Coronation Street Characters

If you're a regular watcher of the show, chances are you have a few favorite Coronation Street characters. There's a reason they – and characters from just about all soap operas – are so memorable and beloved. They beguile viewers with their dramatic storylines, good looks and fascinating histories.

Characters make the program popular.

Coronation Street characters are an unforgettable bunch, indeed. The creator of the program, Tony Warren, drew on real life experiences when he created these roles back in 1960. As intriguing as the characters were at the program's inception years ago, it shows just how imaginative soap opera writers are that they have continued to introduce fresh, intriguing stories over the decades.

In the beginning, the show centered on a small but fascinating cast of characters residing in a modest group of terraced homes in fictional Weatherfield. The cobbled street setting may have looked typical, but inside the homes the characters' lives were anything but! The early character roster included:

• Annie Walker, a landlady whose pretentious demeanor was known to offend others
• Jack Walker, married to Annie, the love of his life
• Elsie Tanner, the tough, sassy, local bombshell (once described by the Prime Minister of the time as the sexiest woman on television!)
• Ena Sharples, the resident battleaxe and know-it-all

It's fair to say that a soap opera that has been on the air since 1960 has held its fair share of key characters. Later years saw the introduction of many unforgettable faces and stories. Among the many were:

• Len Fairclough, a hard-as-nails builder who married Rita, a nightclub singer
• Stan Ogden, a lorry driver and father of four who had a penchant for drinking and angry behavior
• Emily Bishop, the program's second longest running character
• Jerry Booth, a kind man who was unlucky in love
• Jack Duckworth, another long running character
• Deirdre Anne Hunt Langton Barlow Rachid, who has been through numerous relationships
• Curly Watts, an intellectual of sorts and the resident nice guy on the street
• Mike Baldwin, who suffered through many a relationship – four wives and 25 girlfriends, to be exact
• Ken Barlow, the program's longest running character

In normal cases, soap opera characters eventually leave the show, either due to a real life circumstance, poor response to the storyline or a natural progression of the character itself. Writers often use this as a reason for writing out a beloved character, stating that the role has run its course. In some situations, the character may be lucky enough to return, but in most cases, he or she is killed off, all but eliminating any chance of a surprise reappearance.

Just as Tony Warren used real life as fodder for the character's storylines at the beginning, so too did the program's writers in subsequent years. One such example is Leslie Duxbury, who wrote hundreds of scripts for the show between 1966 and 1991. The late Duxbury drew on his own experiences to create the style of drama so many British soap operas are recognized for, known as "kitchen-sink." It is called this for its attention to everyday families and basic domestic matters, such as conflicts between relatives and within the community. The "kitchen-sink" drama is recognized not only for its sheer entertainment value (which millions of viewers can clearly attest to), but also for its ability to raise awareness about social concerns and essentially bring a slice of real life to television screens.

That their stories have a foundation in real life makes the Coronation Street characters even more relatable to the average viewer. The idea of ordinariness being made into fodder for television is strangely appealing, mainly because the characters provide such exaggerated, well-portrayed views of just how horrible (and, much less commonly, wonderful) life can be.

In order to understand just what makes the characters tick, it's helpful to know exactly what Corrie, as fans worldwide affectionately know it, is all about. Coronation Street consists of a row of working class homes, divided between a corner shop and a public house on each end. Even the street's architecture is inspired by real life, a loose interpretation of the old Archie Street in Salford in the United Kingdom. The characters that live here are, likewise, interpretations of working class folk, whose dealings with community, family, religion and politics all provide fodder for the storylines. With such a lofty history to its credit, Coronation Street shows no signs of slowing, and continues to be a favorite among fans of all ages.

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