Coronation Street is a British soap opera first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960.^[1] The following is a list of characters introduced in 2022, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the programme's series producer, Iain MacLeod.^[2] Frank Bardsley (Simon O'Brien) joined in May as a love interest for Sean Tully (Antony Cotton). Jodie Prenger was cast as Glenda Shuttlworth, the sister of George (Tony Maudsley) and began appearing in August. She was then followed by Dee Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) who debuted in September. Cait Fitton made her debut in November as Lauren Bolton as part of a racial violence storyline, and Ciaran Griffiths and Andrew Still made their first appearances as respective characters Damon Hay and Justin Rutherford in December. Additionally, multiple other characters appeared throughout the year.

Teddy Thompkins

Teddy Thompkins, played by Grant Burgin,^[3] first appeared when he bumped into his old school friend Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews) at the hospital whilst she is in the waiting room. It is then found out that he is the father of Leo Thompkins (Joe Frost), who Jenny is in a relationship with. A few months later, he confronts Jenny in the pub after finding out that she kissed Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce), and tells Leo that she is bad news. Leo tells his dad to back off, but after Leo is murdered by Stephen, it is assumed that Leo took his dad's advice, and went to Canada alone.

Teddy then discovers that text messages being sent to him from Leo were not being sent from Canada, and actually from Weatherfield, as he is on his way to tell Jenny, he becomes suspicious of Stephen asking so many questions, and realises that he is responsible for his son's disappearance, however, he is then suddenly hit by a van, and end up in hospital, not being able to remember anything. He then moves in with Jenny, leaving Stephen uncomfortable that his secret might be exposed. Teddy eventually remembers what happened, confronts Stephen, which leads to him hitting him over the head with a hole puncher, and killing him. Stephen then puts his body in a roof box, and dumps it in a canal.

Jon Spear

Jon Spear, played by Jordan Ford Silver,^[4] made his first appearance on 28 January 2022. He is introduced as the grandson of Ted Spear (Duggie Brown), and is first seen talking with Emma Brooker (Alexandra Mardell) at Ted's funeral. Unbeknownst to Jon, Emma and Faye Windass (Ellie Leach) are partly responsible for Ted's death as Faye, who was a learner driver was driving her father's taxi, under Emma's supervision. Emma however was tipsy after a New Year's Eve party. Jon tells Emma how close he was to his grandad, and how he hopes that whoever did this to him, does not get away with it, leaving Emma unnerved. However, Faye eventually tells Jon what happened and Jon was happy to hear that someone was there for his granddad when he died. He and Emma later fall in love and leave for Australia to run a bar on Bancoora Beach together.

Dean Turnbull

Dean Turnbull, played by Anthony Crank^[5] is Abi Webster's (Sally Carman) drug dealer who first appears on 4 March. He stole a car from Websters Motors, however Abi manages to get into the passenger seat while going into labour Dean pulls over and once Abi leaves the car he ceases on this opportunity and speeds off. He returned on 21 August 2023^[6] as part of Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney)'s story line, where she is struggling to get her life back on track after years of addiction. He meets up with her for his owed money and ends up assaulting her, however Abi warns him off, and he departs again on 6 September. He returned again on 9 January 2024 to supply Abi with Morphine, which she buys for Paul Foreman (Peter Ash).

Alfie Franklin

Alfie Franklin is the son of Abi Webster (Sally Carman) and Imran Habeeb (Charlie De Melo) who was born after their one-night stand months prior. When Abi's husband Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) found out about Abi's pregnancy, she lied and said that her late son Seb Franklin (Harry Visinoni)'s father Tez Wyatt (Stephen Lord) is the father, which he discovers is a lie when he sees Alfie's birth certificate.

Alfie is born prematurely and is then abandoned by Abi in the hospital when she panics about what would happen next. Then, Imran hired paralegal Ben Chancellor (Jon-Paul Bell) to follow Abi around and take photos that look as though she's doing drugs again.^[7] As a result of this, and her recent drug abuse, Imran is awarded custody of Alfie with Abi allowed supervised visits only.

In June, Imran dies in a car crash meaning that Abi is awarded custody of Alfie, however resides with Wendy Crozier (Roberta Kerr), who is assessing Abi's ability to look after Alfie after her history of drug abuse and her abandonment of Alfie at birth. He now lives with Abi and Kevin, with Kevin's son Jack Webster (Kyran Bowles) at 13 Coronation Street.

Aaron Sandford

Aaron Sandford, played by James Craven^[8] is the ex-boyfriend of Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby), who raped Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney). He first appears as a member of a diabetics support group who bonds with Summer Spellman during her first visit. They start to see each other outside of the support group, although when Summer confides in Aaron about her bulimia, he informs her that he would prefer to only see her at the support group from then on, leaving her disheartened. They eventually begin a relationship.

When he contacts his ex-girlfriend, Mia Penrose (May Daley) and the pair stay up late into the night talking, which is overheard by his flatmate Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney). Summer discovers that the pair were talking and is unhappy to learn that Aaron had discussed their personal problems with Mia. Aaron and Summer argue, during which he gets drunk and flirts with Amy. Amy is initially receptive to the sexual advances, but falls unconscious and whilst unable to further consent, Aaron rapes her.^[9] Aaron repeatedly denied what he did, and when Amy realised what happened, she took to social media, revealing what Aaron did to her. However, Aaron's father decided to sue her for libel. Eventually, the libel changes are dropped and Aaron departs from Weatherfield with his dad.^[10]

Frank Bardsley

Frank Bardsley, played by Simon O'Brien, made his first appearance on 27 May 2022. O'Brien began filming for Coronation Street in March 2022, with his casting being announced two months later. It was confirmed that O'Brien had been contracted as a guest star and would be appearing for a "couple of months".^[11] O'Brien, having appeared on the Channel 4 soap Brookside as Damon Grant in the 1980s, said that returning to a soap opera was difficult and a "learning curve" for him since the industry had changed so much.^[12] It was confirmed by Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly that Frank would be a love interest for established character Sean Tully (Antony Cotton). The pair meet whilst Sean is working at the Rovers Return Inn and Frank begins flirting with him. Sean is initially reluctant to go on a date with Frank but eventually overcomes his insecurities and begins a relationship with Frank. It later emerges that Frank bullied Sean's housemate, George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) whilst they were at school together. Frank claims to be remorseful for his actions but George is unconvinced. Despite warnings from George, Sean continues to date Frank until he catches him bullying his son, Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) and immediately breaks up with him.

Coronation Street producers told Kilkelly that Frank has hidden depths. The backstory involves a childhood connection to George, "who knows details about his past and is wary of him".^[11] Kilkelly wondered if Frank would still be the same person George knew or if he had changed.^[11] This connection was later revealed as Frank having bullied George in school.^[12] Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews) urges Sean to pursue his relationship with Frank, but Digital Spy's Susannah Alexander hinted that their relationship will not be "plain sailing".^[13]

O'Brien told Inside Soap that throughout his career, he has always wanted to "have a pint in the Rovers" since he felt it is an iconic landmark for the acting industry.^[12] Sarah Ellis of the magazine asked him if he was enjoying playing Frank, to which he said that he could not think of a better character to play. He explained that he loves playing light and comedic scenes, which he felt were the "basis of Corrie", but appreciated that below that, Frank is a flawed character, which he enjoyed from an acting perspective.^[12] He was also asked if he was worried about a negative reception from viewers. O'Brien admitted that he feared backlash from fans of both George and Sean and joked that he "may have to lay low for a while".^[12]

Glenda Shuttleworth

Glenda Shuttleworth, played by Jodie Prenger, made her first appearance on 5 August 2022. Prenger's casting was announced on 20 June 2022 and her character was confirmed to be the sister of established character George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley).^[14] Glenda is a former cruise ship singer who becomes a barmaid in the Rovers Return Inn.^[15] Glenda is first seen outside the funeral directors before a funeral is about to take place. George is unwell and cannot deliver the service himself, so Glenda arrives in perfect timing. She is also helped by Sean Tully (Antony Cotton). After the service is over, George meets Glenda in the pub and is pleased to see her. He introduces her to Todd (Gareth Pierce) and Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver); Glenda compliments Eileen on the smell of her perfume and buys her a drink.

Griff Reynolds

Griff Reynolds, played by Michael Condron was a far-right extremist, who appears to be a friend of Spider Nugent (Martin Hancock), who is actually an undercover cop, but this is unbeknownst to Griff. He convinces Toyah Habeeb (Georgia Taylor) to come to their demo, and Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) comes along to peaceful protests, however Griff's behavior does begin to cross the lines on a few occasions such as assaulting police officer Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) by throwing a bottle. Peter then attends a concert with Griff, of which the band sing racist lyrics, which reveals Griff to be a racist.

It is later revealed that he is part of a far-right gang, who begin to groom Max Turner (Paddy Bever) into becoming a part of his gang which leads him to turn against his family, friends and neighbours whilst also believing everything Griff is saying. Max ends up making racist videos and sharing them on social media, but things get worse when Griff and his mates plant a bomb in a van near the Weatherfield Winter Market. When Max finds this out, he warns everyone. Max is eventually charged with his crimes, as is Griff and he ends up in an STC, whereas Griff is imprisoned. Griff returns however, to speak to spider about who is behind the racist gang and whether he would reveal them or not.^[16] Months later, after being released from the STC, Max was prepared to get Griff taken down for his crimes.^[17]

Eliza Woodrow

Eliza Woodrow, played by Savannah Kunyo is the granddaughter of Stu Carpenter (Bill Fellows), who comes into his care after his murder conviction is clear and her mother Bridget Woodrow (Beth Vyse) is arrested for murder.

Eliza was born 19 May 2011, whilst Stu was serving a 27-year prison sentence for the murder of his lover Charlie Walter, which was actually committed by Bridget, but was advised to cover it up by mother Lucy Woodrow (Lynda Rooke), however when Stu was released and wanted to be a part of Eliza's life as well as Bridget's, he told his granddaughter what life in prison was like, which made Bridget break down in tears and confess to what she'd done and land her mother in it for her part. As Alya Nazir (Sair Khan) and Dee Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) were trying to help Stu get his name cleared, Bridget and Lucy ended up being arrested, later being given a 15-year sentence and a 20-year sentence respectively. Before Stu was cleared of his conviction, Eliza went into care but later returned to Stu, who lives at 6 Coronation Street with Yasmeen Metcalfe (Shelley King) and Alya when his name was cleared.

In August 2023, Eliza's father Dom Everett (Darren Morfitt) came back into Eliza's life and since then, a custody battle between him and Stu has commenced.

Dee Dee Bailey

Diana "Dee Dee" Bailey, played by Channique Sterling-Brown, made her first appearance on 28 September 2022. Sterling-Brown's casting details were announced on 4 September, while the character has been mentioned by her on-screen family since their introduction in 2019.^[18] The show's producer Iain MacLeod admitted to being a fan of the character before she "physically existed" just by hearing her description from the Bailey family.^[18] Dee Dee is a lawyer and MacLeod stated that viewers could expect "a certain amount of chaos. She's got an incredibly big heart. She's incredibly competent at her job, but you'd never guess that to meet her."^[18]

MacLeod said Dee Dee would be involved in a major storyline, but she would not be hiding a "dark secret" like most newly introduced characters.^[18] He explained "She's so exuberant and just seems so bulletproof and impervious to the travails of modern life that she dusts herself down and gets on with it. I didn't want to discover that she's got some terrible burden."^[18] He thought that it was a "refreshing" decision and allowed the character to be "incredibly joyous." He believed the audience would take to her.^[18]

At the 2023 British Soap Awards, for her portrayal of Dee Dee, Sterling-Brown won the Best Newcomer accolade.^[19]

Lauren Bolton

Lauren Bolton, played by Cait Fitton, made her first appearance on 2 November 2022.^[20] Lauren is the daughter of Reece Bolton (Scott Anson), a member of a racist gang controlled by Griff Reynolds (Michael Condron). She hangs out with Max Turner (Paddy Bever) due to his involvement with the gang, eventually becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. However, once her father and the gang have been arrested, she and Max break up as she leaves Weatherfield for Devon to live with her mother.^[21]

In June 2023, Digital Spy announced that Lauren would be returning to the series, with Fitton reprising her role that same month.^[22] Lauren returns to Max after a fallout with her mother, but learns that Max is dating Sabrina Adetiba (Luana Santos).

Damon Hay

Damon Hay, played by Ciarán Griffiths, made his first appearance on 16 December 2022.^[23] Damon is the estranged father of Jacob Hay (Jack James Ryan) and half-brother of Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor).^[24] Harvey gives a significant amount of money to a desperate Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) to help the bistro, but Nick was unaware it was owed Damon. Now Damon believes he is a rightful owner, he begins to use the bistro for a drug trade and Damon blackmails Nick into giving his son Jacob a job at the bistro^[25] to make him the handler of the drugs, However Jacob has to get rid of it due to a sniffer dog in the bistro, Damon, angry with Jacob forces him to leave the cobbles for good.^[26] He then starts an affair with Nick's sister Sarah Barlow (Tina O'Brien).^[27] However, once Sarah's husband Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) finds out, Adam, seeking revenge warns one of Damon's enemies Niall, by telling him that damon is going to grass him up to the police, knowing full well that Niall will go after Damon, Adam warns Damon that people are after him. Damon, scared for his life leaves Weatherfield.^[28] However, Sarah is now pregnant and there is a question that he maybe the father.^[29]

Justin Rutherford

Justin Rutherford, played by Andrew Still, is a young Scottish man that Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan) meets briefly at Weatherfield General when going for a mammogram and ultrasound. He later develops a romantic obsession with her and wants her to be with him instead of her fiancé Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard). He stalks her and sends messages to her on social media and flowers. He also starts working as a delivery driver in order to see Daisy more and sends her texts, much to her annoyance. Having had enough of Justin harassing her, Daisy lures him to Victoria Gardens and berates him for his attitude towards her, which causes Justin to attack her. Local police officer Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) witnesses this and arrests Justin for assault. Justin is charged for assault but is later released on bail. On the day of Daisy's wedding, Justin confronts her in The Rovers Return and throws a glass of acid at her, only for her friend Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) to jump between them and is hit in the face and upper body by the acid. Justin flees the pub, but later is seen by Daisy at the car park of Weatherfield General and confronts him for what he did. Justin tries to justify his actions, before Daisy alerts the police, who arrest him for GBH and breaching his bail. At his plea hearing, Justin pleaded not guilty for what had happened to Ryan.

At his trial, Justin tried to convince the jury that it was Ryan who had tried to throw the acid at him, only to spill it on himself. However, he was found guilty and would be sentenced at a later date. As Justin left court, he told Daisy that he still loved her and that they would be together again. Justin was later sentenced to ten years in prison for the acid attack.

After being accidentally soaked with water by a boy named Gav Adetiba, Ryan has a hallucination and sees Justin instead of Gav. Angry to see the man responsible for his injuries, Ryan lashes out and has to be restrained by Daisy and Max Turner (Paddy Bever) before coming to his senses and apologies to Gav.

Other characters

References

External links

• Cast and characters at itv.com
• Cast and characters at the IMDb