List of Coronation Street characters (2009)

The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street in 2009, by order of first appearance.

Martha Fraser

Martha Fraser
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Stephanie Beacham
Duration	2009
First appearance	26 January 2009
Last appearance	4 May 2009
Profile
Occupation	Actress
Family Husband Gordon Fraser (until 2002)

Martha Fraser is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She is portrayed by Stephanie Beacham. Her first appearance was 26 January 2009.^[1] Beacham described her character as living a very solitary and lonely life. A set was built specially for Beacham's scenes, which meant, to her regret, she didn't get to appear in the Rovers.^[2]

Ken Barlow (William Roache) is walking his dog, Eccles, near the canal when the dog chases after some ducks and falls into the freezing water. As Ken tries to get Eccles out, Martha extends a fishing net from her boat and manages to save her. Martha offers Ken and Eccles a place to warm up, and Ken gratefully accepts.

Martha and Ken bond quickly over their shared love for literature. She tells him she has been living on a boat for seven years, ever since she split from her philandering husband. Ken confides in her about his troubled son, Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne). When Martha asks about Valerie Barlow (Anne Reid), Peter's mother, Ken tells her she is dead. Martha assumes that Ken is a widower, and Ken keeps quiet about his marriage to Deirdre.^[3] Ken visits her again several days later, and learns that she is now starring in a local production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

In March 2009, Martha and Ken finally kiss. Ken tells Martha that he is married on 2 April 2009. She is devastated and tells him to leave. However, he keeps pestering her to admit that she has feelings for him as he tells her that he is in love with her. Despite this, she isn't interested, especially when she discovers that Deirdre didn't know about their affair. Their relationship is discovered by Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls), after her ex-partner Ted Page (Michael Byrne), who had known about the affair, is forced to admit it. Audrey tells Ken's son Peter.

On 1 May 2009, Ken visits Martha again, where she tells him that she loves him too and they sleep together. As Ken is leaving, she tells him that she will soon be moving as she is working on a new play, and asks him to go with her. On 4 May, Martha is delighted when Ken arrives with a suitcase, saying that he is ready to join her. As she sails away, she looks back and sees Ken standing on the bridge; he changed his mind at the last minute.

She is still frequently mentioned, most often by Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), clearly illustrating just how much her affair with Ken has stained their marriage. She was most recently spoken of when Ken discovered that Deirdre had kissed Lewis Archer (Nigel Havers) and refused to talk to her, to which Deirdre reminded him that what she'd done was nowhere near as bad as what he'd done with Martha. They quickly made up.

Sian Powers

Ben Richardson

Ben Richardson
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Lucien Laviscount
First appearance	2 February 2009
Last appearance	21 December 2009
Profile
Occupation	Student
Family Father Mr. Richardson Mother Carly Richardson Sisters Mary Ellen Richardson

Ben Richardson, played by Lucien Laviscount, first appeared on 2 February 2009. Ben was added to the cast of Coronation Street with Sian (Sacha Parkinson), they were both friends of Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent),^[4] and formed a new group of teenagers with Ryan Connor (Ben Thompson).

Ben is the captain of his school's swimming team and soon embarks on a relationship with Sophie. He takes Sophie to the church youth theatre where she decides to become a Christian. In May 2009, he persuades Chesney Brown (Sam Aston) to return to school telling him he will stand up to Kenzie Judd and the other bullies if they hassle him again. On 10 July 2009, at Sally Webster's (Sally Dynevor) birthday party, Rosie (Helen Flanagan) winds Sophie up by flirting with Ben. Sophie finally flips by throwing a drink over Rosie. However, her actions cause Sophie more problems when Ben tells Sophie he doesn't go out with drunk girls who fight. He then breaks up with Sophie but they eventually make up. In November 2009, he moves in with Ryan and Michelle Connor (Kym Marsh) for a period when his parents go to Southampton.

On 18 December 2009, Ben kisses Ryan's mother, Michelle. He is dismayed by his actions and then moves out, thinking it is for the best. Ryan is instantly disgusted by what has happened, and this leads to him not speaking to Ben. Sophie then finds out on 21 December when Ryan tells her as they meet up on the street. At first Sophie does not believe him, accusing Ryan of being jealous and by then fighting back, saying that Michelle has slept with several other men. She then realises what has happened when she sees Ben, and apologises to Ryan for the things she said. Ben and Sophie's relationship ends and he leaves the Street.

Luke Strong

Paula Carp

Paula Carp
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Sharon Duce
First appearance	27 February 2009
Last appearance	22 May 2009
Family Brothers Richard Carp Daughters Julie Carp

Paula Carp is the mother of established character Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh). She first appears on 27 February 2009, having a drink with her daughter and meeting old friend Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) for the first time in years. She surprises Eileen by revealing that she gave birth to Julie when she was 15. Paula and Eileen meet several times at Eileen's house but Paula leaves quickly on one occasion when Colin (Edward de Souza), Eileen's father, enters as she feels awkward around him.

On 27 April 2009, at Colin's 70th birthday party in the Rovers, Paula arrives, looking for Julie, thinking that Julie and Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) have slept together. Julie and Paula get into an argument over why they can't be together with Paula revealing that they are related and announces to a shocked Eileen and the rest of the pub that Colin is Julie's father. At first Eileen blames Paula for wrecking her parents' marriage but then comes to realise that Paula has been the victim. When Paula calls to see her a few days later, Eileen makes peace with her.

After Colin comes out of hospital, following a stroke, Paula goes to the police. When they come to the house he dies suddenly of a heart attack and Julie (who was getting to know and love her father) makes it clear she feels Paula is to blame and tells her to go and never come back. In May 2013, Paula had broken her hip while ice skating, and Julie went to take care of her. Julie returned to Coronation Street in August, after her mother was well again. In December 2013 Julie announced she rang her mother every Sunday and that she has a pet dog, that she often loses.

Christina

Christina
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Sarah-Jayne Steed
Appears on	6 March 2009

Christina dropped in at the bookies soon after Peter Barlow's (Chris Gascoyne) return to Weatherfield. Peter's employee at the bookies, Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), who also happened to be Peter's girlfriend, believed he'd spent his time away in rehab, but Christina said that he'd left rehab early to spend time with a mate on her father's yacht in the Mediterranean, and that she'd had a fling with him. Christina had no idea of Leanne's existence, and seemed more amused than annoyed at being kept in the dark by Peter. When Peter attempted to deny their affair, Christina told him to grow up, and quickly departed.^[5]

Umed Alahan

Umed Alahan
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Harish Patel
First appearance	9 March 2009
Last appearance	16 October 2009
Profile
Occupation	Shop assistant
Home	India
Family Brothers Ranjiv Alahan Sons Naveem Alahan Nephews Dev Alahan Unnamed Other relatives Amber Kalirai (great) Shareen (great) Asha Alahan (great) Aadi Alahan (great)

Umed Alahan first appeared in March 2009 to visit his nephew Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin). He soon became suspicious of Dev's girlfriend Tara Mandal (Ayesha Dharker), believing that she was taking advantage of Dev's money. Umed usually appeared in comical scenes, involving himself and his family.

In May 2009, Umed claimed that he knew and inspired the band Cornershop, giving them the incentive for the name as he has a history of running Indian corner stores. He also commented about the fact that their hit song, Brimful of Asha, was about Bollywood singer Asha Bhosle. Umed spent most of his time in the corner shop, which Dev owned; he also worked there. Umed usually spent his time chatting to his great niece Amber (Nikki Patel) or employee Molly Compton (Vicky Binns) while in the shop.

In October 2009, Umed installed a new bell at the corner shop, annoying and driving many residents to distraction. Graeme Proctor (Craig Gazey) managed to knock the bell off and break it while pretending to clean the windows.

Umed took pity on Teresa Bryant (Karen Henthorn) after Dev fired and evicted her, allowing her to make curry in Prima Doner, and managing to patch things up between her and Lloyd Mullaney (Craig Charles). When Dev found out about the curry business, Umed confessed to having lost his own business through a gambling addiction. He decided to return to India on 16 October 2009, giving Dev a hug goodbye.

Justin Turner

Justin Turner
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Ralph Gassmann
First appearance	20 March 2009
Last appearance	11 May 2009
Profile
Occupation	Photographer

Justin Turner first appeared while working with Tara Mandal (Ayesha Dharker) in her new art gallery. He took photos which Tara considered high quality, but which her boyfriend and backer Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) saw as difficult to sell. Dev secretly purchased some of the photos to boost Tara's confidence, but when she found out, she dumped him. Before she took him back, he slept with Lisa Dalton (Ruth Alexander Rubin) and lied to Tara about it. When Tara learned of his fling, she worked with Justin to convince Dev to take naked photographs, making him believe they would be kept private. Instead, Tara had a gathering in the middle of the Street and horrified Dev by unveiling a huge naked photo with LIAR scrawled across his privates in red paint.

Private Investigator

Private Investigator
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	John Branwell
First appearance	23 March 2009
Last appearance	20 April 2009
Profile
Occupation	Private Investigator

Private Investigator was hired by Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien) to gather information on new business partner Luke Strong (Craig Kelly). After a few weeks, Tom Kerrigan (Philip McGinley) told Luke he was being followed, and Luke led the investigator on a wild goose chase. Tony parted ways with him, but did learn about the poor state of Luke's finances.

Rick Peach

Rick Peach
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Nick Caldecott
Duration	2009, 2010
First appearance	12 April 2009
Last appearance	24 December 2010
Profile
Occupation	Vicar

Rick Peach was a vicar who was involved in scenes with Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent) and Blanche Hunt (Maggie Jones).^[6] During Easter Sunday, he allowed people to bring their animals to the church, and Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) brought his rabbit. Blanche wasn't happy however after she stood in dog excrement, and accused Rick of using the animals as an excuse to get people to come to the church, Rick found this funny. Sophie revealed that she would be baptised by Rick as he had brought Jesus into her life.

During a memorial service on Christmas Eve 2010 in respect to the victims of a recent Tram Crash in Coronation Street, Rick was conducting the service. However it was interrupted with the return of Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) who was released from prison.

Connie Rathbone

Connie Rathbone
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Rita May
Duration	2009–10
First appearance	17 April 2009
Last appearance	20 December 2010
Created by	Kim Crowther
Classification	Former; recurring
Profile
Occupation	Businesswoman (retired)
Home	Middleton
Family Husband Eric Rathbone (1960–2000) (Widowed)

Connie Rathbone was a close friend of Jack Duckworth (Bill Tarmey).^[7] She first appears on 17 April 2009, when she discovers one of Jack's missing pigeons and returns it to him. Connie and Jack get friendly as they chat about both being widowed. As Connie's visits become more frequent, Tyrone (Alan Halsall) gets annoyed, seeing it as an insult to Jack's deceased wife Vera's (Liz Dawn) memory. In May, Connie invites Jack on holiday to Spain with her. Jack is afraid of what Tyrone will think of him and Connie going on holiday together, he lies and says he is going to Blackpool. In July, he visits Connie at her house and is amazed to discover that she is rich and lives in a lavish mansion. Tyrone is initially hostile towards Connie as he sees her as an insult to memories of Vera and believing she is after Jack's money but comes round after seeing her big house. Jack moves in with Connie in September 2009.

In November 2009, Jack and Connie join Tyrone in the Rovers for a drink. After Connie leaves, Jack tells Tyrone he is worried that she wants more than companionship. Jack then hides out at Tyrone's until Connie catches up with him and reveals it is only a misunderstanding about her sleepwalking, much to Jack's relief.

Connie and Jack join Tyrone, Molly (Vicky Binns), Pam Hobsworth (Kate Anthony) and Bill Webster (Peter Armitage) for Christmas Day 2009.

Connie returns in November 2010 to attend Jack's 74th birthday. After returning from his party at the Rovers, Connie, Tyrone and Molly discover that Jack has died in his armchair of cancer. She attends his funeral and goes to Blackpool with Tyrone and Molly to scatter his ashes.

After Molly's funeral and upon Tyrone discovering Molly's affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell), Connie tries to help and comfort him but his emotions get the better of him and a tearful Connie leaves his house. She has not been seen since. In December 2011, Tyrone received a Christmas card from Connie in which she says that he should visit her sometime. In December 2012, Tyrone lied to abusive fiance Kirsty (Natalie Gumede) that he was going to visit Connie so that he could spend time with Fiz (Jennie McAlpine).

Ramsay Clegg

Ramsay Clegg
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Andrew Sachs
First appearance	15 May 2009
Last appearance	27 August 2009
Profile
Occupation	Retired
Family Mother Eunice Cole Half brothers Norris Cole

Ramsay Leonard Clegg was the half brother of Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden).^[8]

On 15 May 2009, Ramsay (Andrew Sachs) comes to The Kabin looking for a 'Mr Norris Cole', and as Rita asks if he wants to leave a message, he leaves without speaking. He later arrives in the pub and Norris asks him to leave. Emily and Rita are very surprised as they don't know what has happened in the past. Norris accuses Ramsay of murdering their mother, saying that he still 'had blood on his hands'. Later, it emerges that Ramsay is Norris's older illegitimate half-brother, who was sent to Australia as a child. Norris blames Ramsay for their mother's death, claiming that the shock of him reappearing in her life caused her demise.

Ramsay returns to the Street after a long absence because he secretly knows that he doesn't have long to live, thanks to an inoperable brain tumour. He wants to make amends with Norris before he dies. Norris's friend/landlady Emily Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire) takes a shine to Ramsay, and the pair become close. He tries making friends with Norris repeatedly but he remains hostile. Clutching at straws, Ramsay shows Norris around a vacant apartment in Victoria Court and suggests they could live together. Norris rejects the idea and Ramsay decides to return to Australia, leaving on 27 August 2009, after sharing a tender moment with Emily. Norris refuses to forgive him and Ramsay leaves, disappointed, in the back of a taxi.

Norris and Emily are later shocked to hear that, on arrival in Australia, Ramsay was found dead on the plane. Ramsay leaves his estate to Norris, who initially tells Emily to take the trunk to her charity shop but she refuses, insisting Norris go through it first. In the trunk, Norris finds a pile of letters that Ramsay had written to their mother, all returned unopened, and in Ramsay's wallet, a cold note from Eunice, asking him not to get in touch again as she had another son and his appearance in their lives would ruin everything. Devastated, Norris wishes that he had been more receptive to Ramsay but accepts that it is now too late.

Ruth Deller of entertainment website lowculture.co.uk criticises Ramsay, citing his inclusion in the series as opportunistic, also stating: "Ramsay was by far people's most loathed this month. Brought in as a publicity stunt after the Brand/Ross affair and dropped shortly after, Andrew Sachs's Ramsay was a rare example of an old man character being seen by fans as a ‘Mary-Sue’ (i.e. someone we’re supposed to think is wonderful but generally don’t – usually reserved for someone much younger). There was great rejoicing when he left this month, and hopefully the best mature cast in soap will soon recover from this minor blip."^[9]

Vinnie Powers

Vinnie Powers
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Ian Dunn
Duration	2009, 2010
First appearance	28 May 2009
Last appearance	27 September 2010
Family Wife Janet Powers Daughters Sian Powers

Vinnie Powers is the father of Sian Powers (Sacha Parkinson).^[10] He is first seen driving around Weatherfield looking for Sian's boyfriend Ryan Connor (Ben Thompson), when Vinnie finds him, he accuses Ryan of raping his daughter. Vinnie appears again in January 2010. During his return, he sends Sian packing to Southport to stay with her mother after discovering that she has been sexually active with Ryan. Vinnie returns to the Street in on 27 September 2010, when Sian informs him that she is in a lesbian relationship with Sophie, and ends up in row with Sophie's mother Sally (Sally Dynevor), who defends their relationship.

Vanessa

Vanessa
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Gabrielle Drake
First appearance	5 June 2009
Last appearance	8 June 2009

Vanessa is a guest character who appeared in June 2009.^[11] She met Bill Webster (Peter Armitage) on a singles night and became smitten with him after he falsely told her that he served in the army. She met up with Bill again for a double date with Pam Hobsworth (Kate Anthony) and a bachelor called Gilbert. In her efforts to impress Gilbert, Pam pretended to be a concert pianist but Vanessa soon saw through her.

Gilbert

Gilbert
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	John Owens
First appearance	5 June 2009
Last appearance	8 June 2009

Gilbert briefly courted Pam Hobsworth (Kate Anthony). When going out for a meal, along with Vanessa and Bill Webster (Peter Armitage), Vanessa suggested Pam play the piano for everyone, since she claimed to be a pianist. However, Pam fooled him by saying that she had injured her wrist and needed him to get some ice. He went for help but Vanessa knew that Pam was lying.

Howard Lee

Howard Lee
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Howard Lee
Duration	2009, 2010, 2011
First appearance	5 June 2009
Last appearance	8 December 2011

Howard Lee was the leader of an Alcoholics Anonymous group Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) attended. He was not played by an actor but by a real-life AA group leader, using his real name.

Ross

Ross
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Lee Oakes
Duration	2009
First appearance	5 June 2009
Last appearance	20 July 2009

Ross was a member of the Alcoholics Anonymous group which Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) joined. The first time Peter attended the group, Ross's graphic stories upset Peter and made him leave early. Peter began attending meetings on a more regular basis, and invited his family. When Ross proceeded to tell another long story, Blanche Hunt (Maggie Jones) told him to stop feeling sorry for himself. This led to finger-pointing and confessions from the rest of the Barlow family. Before they stormed out, Ken Barlow (William Roache) offered some words of comfort to Ross.

Leon

Leon
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Andrew Langtree
First appearance	3 July 2009
Last appearance	25 September 2009

Leon is a fictional character in Coronation Street, playing the part of the new love interest for Sean Tully (Antony Cotton).^[12] Leon made his first appearance on 3 July 2009 after he and Sean, saw eye-to-eye at the gym while Sean was attending with Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas).

A few weeks later, he told Leon that Jason was his boyfriend but then after talking to Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) he decided to tell Leon that Jason had 'dumped' him and tried to ask him out, however it was revealed that Leon wasn't into camp men.

Leon was captain of a gay football team which Jason joined, oblivious to this fact. Leon told Sean at a celebration party that he had fallen for Jason. Sean knew that his lies had gone too far and revealed to him that Jason was straight. Leon was still not convinced. However, after a drunk Jason regained consciousness after winning the 'Mr. Gay Weatherfield' award, he began to wonder where he was. Leon was shocked and Sean quickly left with a heavily drunk Jason.

In September 2009, Leon turned up at Jason and Tina's house-warming party and angrily told Jason that he was disqualified from the Mr. Gay UK competition as he wasn't 'one of his people' and accused Jason of homophobia, all thanks to Sean's lies going too far.

Liam Connor Jr.

Liam Connor Jr.
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Logan Blake Pearson (2009) Ollie and Elliot Barnett (2010–12) Charlie Wrenshall (2012–)
Duration	2009—
First appearance	Episode 7111 3 July 2009
Classification	Present; recurring
Profile
Home	2a Coronation Street
Family Father Liam Connor Mother Maria Connor Brothers Paul Connor Jr. Grandfathers Barry Connor Eric Sutherland Grandmothers Helen Connor Dot Sutherland Uncles Paul Connor Kirk Sutherland Aunts Michelle Connor First cousins Alex Neeson Other relatives Carla Connor

Liam Anthony Connor Jr. is the son of the late Liam Connor (Rob James-Collier) and his widow Maria Connor (Samia Ghadie). Twins Ollie and Elliot Barnett portrayed Liam until 2012, and have been credited in the role from 5 January to August 2012. From 3 October 2012, Liam is played by Charlie Wrenshall.

Liam Jr. was born on 1 July 2009, three weeks postmaturely after Maria took a long walk on Southport Beach with Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien). Tony ran off after her dog Ozzy and Maria went into labour alone, however, Tony returned and after being unable to phone for an ambulance delivered the baby himself in a beach hut. Maria was then taken to hospital with her baby boy and named him Liam (after his father) Anthony (after Tony) Connor Jr. Liam Jr was brought home by Maria and Tony. On 26 November Liam left with Maria, Barry Connor (Frank Grimes) and Helen Connor (Sorcha Cusack) to go to Ireland. On 7 June 2010 Liam returned with Maria where they faced Tony Gordon. The next day, they both leave for Ireland again after Tony blows up the factory causing him to die. On 23 July, Maria and Liam return for Audrey's 70th birthday. They currently live in the flat above Audrey's Salon.^[13] In 2012, Marcus Dent (Charlie Condou) bonds with Liam much to his partner Sean's annoyance. Marcus attends an Easter play with Maria and Liam. Sean becomes jealous of Marcus and Liam's bond and arranges for his own son Dylan Wilson (Connor and Liam McCheyne) to visit.

Naomi Collins

Naomi Collins
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Andrea Lowe
First appearance	4 September 2009
Last appearance	7 September 2009
Profile
Occupation	Nurse

Naomi Collins is a nurse who briefly dated Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne).

Naomi first saw Peter while she was having a drink with a mate in the Rovers. He managed to convince her to go out on a date with him. They spent the night together, and the next morning, Blanche Hunt (Maggie Jones), Ken Barlow (William Roache), and Peter's young son Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) walked in on them kissing in the living room. Simon joined Naomi and Peter for a meal, but Simon felt like Naomi didn't want him around, so Peter broke up with her.

Zoe Willson

Zoe Willson
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Kirsty-Leigh Porter
First appearance	25 September 2009
Last appearance	22 December 2009

Zoe Willson first appeared in September 2009 at Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) and Tina McIntyre's (Michelle Keegan) housewarming party as the new girlfriend of David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd). She reappeared in November, when David introduced her to his mother Gail (Helen Worth) and partner Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale). She helped Kirk (Andrew Whyment) and Chesney (Sam Aston) paint the house when John Stape (Graeme Hawley) was due home from prison. When David appeared more concerned for a drunken Tina recklessly wandering the street after a fallout with Jason, Zoe was convinced he still had feelings for Tina and she warned him that she'd call her ex-boyfriend if he left. Zoe stormed off after he did.

Sheila Wheeler

Sheila Wheeler
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Janice Connolly
First appearance	28 September 2009
Last appearance	9 October 2009

Sheila Wheeler first appeared when she applied for the position of a shop assistant at The Kabin to work for Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden). However, Norris soon found her too irritating to work with and sacked her.

Joan

Joan
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Maggie Tagney
First appearance	22 October 2009
Last appearance	28 October 2009

Joan first appeared when she applied for the position of a shop assistant at The Kabin to work for Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden). Norris then hired her but then found her very quiet and struggled to work with her. Though not sacking her on-screen, he gave her an angry look and the scene ended. In the next scene set in the Kabin, Norris is seen writing another job vacancy notice, which implied that he had dismissed Joan.

Jake Harman

Jake Harman
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Kenny Doughty
First appearance	28 October 2009
Last appearance	31 December 2009
Profile
Occupation	Builder

Jake Harman was a character played by Kenny Doughty; the character was a love interest for Michelle Connor (Kym Marsh). He made his on-screen debut on 28 October 2009, when Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) hired him to fix Michelle's roof. However, he fell from the ladder and Michelle had to get out of the bath to stop him from falling. In the midst of their encounter, Michelle dropped her towel, much to her embarrassment. Jake kissed her and a shocked Michelle got rid of him.

The next day, Jake tries the same trick again and Michelle has him arrested. Meanwhile, Dev refuses to pay for Jake's work on the roof, leading to Jake removing half the tiles from Dev's own roof. In an attempt to go on a date with Michelle, he opts to "return the favour" and goes into the Rover Return, wearing just a towel - threatening to drop it if she declines his invitation, Michelle agrees and later goes on a date after she admits she overreacted. Jake then gets a job offer in Cumbria and Michelle, although tempted, doesn't join him.

Jake returns on New Year's Eve to take Michelle out on one last date together to a hotel as he announces that he will be leaving soon to do a job away from Manchester.

George Wilson

George Wilson
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Anthony Valentine
Duration	2009–10
First appearance	2 November 2009
Last appearance	10 May 2010
Introduced by	Kim Crowther
Classification	Former; recurring
Profile
Occupation	Businessman
Family Wife Eve Wilson (1983–) Daughters Lucy Richards Grandsons Simon Barlow

George Wilson is the father of Peter Barlow's (Chris Gascoyne) late wife Lucy (Katy Carmichael). On his first appearance, Peter is hostile towards him, however, he later softens and agrees to let him see his grandson Simon (Alex Bain). George also visits Ken (William Roache) and Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride), while Deirdre's mother Blanche (Maggie Jones) is smitten with him.

On 20 November 2009, George and second wife Eve join the Barlows for dinner. However, Blanche gets drunk and reveals Peter's past as an alcoholic and girlfriend Leanne's (Jane Danson) as a hooker and arsonist. George storms out but later apologises for his behaviour. George gradually begins to use his considerable wealth to win round Peter, Simon and Leanne, much to Ken's chagrin. He also supports Peter's plans to open a bar on the Street and assists him in the development, prompting Ken to continually argue with both George and Peter.

After Peter is admitted to rehab to recover, in February 2010, George takes custody of Simon much to the dislike of Peter who is arrested after confronting and threatening George at his home. George later announces to Eve that he plans to take full custody of Simon.

The following month while on a short holiday in Blackpool, Simon runs away from George and Eve, which leads to Peter quickly rushing to Blackpool to find his son. The Barlows and The Wilsons are in dismay as they spend hours looking for Simon. However, Simon returns to Weatherfield the following day after taking a train home. Peter and his family are delighted to have Simon back to them but Peter later lets George know that he wants him to stay away from his son before George expresses how sorry he is about the incident.

George later sends a wreath at Blanche's funeral and allows Leanne's ex-husband, Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), to use the premises that was originally going to be used as their bar as a temporary factory after UnderWorld is burnt down by Carla Connor's (Alison King) ex-husband Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien), who had escaped from prison.

Eve Wilson

Eve Wilson
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Sabina Franklyn
Duration	2009–10
First appearance	5 November 2009
Last appearance	12 March 2010
Introduced by	Kim Crowther
Classification	Former; recurring
Profile
Occupation	Housewife
Family Husband George Wilson (1983—)

Eve Wilson is portrayed by actor Sabina Franklyn. She is the second wife of George Wilson (Anthony Valentine), Simon Barlow's (Alex Bain) grandfather.

On 20 November 2009, George and Eve join the Barlows for dinner. However, Blanche (Maggie Jones) gets drunk and reveals Peter's (Chris Gascoyne) past as an alcoholic and Leanne's (Jane Danson) as a hooker and arsonist. George storms out but later apologizes for his behaviour.

After Peter ruins the opening of his new bar and is admitted to rehab, George and Eve take custody of Simon as they worry about his well being. While they holiday in Blackpool, George reveals his plans to take Simon away from the Barlows, an idea which Eve firmly opposes. This leads to an argument between the couple, which Simon overhears and subsequently disappears. Simon later makes his way home to a thrilled Peter and Leanne who tell George to stay way from Simon.

Horace Steel

Horace Steel
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Robert Maxfield
Appears on	6 November 2009

Horace Steel was a very brief assistant to Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) at The Kabin. He first appeared in an episode airing on 6 November 2009. The character was described as similar to Norris, (nosey and likes to talk a lot.) On his first appearance, Norris was impressed by their share of similar values, tendency to gossip and act quite snobbish. However, it seemed he was worse than Norris at upsetting customers - calling Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) rude after Simon innocently said he looked like Norris. Norris told him they needed a little chat. Horace later walked out of the Kabin, which implied that he had lost his job.

Rick Neelan

Rick Neelan
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Greg Wood
Duration	2009–10, 2012
First appearance	9 November 2009
Last appearance	4 June 2012
Introduced by	Kim Crowther (2009) Phil Collinson (2012)
Classification	Former, recurring
Profile
Occupation	Loan shark

Rick Neelan, played by Greg Wood, made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 9 November 2009. In April 2012, it was announced Wood would be reprising his role. Rick began appearing from 7 May 2012.^[14]

Rick is a loan shark who gives a loan to Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale), who needs money due to being in debt. After Joe fails to pay back the money, Rick goes to his house and Joe gives him his van and promises him he will get the rest of the money. Rick returns numerous times in the following months. He pretends to be interested in buying Joe's fiancee Gail Platt's (Helen Worth) house, before demanding money from Joe. He then pretends to be interested in Joe's daughter Tina's (Michelle Keegan) flat. Joe then threatens Rick telling him to stay away from him and his family, but Rick warns him to have the money soon.

Joe borrows £4,000 from Gail's father Ted Page (Michael Byrne) and gives it to Rick and tells him he will not get anything else from him and that their debt is settled, which Rick agrees with. However, a week later Rick turns up at Joe's wedding and tells him that he wants £500 a week for the next 10 weeks making a total of £5000 and that this is "interest". He also tells Joe that if he doesn't pay up he will break his arms and legs. Two weeks later after Joe and Gail return from their honeymoon Joe is walking home from the pub alone and Rick's car pulls up alongside Joe and Rick has one of his heavies. Rick asks Joe for his next instalment but as Joe is unable to pay Rick and the heavy gets out and chase him. Joe is able to outrun them and hides in the ginnel, whilst Rick looks around for him, unsuccessfully.

A few weeks later, after Joe's death, Rick returns to the Street and threatens Gail on her doorstep, demanding his money. She refuses to give him any money and he leaves. The next day Rick returns again and after visiting Gail, again unsuccessfully, he confronts Tina and her boyfriend Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) at the door of their flat. Jason tells Rick he will not be getting any money off them. Rick goes to the local newsagents, The Kabin, and returns with a newspaper, which he sets alight before putting it through Jason and Tina's letter box. After Jason puts the fire out and runs out into the street, Rick waves at Jason and speeds off in his car before Jason can catch him. A couple of weeks later the police inform Gail and Tina that they are questioning Rick in connection with Joe's death. Later on they confirm that he will to be charged with his previous crimes but that he was not involved in Joe's death.

In May 2012, Rick returns to collect money from a loan that he gave to Terry Duckworth (Nigel Pivaro). Terry owes Rick £19,000 and Tina who is now Terry's son Tommy's (Chris Fountain) girlfriend recognises him. After Rick and two heavies threaten Tina in a new lap-dancing club Terry is planning on opening, Tommy pays £10,000 of the debt with money he had inherited from his late grandfather, before Terry flees, leaving Tommy to pay the rest of the debt.

After asking Tommy to perform a series of crimes to pay back his father's debt, Rick orders Tommy to drop off a bag of drugs in Amsterdam. Tina is outraged that Tommy is working for the man she holds responsible for her father's death and takes the drugs from the car and drives to the local canal. She rings Rick and threatens to throw the drugs into the canal. Rick arrives at the scene, but has kidnapped Tina's friend Rita Sullivan (Barbara Knox) who is due to get married. After a confrontation and stand-off by the canalside in which Rick threatens to throw Rita into the canal, Tina is forced to hand over the drugs and Rick lets go of Rita, picks up the drugs and gets ready to leave for Amsterdam. But unbeknownst to Rick, Tina had already informed the police of his plan and they arrive just as he is leaving, led by Kirsty Soames (Natalie Gumede), and arrest Rick. He is last seen being put into the back of a police van. The next day Kirsty informs Tina that Rick is facing a prison sentence of at least eight years and that they are rounding up his gang.

Bernie Sayers

Bernie Sayers
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Jennifer Hennessy
First appearance	24 November 2009
Last appearance	14 December 2009
Profile
Occupation	Golf instructor

Bernie Sayers is a golf instructor. She first appeared when Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) took golf lessons to try to be better than Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson). After his first lesson, Dev took Bernie to the Rovers where Steve was agitated upon seeing her; it soon transpired Steve had also been taking golf lessons with her without Dev's knowledge. Bernie soon began a relationship with Dev. In December 2009, Dev discovered that ex-wife Sunita Parekh (Shobna Gulati) was engaged to Matt Davis (Christopher Colquhoun), a man Bernie was also giving golf lessons to. After several confrontations with them, Dev ordered Bernie to cancel Matt's lessons and argued with her about his children. On 14 December, Dev tried to make it up with Bernie over lunch by asking her to move in with him. Bernie however, knew he was only doing it to get back at Sunita and dumped him.

Matt Davis

Matt Davis
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Christopher Colquhoun
Duration	2009–10
First appearance	4 December 2009
Last appearance	22 February 2010

Matt Davis is the fiancee of Sunita Alahan (Shobna Gulati). He first appeared on 4 December 2009, as an acquaintance of Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) at the golf club. Dev soon discovered Matt was engaged to his ex Sunita, and was extremely jealous, barging into their house and arguing with them both several times, claiming he didn't want somebody else bringing up his kids. Dev and Sunita eventually reached a truce and all three ended up on better terms. Matt himself, however, began to feel sidelined when Dev took a more active role in looking after the kids and cracks started to show in his relationship with Sunita. In mid-January 2010, Sunita informed a secretly delighted Dev that she and Matt had broken up.

Matt briefly returned on 22 February 2010 to try and resolve things with Sunita but was surprised when Dev was there and assumed he had got back with Sunita himself. In actuality, Dev was pretending to be married to Sunita to fool her aunts, Upma and Grishma. After Dev told the aunts that Matt was the kids' Maths tutor, a confused and rejected Matt left.

Claudia Colby

Claudia Colby
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Rula Lenska
Duration	2009–11
First appearance	18 December 2009
Last appearance	23 May 2011
Introduced by	Kim Crowther (2009) Phil Collinson (2010) Kate Oates (2016)
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Hair stylist

Claudia Colby arrives as an old friend of Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls).

On 5 October 2009, it was announced that Rula Lenska would portray Claudia. A Coronation Street spokesperson said: "Rula will play a glamorous friend of Audrey's who she meets up with at a function. She makes Audrey think about her life and what she wants out of it. She will film her scenes on Friday, October 16 and will appear on screen in the run-up to Christmas."^[15]

In 2010, Sue Nicholls has revealed that Lenska would return to Coronation Street for a future storyline. Talking about Audrey and Claudia’s relationship Sue said "Yes, she’s a little bit like the wicked witch, isn’t she? It’s great fun. In my head Claudia is that friend you know is always going to be a pain. She’s the one who says the wrong thing, is always trying to out do you and has a habit of saying really horrid things even though she thinks they’re a joke. But I think in a funny way they really do get on. She gets quite drunk at the party and when Audrey makes her announcement she has no qualms about filling Gail in on Lewis’s past." She made a return in later 2010.^[16] In December 2010, it was reported that Claudia may become landlady of the local pub The Rovers Return replacing Liz McDonald, a spokesperson said "Claudia ticks all the boxes for a feisty, no-nonsense landlady of a certain age. She could certainly make a great Rovers boss to follow in Liz's footsteps."^[17] However producer Phil Collinson later said the storyline suggestion was untrue.^[18]

In May 2011 it was announced that Lenska was to leave the serial in order to appear in theatre.^[19] A spokesperson for the serial stated: "We've loved having Rula. She's been absolutely brilliant as Claudia and we hope one day she'll return." Her departure will allow fellow characters Audrey and Marc to pursue a relationship.^[19] Producers decided to "leave the door open" for a possible return in the future as Claudia has proven to be a popular character.^[19]

Storylines

Claudia attended a Weatherfield Traders' Association lunch, escorted by Lewis Archer (Nigel Havers), who she often hired for functions. Audrey also went and was shocked that Claudia employed a male escort, but Claudia explained that there was no sex involved and that it was just for appearances. Later Claudia met up with Audrey again and they went to a dinner dance together. Lewis was also attending, escorting Rita Sullivan. Claudia was surprised to find out that Audrey had hired Lewis several times and had fallen for him. She reminded Audrey that Lewis's charms were contractual and when she met Audrey and Lewis again a couple of months later in a restaurant she made it quite clear that she still regarded Lewis as contactable.

Claudia's doubts about Lewis' reliability as a permanent suitor for Audrey were to be proved right. On 13 August 2010, Claudia attended a party Audrey's daughter Gail (Helen Worth) threw for Audrey and Lewis who were moving abroad to run a hotel. However, Lewis chose that day to vanish from Audrey's life and Audrey was confronted by footage of him defrauding Barlow's Bookies and diverting Deirdre Barlow 's attention by kissing her. Claudia got drunk with Rita, and delighted in the floor show as Gail pushed a Manchester tart into Deirdre Barlow's (Anne Kirkbride) face. Claudia was not seen again until she arrived in The Rovers Return on New Year's Eve 2010, where she donated the prize of luxury treatments in Perm Suspect to the evening's charity raffle and befriended locals. The prize was won by a disgruntled Audrey, who had already had her nose put out of joint after her donation of a pedicure and manicure at Audreys was somewhat dwarfed by Claudia's generosity.

Claudia was keen to grow her business and initially showed interest in purchasing the butchers premises on Victoria Street from Claire Peacock (Julia Haworth) to convert into a rival salon to Audreys. When Audrey claimed her free hair treatment at Perm Suspect, Claudia revealed that she was no longer interested in buying the premises as it smelt of meat. She asked if Audrey was interested in selling to her, an offer that was flatly refused. Claudia told Audrey that she had sat her sights on Marc, a client sat near them who had recently been widowed and not long after the pair start dating. In March 2011, while having her hair done one of Audrey's elderly clients dies, Claudia and Audrey are left horrified. Soon after, Claudia begins to suspect Marc is having an affair and Audrey joins Claudia in spying on him at his home. Claudia is angered to see a woman leaving his house. Later, Marc tries to explain himself to Claudia by saying that the woman was his sister, but Claudia does not believe him. In April 2011, Claudia spots a receipt in Marc's wallet and assumes it is a gift for her, totally oblivious to knowing it is in fact for his alter-ego 'Marcia'.

On 23 May 2011, Claudia suspects that Audrey is the woman Marc is seeing behind her back. Her suspicions arise when she spots Audrey at Marc's house, only to be shocked as 'Marcia' enters the room, a disgusted Claudia storms out. A few weeks later, Claudia meets Audrey in the Rovers in an attempt to build bridges, however, Marc returns from the bathroom, having been with Audrey. A furious Claudia walks out of the Rovers firing insults at Audrey and Marc and telling them she doesn't want to see them again, before leaving. She has not been seen since, but was mentioned when Deirdre recommended Claudia's hair salon against Audrey's to newcomer Stella. In 2012, Rita mentioned that she had to go to Claudia's salon as Audrey was fully booked, complaining about the loud music.

References