse |
Karl Foster was an overly confident nurse who was the best friend of Katy Harris. He was openly homosexual. Karl was also good friends with current Corrie Street resident Sean Tully. He was the second gay character to ever appear in the long running soap. He was fun loving and arrogant, yet had a soft side for friends.
In 2004, he embarked on a gay relationship with fellow resident Todd Grimshaw. Their clandestine affair remained a secret until Todd revealed to his girlfriend Sarah Platt that he was gay and that, in fact, Karl and he had been seeing each other. Because Todd could not choose between Karl and Sarah, Karl ended his and Todd's relationship.
Following the revelation, Martin, Sarah's adoptive father attacked Karl in the hospital corridor, which was captured on CCTV and later replayed to Martin when he was in the frame for murdering neighbour Tommy Harris the following year. When Todd's newborn son Billy died, Karl returned to Coronation Street to visit Todd. It was his final appearance on the cobbles to date. According to Inside Soap in 2004, a petition with 10,000 signatures was launched to get Karl back in the show, but nothing ever materialised.
| Character | Date(s) | Episode(s) | Actor | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Draper | 31 March 19 December 15 September – 31 October 2008 26 January 2009 15 March 2010 10 January 2011 |
5473; 5650; 6905–6937; 6998; 7295; 7511 | Peter Foster[1] | A police sergeant at the local station. |
| Reverend Graham Broadbent | 11–20 July 25 December 2004 17 April 2006 9–20 October 2006 12–14 January 2009 14 February 2011 |
5541–5546; 5923; 6272–6273; 6397–6405; 6989–6990; 7535–7536 | Gerry Hinks | Local Weatherfield vicar. He first conducts the wedding of Peter Barlow to Shelley Unwin, and returns to marry Ashley Peacock to Claire Casey in 2004. In 2006, he conducts the funeral of Mike Baldwin in April, and appeared again at Fred Elliott's wedding to Bev Unwin, before overseeing Fred's funeral later in October. The reverend returns to marry Tyrone Dobbs and Molly Compton in 2009, and last appears to conduct Peter Barlow's marriage blessing to Leanne Barlow in 2011. |
| Registrar | 17 November 8 April 2005 14 August 2006 31 December 2007 28 September – 1 October 2009 8 April 2011 |
5628; 5999; 6358; 6721; 7172–7174; 7573–7574 | Blue Merrick | Registrar who officiates several marriages, beginning with Roy Cropper and Tracy Barlow in 2003. She returns to oversee the re-marriage of Ken Barlow to Deirdre Rachid in 2005, and again in 2006 for the failed wedding of Jason Grimshaw to Sarah-Louise Platt, which ended when the groom fled through the window of the toilets. In December 2007, she marries Liz McDonald and Vernon Tomlin, and returns in 2009 for the prison wedding of Fiz Brown to John Stape. The registrar makes her last appearance to date in April 2011 at the double wedding of David Platt and Kylie Turner, and Graeme Proctor and Xin Chiang. |