Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

14. Roy Cropper

Roy was brought into the soap in 1995 as the eccentric neighbour of Deirdre Rachid at Crimea Street. A secondary character for two years, then producer Brian Parks decided he had potential and made him a partner at the café with Gail Platt. Roy was and still is a popular and well loved character, known for his historical linked conversations and for being a bit serious. A year after he became a regular, a love interest for Roy was introduced, in the form of Hayley Patterson. But Hayley was no ordinary woman – she was a transsexual. Although controversial, Roy and Hayley married in 1999, although not by deed poll, in the café after being rejected by the church. Over their decade of a marriage, the Croppers have been established as a popular couple, in the same league as Jack and Vera, Stan and Hilda and Ken and Deirdre. Roy has starred in many storylines that include thinking he was the father of Tracy Barlow’s daughter Amy, taking Fiz Brown and Becky Granger in, being suspected of dealing drugs with Ken Barlow and finding out that Hayley had a son from when she was called Harold.

Should Roy be at 14? Or lower at 31? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

15. Fred Elliott

I did think of repeating every sentence in this paragraph, as that what Frederick Handel Elliott would’ve done. But, I won’t. Known for his booming voice and for his role as the local butcher, Fred was introduced as a friend of Alf Roberts in 1994 and who had a soft spot for Alf’s wife Audrey. As well as running a butcher’s, he was the Rovers landlord for six years, until he retired and sold it to Steve McDonald. Fred is also known for his tendency to propose to every woman he dated and those included Rita Sullivan, Doreen Heavey, Audrey Roberts and Penny King. He also became engaged to con woman Stacey Hilton (impersonating a Thai bride). But he did manage to get two women down the aisle during his twelve year tenure: Maureen Holdsworth in 1997, but she left him for Bill Webster a week later, and Eve Sykes, who turned out to be a bigamist. He was on his way to marry his fourth wife (first wife Sybil had died before he was introduced) Bev Unwin when he collapsed of a heart attack in old flame Audrey’s house in 2006. In 1999, Fred was revealed as the father of ‘nephew’ Ashley Peacock.

Should Fred be at 15? Or at 50 like in Corrieblog's poll? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

16. Becky McDonald (known as Becky Granger)

In the course of three years, Becky has developed from a drug dealer who stole Roy and Hayley Cropper’s Morris Minor with friend Neil Ackroyd to a funny and loveable part of the cobbles, now that she’s married to Rovers landlord Steve McDonald. She was brought in as an old friend of Kelly Crabtree in 2006, who she soon framed for theft. She fled the street but returned and found refuge at Roy’s Rolls, but she took advantage by stealing from the till and threatening customers. As always, Roy and Hayley forgave her and thus began a wonderful trio. When Hayley left the street for a year to build a school in Africa, Becky moved in with Roy and a double act was born, as well with café worker Ken Barlow. Although she’s best known as a comic, Becky has starred in key storylines, making her one of the strongest females in the soap’s history. Storylines including a romance with Jason Grimshaw, a love triangle between herself, future husband Steve and Steve’s girlfriend at the time and Becky’s best friend, Michelle Connor and being framed for keeping drugs by a bent copper.

Should Becky be at 16? Is she a Coronation Street icon as people say? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

17. Betty Williams (known as Betty Turpin)

Betty holds two records: the longest serving barmaid in soap history and the oldest barmaid in soap history. Nearly ninety, she’s still pulling pints behind the Rovers bar, forty years after she first did it. First husband Cyril Turpin was a policeman and Betty was heartbroken when he died of a heart attack in 1974. The same year she was revealed as the mother of her ‘nephew’ Gordon, a storyline that angered Bill Kenwright (Gordon Clegg) and Irene Sutcliffe (Maggie Cooke). It would be 21 years before Betty, now 75, would walk down the aisle again. Second husband Billy Williams was an old flame from the war and they met on the fiftieth anniversary of VE Day. He died in 1997 of the same fate as Cyril. Betty is famous for her Lancashire hotpot, a dish she has served since the seventies. Betty has always been popular with the punters and has been a shoulder to cry on to many. She formed a close friendship with co barmaid Bet Lynch in 1970 that lasts to this day and although she didn’t like being bossed around by her, she respected her boss of 14 years – the formidable Mrs Annie Walker!

Should Betty be at 17? Or down a bit at 18? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

18. Mike Baldwin

Mike Baldwin was brought into the serial as the owner of the new built factory in 1976. His affair with Deirdre Barlow in 1983 made headlines and began his long feud with her husband Ken. In 1986, he angered Ken more when he married his daughter Susan. Their marriage lasted two years, ending when Mike rejected Susan’s intentions of having a child. Three years later he married Jackie Ingram, who he married for her money. A week after the wedding, Jackie confronted him with a gun and they later divorced. A year later, he married Alma Sedgewick. They’d previously dated before Mike married Jackie and their marriage lasted nine years and ended when Alma found out about Mike’s affair with Julia Stone. In 2000, Mike married Linda Sykes but that also ended within the year after Mike found about Linda’s affair with his son Mark. In 2006, Mike began behaving strangely and was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s’. While walking confused on the street, he was found by old rival Ken and suffered a heart attack and died in Ken’s arms.

Should Mike be at 18? Or lower down at 29? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

19. Minnie Caldwell

Personally, I don’t think there’s never been a character like Minnie Caldwell and there never will be. An original character, she graced the cobbles for 16 years and although she didn’t have a great effect on the street, viewers think of Minnie with affection. Known for her love of cats, Minnie was part of the trio in the snug with Ena Sharples and Martha Longhurst. Martha’s sudden death in 1964 brought Minnie and Ena closer and they were untied for the next twelve years. A soft touch, she kept lodgers – the most famous being ex con Jed Stone in the sixties who fondly called Minnie ‘Ma’. As well as cats (Bobby and Sunny Jim), Minnie loved betting on the horses and was good friends with the bookie Dave Smith, although she did go missing when she went into debt. While Ena was her best friend, Minnie became engaged to Albert Tatlock in 1973 but she called it off when she found his habits annoying. In 1976, with Margot Bryant (who played Minnie) suffering memory loss, she was written out and was whisked off to Whaley Bridge with gentlemen friend Handel Gartside and we never saw her again.

Should she be at 19? Or lower down at 27? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

20. Norris Cole

Following the footsteps of bumbling businessmen Leonard Swindley and Reg Holdsworth, Norris Cole made his first appearance in 1994, annoying Derek and Mavis Wilton by stealing gnomes! Don’t ask! He became a regular in 1999 when he found lodgings with Emily Bishop and secured a job as Rita Sullivan’s assistant in the Kabin, forming a new double act. Storylines that Norris has starred in include holding a séance in the Kabin backroom, winning a contest in the Rovers when he dressed up as Eartha Kitt and representing Manchester in the Commonwealth Games. He is also known for being rude and enjoys gossiping about the neighbours. As well as being a comic character, Norris has starred in serious storylines such as meeting up with half brother Ramsay Clegg, proposing to good friend Rita (she declined) and trying to convince street folk that Richard Hillman was a crook. Known for being camp, he surprised Emily and Rita when he became friends with Mary Taylor. She had fallen for him and wished to travel the world with him, but he was happy on the cobbles and Mary left without him.

Should Norris be at 20? Or lower at 22? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

21. Emily Bishop

Beating the longest running male to the 21^st position is the longest running female – Emily Bishop. First appearing in 1961, we’ve seen Emily go from a young lady to an octogenarian. After jilting Leonard Swindley in 1964, she met and married Ernest Bishop in 1972. Their marriage was the most secure in the soap, but fate got in the way when Ernest was shot dead in a wages snatch in 1978. By 1980, Emily was married again – to Arnold Swain. He turned out to be a bigamist. Emily, or Miss Nugent as she was called during the sixties, has given a home to many street residents that have included Deirdre Langton, Norman Watts and Kevin Webster. Although referred as a serious character, Emily has shared comic scenes with long running lodgers Percy Sugden (1988-1997) and Norris Cole (1999-present). A staunch Christian, Emily became a victim to serial killer Richard Hillman in 2002 and 2003, but luckily escaped his evil clutches. During her tenure, Emily has had many jobs that have included shop assistant, hospital volunteer, café manageress and wages clerk.

Should Emily be at 21? Or lower at 30 like in Corrieblog's poll? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

22. Ken Barlow

Like the cobbles, Kenneth Barlow is a fixture on Coronation Street. He is the longest running character and the only original character left. During his five decades on the street, Ken has married four times and has dated 27 girlfriends! His first marriage to Valerie lasted nine years before she was electrocuted in 1971. Second wife Janet left him after a few months of marriage in 1973. He met his true love in the form of Deirdre in 1979 and they married in 1981. The marriage ended in 1990 when Ken had an affair. Fifteen years later, he remarried Deirdre. Miraculously, he’s only fathered three children: twins Peter and Susan in 1965 and Daniel thirty years later. Known for his quiff, Ken’s had numerous occupations that have included being a teacher, newspaper columnist and a cab driver. Ken had a 20 year rivalry with Mike Baldwin, who had an affair with Deirdre in 1983 and married Susan in 1986. Ironically, Mike died in Ken’s arms in 2006. Although referred as boring, Ken has starred in comic scenes – with Albert Tatlock in the 70s and 80s and currently with Blanche Hunt.

Should Ken be at 22? Or lower at 38 like in Corrieblog's poll? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

23. Stan Ogden

One half of Coronation Street’s most successful partnerships – Stan and Hilda Ogden. Providing comedy for the cobbles for twenty years, they provided the mould for the Duckworths later. Many people, remember Stan for being lazy, bumbling and workshy but back in 1964, he was known to abuse his children and wife Hilda. But by the 1970s, that was forgotten and he was a comedy asset to the soap. Over his two decade tenure, Stan had many jobs that included being a milkman, window cleaning and a labourer at the builder’s yard. Unlike Hilda, Stan was happy with his ordinary life on the street, supping beer in the Rovers, putting a bet on the horses and doing the pools. In 1976, Stan was in heaven when he was locked in with Albert Tatlock in the Rovers’ cellar, surrounded by barrels of beer. In 1980, Eddie Yeats became a lodger at Number 13, providing more comic scenes between him and Stan. By 1983, Bernard Youens (who played Stan) was unwell and in 1984 the character died off-screen, ending a forty year marriage to Hilda and leaving a huge gap on the cobbles.

Should Stan be at 23? Or higher at 11 like in Corrieblog's poll? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

24. Deirdre Barlow

Deirdre first graced our screens in 1972. Since then, she’s married four times and has had many boyfriends. She married her boss Ray Langton in 1975 and daughter Tracy was born in 1977. Ray left her in 1978 and she sought comfort in Ken Barlow who she married in 1981. In 1982, Deirdre had a headline affair with Mike Baldwin. The marriage survived the affair but ended when Ken had an affair with Wendy Crozier. After dating and marrying older men, Deirdre went to the other extreme in 1994 and married toyboy Samir Rachid, but it ended tragically when he was stabbed to death. Deirdre reunited with Ken in 1999 and they remarried in 2005. As well as romance, Deirdre’s had quite an eventful life. She was raped in 1977 that led her to contemplate suicide and two decades later she was behind bars for a crime she didn’t commit, thanks to Jon Lindsay. And to top it all off, daughter Tracy is currently serving time for murder. Deirdre is well known for her huge glasses and her love of smoking and recently for her brilliant partnership with mother Blanche.

Should Deirdre be at 24? Or higher at 20 like in Corrieblog's poll? Leave comments!

Top 50 Coronation Street Characters

25. David Platt

Halfway up the countdown is the only character in the poll that viewers have witnessed their birth. Born on Christmas Day 1990 to Martin Platt and Gail Tilsley, David didn’t have a major role in the soap for more than a decade, when Jack P Shepherd started playing the role. He became a main character after his parents split up and his mum married psycho Richard Hillman – which has mentally affected him. Over the years he has developed from an innocent schoolboy to a lying, scheming and manipulating sociopath. Among his evil deeds are writing greeting cards under the name Richard to his family members, pushing his mother down the stairs, nearly killing niece Bethany, ruining sister Sarah’s marriage to Jason Grimshaw, going on a vandalising rampage on the street and framing neighbour Gary Windass for burglary. For an 18 year old, he’s got a long list of enemies – including his sister! A relationship with Tina McIntyre failed to distract him from mischief, and she ended the relationship when she realised David wasn’t normal.

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