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.

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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.

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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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