| Steve McDonald | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Gregson as Steve in 2011 | |||||||||||||||
| Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Simon Gregson | ||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Mervyn Watson | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1989— | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 6 December 1989 | ||||||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||
| Book appearances | Coronation Street: The Complete Saga Fifty Years of Coronation Street |
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| Profile | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 June 1974 | ||||||||||||||
| Home | The Rovers Return | ||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Businessman (since 2000) Taxi driver (since 2000) Barman (since 2006) |
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Steven James "Steve" McDonald, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Simon Gregson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 December 1989.[1]
Contents |
Steve arrived in Coronation Street at the age of 15 in October 1989, with twin brother Andy and parents Jim and Liz McDonald. From the start, the lads were high-energy tearaways initially causing aggravation for Alf Roberts. Steve and Andy got up to a lot of mischief, including a joyride in an industrial earth mover, breaking Alf's shop window. The lads were brought up mainly by their mother because their father Jim was in the army and away more than he was home. When he was home, the hot tempered Jim, whose tirades were often fuelled by whiskey and beer, had boys fearing and resenting him. Steve grew up with little respect for his father but a great deal for his mother. It didn't stop him from getting into scrapes, no matter how much it worried his mother. Schoolboy pranks turned into illegal activities when Steve was sure he could pull off a scam or two only to find out that the long arm of the law was only a few steps away. Steve was caught selling stolen car radios, and falling into a bad lot which got his brother, Andy, beaten up. Steve ran away with a teenage love to the Lake District and had to be retrieved and defended against Jim by his mother. The McDonalds didn't have a lot of money and this seemed to fuel Steve's ambitions, always looking for a way to make money.
Steve started working with Jim in a building business but Jim was drinking a lot and during an argument and scuffle on scaffolding, Jim fell into a skip and was paralyzed for a time. After Jim's recovery, things started to improve between father and son. They seemed to come to an acceptance of each other.
Steve was married to Karen McDonald (twice). During his separation from Karen in 2003, he had a one-night stand with Tracy Barlow, consequently making her pregnant. Tracy gave birth to their daughter Amy Barlow, though she initially was named Patience by Roy Cropper when he was deceived into believing Amy was his daughter. Tracy later decided she wanted to bring up her daughter herself, and revealed that Steve was the baby's father on Steve and Karen's second wedding day. Karen was horrified but later forgave him. Tracy was persistent in causing disruption for Steve and Karen which lasted from February 2004 to December 2004, until Steve finished his relationship with Karen on Christmas Day, admitting it was getting too much for him. In March 2005 he began dating single mum Louise Hazel but the dalliance soon fizzled out partly due to Tracy's presence on the Street. For a brief period shortly after, he dated Tracy, but his intentions were to try and secure his name as the father on Amy's birth certificate, not because he had feelings for Tracy. Tracy became aware of Steve's scheme, and attempted to prevent Steve access to Amy. The case was taken to court, where Steve was granted legal rights to see his daughter.
In 2005, he started dating Street Cars employee Ronnie Clayton (Emma Stansfield), a local gangster's estranged wife. In 2006, she tried to frame him when she accidentally ran down a pensioner in her taxi, but she was eventually caught. Steve's alibi for the crime was that he spent the night with his new business partner Lloyd's girlfriend Kelly Crabtree (Tupele Dorgu). This led to the temporary closure of Street Cars, when Lloyd refused to work with Steve. Lloyd eventually decided to forgive Steve for his deception, and they were able to re-open the business. Later that year, Steve bought the Rovers Return pub from Fred Elliott (John Savident) and installed his mother Liz Tomlin as landlady and stepfather Vernon as cellarman. In 2007 Steve took Amy after Tracy was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the murder of her boyfriend Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward).
After proposing to Becky Granger (Katherine Kelly) in February 2009, he organises a quick wedding for Friday, 13 March. Many people disapprove of them marrying because Becky had been engaged to Jason, just before she accepted Steve's proposal. Steve bans Liz and Lloyd from the wedding after they bet on whether the ceremony would go ahead. In the end, Becky turns up late for the ceremony drunk, rendering her unable to carry out the nuptials. Steve then brings her home in disgrace. The following day, Becky wakes up and believing that she has been married, hunts for her ring, however, Michelle, reveals all in the pub. she later leaves Steve after admitting that it would never work. They later reconcile, and begin plans for another wedding.
In August 2009, Steve and Becky have their second wedding. The ceremony goes without a glitch, however, their happiness is short lived when The Rovers is searched for drugs, which are found in Becky's bag, having been planted by Becky's ex Slug (Marshall Lancaster). She is arrested and taken to the police cells, however, the charges are later dropped. In November 2009, Steve reveals that he wants another child with Becky, however, she doesn't want any children of her own. This leads to various arguments between the pair. Becky later falls pregnant, leaving the couple without much choice in the matter. She later suffers a miscarriage. After a second miscarriage in March 2010, Steve and Becky discover that Becky cannot have children. They later decide to adopt. In May 2010, Becky and Steve's ex girlfriend Tracy fight at Blanche's funeral because Becky has become very close to Amy (Elle Mulvaney).
At an adoption panel meeting in August 2010, Steve and Becky are told that they have been unsuccessful in their bid to adopt, following a bad reference from Becky's half-sister Kylie Turner (Paula Lane). Steve is not impressed when Becky moves Kylie into the pub to live with them as she has nowhere else to go. On Christmas Eve, Steve and Becky were not happy when Tracy Barlow returned. When she entered the Rovers, she managed to insult people and Steve had to reprimand Gail Platt (Helen Worth) for starting a fight involving Tracy and Gail in which Steve had to restrain Gail. On Christmas Day Steve very nearly had to remind Gail, although it was OK as Tracy and Gail called a truce. Amy revealed to Tracy that Steve and Becky had bought Max, Kylie's son. This gave Tracy cause to literally pick Amy up and take her back to No.1 where she said that she was going to ring social services for buying Max.
In June 2011, Steve hires a new manager for the pub, Stella Price (Michelle Collins) who moves in there with her daughter Eva (Catherine Tyldesley) and her boyfriend Karl Munro (John Michie). Becky discovers this and is annoyed and goes round the pub to take charge and plays loud music and a fight breaks out resulting in the pub window being smashed. Steve returns and is furious to discover what Becky has done and tells her she does not own the pub anymore.
Simon Gregson began his time in Coronation Street at the age of fifteen in 1989, when he and Nicholas Cochrane were selected to play the teenage twin sons of a new family in The Street. Whilst filming with the soap opera filmed a guest appearance for the comedy series Red Dwarf, alongside fellow actor Craig Charles (who plays the lead character in the comedy).[2]
Steve McDonald has proven to be one of the most popular characters on the Street in recent years due to high profile storylines such as his dodgy dealings with Jez Quigley and his explosive relationships with Karen McDonald and Tracy Barlow. At the 2004 Inside Soap Awards, the Tracy/Steve baby secret won the 'Best Storyline' gong.[3] The presence of the McDonald family on Coronation Street and Steve in particular have been singled out for praise.[4] In a 2008 interview with The Sun, Simon Gregson expressed his delight with the character's "bad-boy" image, saying that the producers were of the same opinion.[5] Critic Tony Stewart praised the episodes in which Steve discovered that Lloyd and Liz were having a fling, calling it "pure comedy gold, full of wicked laugh-out-loud one-liners..."[6] Ian Wylie has been very impressed with Simon Gregson's performance as Steve saying, "his on screen performance remains as fresh as the day he started".[7]
Over the years, storylines involving Steve McDonald have received some negative backlash. In 2002, the Broadcasting Standards Commission criticised Coronation Street for being "unacceptably menacing" in regard to the hospital scene where Steve was threatened by Jez Quigley, broadcast two years previously. A spokeswoman for the soap defended the controversial storyline saying; "We are a realistic drama and we did flag up the fact there was going to be violence in the Steve McDonald episode. We are mindful that Coronation Street has a large family audience and endeavour to appeal to young and old at all times."[8] In 2008, a leading policeman blamed Coronation Street for glamorising drink driving. He pointed out that Street's cab driver McDonald was regularly seen drinking in the Rovers Return - setting a bad example to drivers.[9]
In February 2009, Steve McDonald was voted the nation's favourite soap character in a poll conducted by The People newspaper. Talking about the victory Gregson stated; "Oh my God, I am chuffed. I'm delighted people enjoy watching Steve and the scrapes he gets into. And I'm pleased people like to watch him as much as I love playing him."[10]
Gregson was nominated in the category of "Best Actor" at the 2011 British Soap Awards.[11]