It has been more than 65 years since viewers were first introduced to the fictional Salford streets of Weatherfield. In that time, Coronation Street has become not just a Greater Manchester institution but a UK institution as well.
The Creation of Coronation Street
It all started when its creator, Tony Warren, was 24. As a child, he trained at the Elliott-Clarke theatre school in Liverpool and soon became a regular on BBC Radio Children's Hour. There, he acted in many radio plays, performing alongside people who later became household names through Corrie, including Violet Carson and Doris Speed, who played Ena Sharples and Annie Walker.
It was not until his twenties that the idea for Florizel Street, later renamed Coronation Street, came to him late one night in 1959 as he returned to Manchester by train. According to BBC producer Olive Shapley, he woke her up saying: 'Olive, I have got this wonderful idea for a television series. I can see a little back street in Salford, with a pub at one end and a shop at the other, and all the lives of the people there, just ordinary things and...' Olive told him the idea was boring and to go back to sleep. But in 1960, Granada commissioned a script, and Warren went on to write the first 13 episodes of the soap, which ITV decided to air. He continued to write for Granada Television on a full-time basis until 1968.
The first episode of Corrie aired on December 9, 1960, and was filmed at a purpose-built set inside Studio 2 at Granada Studios on Quay Street. Beforehand, Warren had trawled the streets of Salford to find what he thought would be the perfect street upon which to model his creation, eventually choosing Archie Street, which has since been demolished.
Original Cast Members and Their Fates
William Roache (Ken Barlow)
William Roache remains Corrie's longest-serving star. Played by William Roache, Ken Barlow is the longest remaining resident on the cobbles, having featured in the first episode back in 1960. Just 18 at the time, viewers saw Ken desperate to escape his working-class roots. Before landing his role on Corrie, he appeared in various stage productions, had uncredited roles in several films, and later small parts in television serials, including Knight Errant Limited and Skyport. He played the minor role of a space centre operator in the Norman Wisdom film The Bulldog Breed and, shortly before his soap debut, Bill played the leading role in a Granada Television play called Marking Time, which was transmitted on ITV. He landed the role of Ken shortly after, as Warren saw him in the play and thought he would be right for the character. The Nottingham-born actor, who now lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire, has since been a part of British soap's most iconic storylines, including his love triangle with Mike Baldwin and Deirdre Barlow that gripped the nation in 1982. In 2017, he was at the centre of a 'whodunit' after Ken was pushed down the stairs by an unknown assailant, later confirmed to be his son Daniel Osbourne. Bill, who is 94, is currently the world's longest-serving television actor in a continuous role. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to drama and charity.
Pat Phoenix (Elsie Tanner)
The years may have passed, but Elsie Tanner is still very much remembered by those in Weatherfield and beyond. Played by Pat Phoenix from the ITV soap's first episode in 1960 until 1984, the character was known for her multiple affairs and fiery showdowns in the Rovers Return. It is reported that it was Pat's hatred for her stepfather which led to her becoming an actress, as he laughed at her efforts when, aged 11, she submitted a monologue to the BBC and got regular employment on Children's Hour. Born in Manchester in 1923, it was not until she was 36 that Pat landed the role of Elsie. While her character's love life was making storylines, when actor Alan Browning appeared on the show to play Elsie's new lover Alan Howard, the two fell in love in real life. The couple married at the Etherow Brow Methodist Church in Broadbottom, Cheshire, on December 23, 1972. They both quit television for the theatre, but Pat returned to the cobbles when they split up. Alan later died of liver failure seven years after they married in 1979. She later married actor Anthony Booth, the father-in-law of future Prime Minister Tony Blair. In 1980, Pat met up with her old flame. Twenty-five years after their first relationship, the couple became an item again, with Pat nursing Tony back to health after a near-fatal accident. After finding her soulmate, Pat announced she would be leaving Coronation Street for good, and Elsie left the street in 1984, emigrating to Portugal. Pat then starred in a sitcom, worked as a presenter on TVAM, and performed on stage with her husband. But in March 1986, she discovered she had cancer. It was a secret she kept from most people, including Tony. She was rushed to the hospital in the summer of 1986 and made headlines when she married Tony on her deathbed. The couple were married just a few days before Pat passed away, aged 62.
Philip Lowrie (Dennis Tanner)
Philip Lowrie was seen as a national heartthrob thanks to his roguish role. He was introduced as original bad boy Dennis Tanner, the son of Elsie Tanner, and moved in with his mother after being released from prison. He left the Street in 1968, when he married Jenny Sutton and moved to Bristol, and did not return until 2011. Dennis soon got back in touch with newsagent Rita Sullivan (Barbara Knox), who was his sweetheart when she first appeared in the show in 1966, and they tied the knot when he came back. He left the soap again in 2014 and was later killed off without making another appearance on screen. Lowrie had originally auditioned for the role of Ken Barlow prior to the show's launch and appeared in the first episode at the age of 24. William Roache was soon cast as Ken at the soap's beginning and became a regular sparring partner for Dennis. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lowrie's mother saved for his fees to go to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) in London after he left school. After graduating three years later, he soon received his first parts in the West End, appearing with Dame Margaret Rutherford and Peggy Mount in the play Farewell, Farewell, Eugene. He also appeared on Victoria Wood's comedy shows, such as Victoria Wood's All Day Breakfast, Victoria Wood, Pat and Margaret, Live In Your Own Room, We'd Quite Like To Apologise, Victoria Wood As Seen On TV, and Wood And Walters. His later stage lead roles in the 2000s and 2010s included being in Dame Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, The Case Of The Frightened Lady, and The Lady Vanishes. Lowrie died in April 2025, with the news announced by his publicist, Mario Renzullo. According to Mr Renzullo, Lowrie was presented in September 2011 with a certificate by the Guinness World Records for being the person with the longest gap between television appearances as the same character in the same show.
Anne Cunningham (Linda Cheveski)
Anne Cunningham is also one of the two surviving original cast members of Corrie. She played Linda Cheveski, the daughter of Elsie Tanner and older sister of Dennis, in the soap and appeared as a regular for 12 months before deciding to leave in December 1961, with co-star Ernst Walder, who played on-screen husband Ivan Cheveski, departing alongside her. The pair, however, continued to appear on a recurring basis throughout the 1960s, with Anne last appearing in 1968. She later reprised the part of Linda, who was like her mother with her no-nonsense attitude, for 11 episodes in 1984, before departing the show for good. The now 89-year-old actress, from Leeds, continued her acting career after leaving the cobbles and starred in King of Bollywood, Henry Otter and the Nineteenth Hole. She also married theatre director Darrol Blake, and the pair have three children.
Jack Howarth (Albert Tatlock)
Early viewers may remember Jack Howarth for playing grumpy but loveable war veteran Albert Tatlock when he appeared in the show from 1960 to 1984. The character was an uncle of Ken Barlow through his marriage to Albert's niece, Valerie Tatlock. Albert lived at No.1, having retired from his job as a clerk at the Weatherfield Town Hall in 1960, and appeared in over 1,700 episodes during his time on the soap. When Valerie died in 1971 after she was delivered a fatal electric shock with a hairdryer, Ken moved in with Albert. He proposed to Alice Pickins in 1969, and she accepted, before having second thoughts and jilting him at the altar. In January 1984, he left the street to go and live with his daughter Beattie. He was never seen again, but the character was said to have died in May 1988. It comes after Howarth, from Rochdale, was set to return to his role in late April 1984, having not been written out of the soap, but the actor sadly died from kidney failure and pneumonia in March of that year, aged 88. It came after having been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) just months earlier. Howarth also made over a hundred television appearances from 1947 until he started on Corrie, appearing in programmes such as BBC Sunday Night Theatre and ITV Play Of The Week.
Doris Speed (Annie Walker)
Regarded by many fans as the best landlady of them all, Annie Walker was in charge of the Rovers for an impressive 46 years, having bought the tenancy with husband Jack (Arthur Leslie) back in 1937, some 23 years before Corrie was first screened. She stood for no nonsense as landlady, and her most dramatic Rovers moment came in 1975 when the beloved boozer was ransacked by burglars who woke the sleeping Annie demanding her money. Annie was also known for her friendships with her staff, including employing the young Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear) as a barmaid, and a lifelong friendship with Betty Turpin (Betty Driver). She continued her tenancy at the Rovers until 1983, when she decided to retire and hand the reins to son Billy Walker (Ken Farrington), although that did not last long after a series of run-ins with police over his late-night lock-ins. The beloved character was played by Chorlton-born Doris Speed. After Corrie, the actress did not take on any new roles. She died at a nursing home in Bury in 1994, aged 95.
Arthur Leslie (Jack Walker)
Arthur Leslie, an actor and playwright, was best known for playing the Rovers Return's original landlord, Jack Walker. Originally from Nottinghamshire, he moved to Lancashire at an early age and later served in the British Merchant Navy during World War I. After many years on stage, Arthur made his Corrie debut in the second episode and remained a fixture on the Street until his death from a sudden heart attack in June 1970. As a result, Jack was quietly written out of the programme only a few weeks after his unexpected passing, with the character's funeral taking place off-screen. At the time, he was survived by his wife of 45 years, Betty Powell, and their son, actor Tony Broughton, who went on to appear in several episodes of Corrie before his death in 2011.
Violet Carson (Ena Sharples)
Born in 1898, Violet Carson cut her teeth playing the piano at the Ambassador Cinema in Pendleton before pivoting to the BBC, where she became known as 'radio's north star'. A meeting in 1951 with a young Tony Warren during a radio break is said to have inspired him to craft the series and cast Carson as Ena Sharples. The original Corrie battleaxe, Ena was a woman of religion and high morals, often found gossiping over a milk stout in the snug of the Rovers with her pals Millie Cauldwell and Martha Longhurst. In April 1980, Carson, who was born in Ancoats, made what would ultimately be her final appearance in Corrie. She became ill with pernicious anaemia and was forced to leave the programme, although at the time it was anticipated that she would return at some stage. She is said to have lived in a bungalow in Bispham, Blackpool, with her sister Nellie, and refused to make any public appearances after her retirement. She died in December 1983, aged 85. Following her death, a memorial service was held at Manchester Cathedral, which was attended by hundreds, including her Coronation Street colleagues.
Alan Rothwell (David Barlow)
Alan Rothwell starred on the soap as the brother of Ken Barlow, from when it first launched in 1960 until 1969. Born in Oldham in 1937, he was a prolific actor in the 1960s, appearing in TV series such as Gideon's Way and The Villains. His role on Coronation Street was written with him in mind as creator Tony had worked with him during their childhoods on BBC Radio's Children's Hour. Rothwell also starred in the Channel 4 soap Brookside as Nicholas Black in the 1980s and became a familiar face to generations of viewers as the presenter of the long-running children's television programmes Picture Box and Hickory House. His family announced in May that he had died 'peacefully in hospital following a short illness' aged 89. 'Alan was a professional radio, television, film and stage actor and director whose career spanned more than 70 years. Alan died peacefully in hospital following a short illness,' they said in a statement. 'Beyond his professional achievements, he was a loving husband, father, grandfather and uncle. He will be fondly remembered and deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues and the many people whose lives he touched through his work.'
Noel Dyson (Ida Barlow)
Noel Dyson played the role of Ida Barlow, the wife of Frank Barlow and mother to Ken and David. She worked as a cleaner at the Imperial Hotel in Weatherfield but died when she was devastatingly hit by a bus in 1961. She was the first major character to be killed off in the soap, after Dyson, from Oldham, quit the role. She continued to act after leaving the programme and was a regular guest actor in television programmes until the mid-1990s, including the Corrie spin-off Turn Out the Lights in 1967. Dyson was also known for playing Nanny in the sitcom Father, Dear Father. She reprised this role in the spin-off series Father, Dear Father in Australia and the film version of the sitcom. Dyson was a familiar face to British viewers in a career spanning almost 50 years, from 1949 until her death from cancer in 1995.
Margot Bryant (Minnie Caldwell)
Margot Bryant famously played Minnie Caldwell from 1960 to 1976. As one of the show's iconic gossips alongside Ena Sharples and Martha Longhurst, she was celebrated for her quiet demeanour and devotion to her cat, Bobby. Margot left the role in the spring of 1976 due to suffering from memory loss, so she was unable to carry on in the role, and Minnie later left for Whaley Bridge later in the year. She never returned to the programme, and her character had died off-screen by 2008, when returning former character Jed Stone (played by Kenneth Cope) was seen visiting Minnie's grave. Bryant was later diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and admitted to Cheadle Royal Hospital, where she remained as an in-patient until her death on New Year's Day 1988. Her funeral was later held at Manchester Crematorium, attended by members of the Corrie cast.
Jennifer Moss (Lucille Hewitt)
Wigan-born actress Jennifer Moss played Lucille Hewitt, Corrie's first child character, for the first 14 years of the show, making her debut at 15 after she came to Warren's attention on Children's Hour. The daughter of widowed bus conductor Harry Hewitt (Ivan Beavis), Lucille spent several years in an orphanage before leaving to try and live with her father, who was remarried to barmaid Concepta, who she did not get on with and tried to stop moving the family to Ireland. When they did eventually leave, Lucille was taken in by the Walkers but she later joined Concepta and Christopher in Ireland and never returned to Weatherfield. After leaving Corrie after almost 1,000 episodes, Moss, who also had a brief career as a pop singer, had a troubled time but did manage a return to television, notably with parts in Brookside and two Merseyside-based sitcoms, Help! and Bread. In her final years, which she spent in Scotland, she ran an internet stamp-collecting business with her fifth husband and died in 2006, aged 61.
Betty Alberge (Florrie Lindley)
Betty Alberge played Florrie Lindley in Corrie between December 1960 and June 1965. She appeared in the programme's first scene alongside Maudie Edwards as Elsie Lappin, the character she brought the Corner Shop off of. Florrie left Weatherfield when her husband, Norman, tracked her down, and they rekindled their relationship. After departing the role, Betty continued to act until the late 1980s, playing pensioner Edna Cross in Brookside from 1983. She remained in this role until the character's death in 1985, after just over 100 episodes. Her last on-screen performance was in 1986 in an episode of the BBC's Casualty. She died in 1991, aged 69.
Doreen Keogh (Concepta Regan)
Irish actress Doreen Keogh played the first-ever Rovers barmaid, Concepta Regan (nee Riley). She first appeared on the cobbles in the fifth episode, then stayed in the soap for four years, before returning again in 1967, and several times in the 1970s. During this time, she dated on-screen husband, actor Ivan Beavis, who played Harry Hewitt. One of her biggest storylines was the kidnapping of the Hewitts' son, Christopher, in 1962. Keogh, who also appeared in Father Ted and Cold Feet, and played neighbour Mary Carroll in The Royle Family, died on New Year's Eve 2017 in Ireland, aged 91.
Ivan Beavis (Harry Hewitt)
Ivan Beavis played bus driver Harry Hewitt for four years from episode two onwards, with guest appearances in 1965 and 1967, which is when his character was killed off. He had returned to Weatherfield to attend Elsie and Steve Tanner's wedding, and was killed when he was crushed while repairing a van. Following his Corrie exit, Hewitt, who was an audit clerk, accountant and company secretary before becoming a full-time actor, continued to act, appearing in television programmes until the 1980s. The Liverpool-born actor made several appearances on Z Cars and played Mr Hutchinson in seven episodes of The Liver Birds. His last television appearance was in an episode of The Bill in 1991. He later died in December 1997, at the age of 71.
Ernst Walder (Ivan Cheveski)
Ivan Cheveski was the husband of Elsie Tanner's daughter, Linda. He and Linda originally moved to Warrington but bought a house in Coronation Street in 1961 when Linda wanted to be closer to her family. However, they stayed for only nine months; Ivan, concerned that the industrial town was not a healthy environment in which to raise a family, packed the family off to Canada. Ivan made several visits back to Weatherfield in the late 1960s alongside Linda, with the last being in 1967. The couple were together until 1984, when Linda left Ivan for Dave Burgess. Ernst was an Austrian actor who came to England in 1952 and was often cast in German roles on television and in films. He came to England in 1952 after escaping from the Russian zone of Eastern Europe. He appeared in other television series including The Champions, The Brief and The Fourth Arm. He was openly gay and had a relationship with Corrie creator Warren during the 1960s. After retiring from acting, Walder returned to Austria. He died in September 2021, aged 94, but his death was not reported until Corrie writer Daran Little broke the news on social media in June 2022.
Frank Pemberton (Frank Barlow)
Frank Barlow, a postman, was the father of Ken, with the pair butting heads over his plans for a university career. The premature death of his wife Ida, after she was hit by a bus, brought the two together. Played by Frank Pemberton, from Stretford, the character was axed in May 1964, which is when Frank won £5,000 on Premium Bonds, sold his shop and moved to Wilmslow. But he went on to make two more guest appearances, one in March 1967 and again in February 1971 before he died off-screen. The soap star, meanwhile, suffered a stroke in February 1965, from which he recovered but he later died, aged just 56, after a fatal stroke in March 1971, weeks after his last appearance as Frank Barlow.
Christine Hargreaves (Christine Appleby)
Christine Appleby, nee Hardman, was the daughter of George and May Hardman and a Corrie resident from birth. She was portrayed by Christine Hargreaves between 1960 and 1963, with the Salford-born actress said to be one of the first actors to read Warren's script for what was then Florizel Street. Following her Corrie exit, Christine made her film debut with the role of Linda Rich in the second feature comedy film Strictly for the Birds and went on to take on a number of television roles, where she is particularly remembered for her starring role in The Spongers, an acclaimed Play for Today. She died in 1984 following a brain operation, aged just 45.
Patricia Shakesby (Susan Cunningham)
Susan Cunningham was the first girlfriend of womaniser Ken Barlow after they met at university. Played by Patricia Shakesby, she appeared in the very first episode of Corrie but made her last appearance in early 1961. Patricia began her acting career in London's West End, aged 18, playing the Sea Witch in Where the Rainbow Ends. After Corrie, she worked with Anthony Hopkins in the 1970s TV series War and Peace, and between 1985 and 1990, she appeared in six series of the BBC television series Howard's Way, playing Polly Urquhart.
Lynne Carol (Martha Longhurst)
Welsh actress Lynne Carol, who was a child performer, played Martha Longhurst for the first four years of Corrie's history. Martha was friends with Ena Sharples and Minnie Caldwell and spent the majority of her evenings gossiping and drinking milk stout in the snug of the Rovers. Carol was cut from the soap in 1964 following the arrival of new producer Tim Aspinall. Reports claim that her co-stars were furious with the decision, with Violet Carson (Ena) said to have threatened to resign. Martha died of a heart attack and was the first character to have an on-screen burial, with the graveside scenes shot on location at Manchester General Cemetery in Harpurhey. Carol continued to act after leaving the programme and appeared in small roles in Hadleigh, Z Cars, and Jack Rosenthal's 1972 Granada play Another Sunday and Sweet FA. She also appeared in the short-lived BBC serial The Newcomers and in the 1979 film Yanks starring Richard Gere. Her last appearance on screen was in The Black Madonna in the 1980s. She later died in 1990 in Blackpool, aged 76.
