| Simon Barlow | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Alex Bain as Simon Barlow. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Jake Hartley (2003) Oscar Hartley (2003) Alex Bain (2008—) |
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| Introduced by | Kieran Roberts (2003) Kim Crowther (2008) |
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| Duration | 2003, 2008— | ||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 6 July 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 July 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Home | 9a Rosamund Street | ||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Student | ||||||||||||||||||
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Simon Barlow (né Richards) is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and has been played by Alex Bain since 2008. The character was played by twins Jake and Oscar Hartley on his birth in 2003.
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The character of Simon was re-intoduced in Late 2008 when his on-screen father Peter (Chris Gascoyne) also returned to the soap. Peter had been given custody of his son after his mother Lucy (Katy Carmichael) was diagnosed with terminal cancer.[1] Both characters' returns saw them slowly develop a father-son relationship.
Simon was born in July 2003 to Lucy Richards, who didn't want his father Peter to be involved with him because he was a bigamist. Lucy tricked Peter into thinking they had a future together, but in front of the pub regulars she announced she was moving to Australia with Simon. Peter resigned himself to the fact that he would never know his son, and left the Street soon after.
Peter was later given custody of Simon when Lucy died of cancer in 2008. The two moved in with Peter's father, Ken (William Roache) and his wife Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride) on their return to the Street. Peter was at first reluctant to take an active role in raising his son, but changed his mind when he found out that Lucy had left him everything in her will on condition that he raised Simon. Peter then purchased the local bookmaker's shop, and moved into the flat with Simon. Soon after starting school, Peter upset Simon when he arrived drunk at his Nativity play and began a row with the teaching staff. This resulted in Simon staying with his grandparent, but moved back in with Peter when he agreed to stop drinking for Simon's sake. In March 2009, however, Peter fell asleep drunk with a lit cigarette in his hand and a fire subsequently began in the flat. Luke Strong (Craig Kelly) and Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien) managed to break the door down after being alerted by Deirdre, whom Simon rang before he fell unconscious from smoke inhalation. Peter and Simon were rushed into hospital. The two made a full recovery, however, and Peter vowed once more to give up alcohol.
When his grandfather George Wilson (Anthony Valentine) took him there for a short holiday in Blackpool in March 2010, Simon ran away after hearing George tell his wife that he intended to keep the boy rather than return him to his father. Simon safely arrived home in Weatherfield when he turned up at Peter's front door, stating that he travelled home by his own means from Blackpool because he didn't want to be taken away from his dad.
In August 2010, Simon accidentally knocked Aadi Alahan (Zennon Ditchett) resulting in him hitting his head against a table. Simon didn't tell anyone and felt particularly guilty over the incident while Aadi's parents Dev (Jimmi Harkishin) and Sunita (Shobna Gulati) accuse childminder Claire Peacock (Julia Haworth) of being negligent. This caused Simon to reveal the truth about Aadi's injury to Peter after he questioned him about his erratic behaviour. Simon explained that was reluctant to tell the truth because he was frightened of being in trouble. Peter told Dev and Sunita that Simon was responsible for Aadi's injury, thereby clearing Claire's name.
In December 2010, he was in No.13 when the Joinery bar exploded and sent rubble flying, causing it to collapse and bring down part of the viaduct. This in turn brought an empty tram off the viaduct, causing the front carriage to smash into the Corner Shop, whilst the back carriage smashed into the Kabin: the results of the destruction also brought down a power line (plunging the street into darkness in the process), destroyed the post box and set No.13 on fire. Simon was upstairs and couldn't be found, until Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) found him and brought him out alive. He is devastated to find his father on his death-bed (he had been pulled out the wreckage of the Joinery), but relieved when he pulls through. However, his severe injuries left Peter unable to walk and would have to relearn.
In February, he is thrilled when Peter and Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) renew their vows (their first wedding was the night of the tram crash, on Peter's death-bed) and the three go on honeymoon. They return in late March.
In June, Simon meets new Rovers manager Stella Price (Michelle Collins) and her boyfriend Karl Munro. However, Stella is revealed to be Leanne's mother at Leanne's 30th birthday. Simon is impressed and Stella later gets him a Nintendo DS game for his 8th birthday.
An article discussing young child actors published to The Guardian claimed that Alex Bain's performance as a child actor in the role of Simon "seems to be the nations favourite". It also described the character as "undeniably cute" and "wise beyond his years", with "great onscreen chemisty with his dad". The author opined that his father Peter's breakup with Leanne would have been "much more tedious" without Simon's performance.[2] The same article pointed out that Simon "has learned to be resourceful...he has survived a fire, a kidnapping, and has gone missing in Blackpool – from where he managed to make his way back to Weatherfield." It also stated that when Simon "joined forces" with Joshua Peacock, they made "a formidable team."[2]
When the character of Simon ran away whilst in Blackpool and later returned on his own to his father Peter's doorstep, he said "Ah've been on two trains and a bendy bus...Nightmare. Don't suppose there's any chocolate milk going?". An article published to The Independent opined that it was "a line that sums up the sweet-and-sour storylines that have kept Coronation Street going for nigh on half a century: 50 years of chocolate milk and nightmares".[3]
Alex Bain won the "Best Young Performance" award in the British Soap Awards 2011 for his portrayal of Simon.[4]