Ken Barlow
He has tried many times to escape his working-class roots, but Ken Barlow (William Roache) seems destined to remain in Weatherfield all his days.
Marriages Valerie Tatlock (deceased), Janet Reid (deceased), Deirdre Langton (divorced), Deirdre Rachid (remarried)
Children Peter, Susan, Daniel, Tracy (adopted)
1960 A university undergraduate, he lives with mum Ida, dad Frank and brother David, but is embarrassed by his working-class background.
1961 Graduates with a 2:1 in Modern History and English. Turns down a teaching job in Surrey to look after dad when mum is killed in road accident. His brother David becomes a successful professional footballer.
1962 Marries hairdresser Valerie Tatlock in August.
1965 Valerie gives birth to twins Peter and Susan in April. His brother marries Irma Ogden in December.
1966 Has an affair with glamorous reporter Jackie Marsh.
1967 Jailed for seven days for taking part in a banned demo against the Vietnam War.
1968 Valerie's held hostage in their home by convicted rapist Ken Riley and it takes Ken a long time to believe Valerie herself wasn't assaulted. His brother emigrates to Australia.
1970 Gets a grant to study in New York for two months. Brother David and his son Darren die in car accident in Australia.
1971 Gets a teaching job in Jamaica but Valerie dies in a freak electrical accident. Can't cope with being a single dad and sends the twins to Val's mum in Glasgow.
1972 Appointed Deputy Head at Bessie Street School and has brief romance with Rita Littlewood, stepmother of a pupil.
1973 Headmaster's daughter Elaine Perkins spurns his proposal. Briefly dates Norma Ford then breaks her heart by marrying Janet Reid.
William Roache's real-life son, Linus, plays Ken's son Peter for the next two years.
1974 Janet leaves him. Ken goes to work at the Mark Brittain warehouse.
1975 Loses his job after a fire and works as a cab driver.
1976 Married woman Wendy Nightingale moves in with him, but soon returns to her hubby. Ken moves in with Valerie's uncle Albert Tatlock.
1977 Janet commits suicide.
1979 Dates single mum Deirdre Langton.
1980 Finishes with Deirdre when it gets too serious.
1981 Rekindles his relationship with Deirdre and they marry in July.
1982 Youth Club organiser Ken refuses to give the police the name of a lad who Deirdre suspects of mugging people. Betty Turpin is mugged and Deirdre's suspicions are proved right. Ken apologises to Betty.
1983 Saves his marriage after discovering Mike Baldwin has been seeing Deirdre. Buys a share in the Recorder newspaper.
1984 Uncle Albert Tatlock dies.
1985 Daughter Susan moves to Weatherfield and dates Ken's arch rival Mike.
1986 Susan marries Mike and Ken's furious. Legally adopts Deirdre's daughter Tracy.
1987 Takes in Susan after she walks out on Mike.
1989 Beds secretary Wendy Crozier on his 50th birthday. Deirdre discovers affair and throws him out.
1990 New Year's Day and he's homeless. Moves in with Wendy but that relationship fails. Forced to sell share in Recorder to pay off mortgage. Ends up living in flat above corner shop and teaching at Weatherfield Comp. By end of year he's suicidal; Bet Gilroy saves his life.
1991 Dates Alma Sedgewick, but Mike seduces her.
1992 Starts seeing Maggie Redman, mother of Mike's son Mark. They split up.
1993 Dates Denise Osbourne.
1994 Denise is pregnant but doesn't want to live with Ken.
1995 Becomes dad to son Daniel, born on 4 January. Denise cheats on him with her brother-in-law Brian.
1996 Denise leaves with Brian and Ken gets Daniel. Rekindles romance with ex-wife Deirdre. Months later, Denise returns and takes Daniel with her to Scotland. Depressed, Ken divorces Deirdre.
1998 Has a short stint working for Alec Gilroy as a male escort.
1999 Reunites with Deirdre and they move in together, along with Deirdre's mum Blanche.
2001 Mike learns Ken's secret - that Susan had Mike's baby. Susan dies trying to flee and Mike fights Ken for custody of son Adam.
2002 Assaults tearaway pupil Aidan Critchley, who had been making his life a misery. Resigns from teaching.
2003 Discovers Deirdre's one-night-stand with Dev but forgives her. Finds out Peter has a baby, Simon, with secret lover Lucy but is denied access.
2004 Becomes a granddad again when Tracy has a baby, Amy. Wins a car in a TV quiz show along with the rest of the Barlow family.
2005 Remarries Deirdre, coincidentally the day before the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla.
2006 Old foe Mike, who has Alzheimer's, dies in his arms from pneumonia.
2007 Marriage is strained by Tracy's conviction for murdering Charlie Stubbs and Ken leaves. Rebuilds relationship with son Daniel.
2008 Blanche (wrongly) accuses him of having a homosexual relationship with Gail Platt's father Ted Page. Son Peter turns up with his son Simon.
2009 Confesses affair with actress Martha Fraser; Deirdre forgives him. Struggles to help Peter with his alcoholism.
2010 Discovers Deirdre has cheated on him again with love rat Lewis. Discovers he has a middle-aged son by his late, first girlfriend Susan. Meets Lawrence and his son, James, for the first time and learns that the pair do not have a good relationship because os James's homosexuality.
Played by William Roache
William was born on 25 April 1932 in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, to mum Hester, a keen amateur dramatist, and dad, Vince, a local GP. William began to study medicine, but was drafted for National Service and liked the army life so much that he later... Read More
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Coronation Street Current Cast
- A
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Anna Windass
played by Debbie Rush
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Ashley Peacock
played by Steven Arnold
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Audrey Roberts
played by Sue Nicholls
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Amy Barlow
played by Elle Mulvaney
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Bill Webster
played by Peter Armitage
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Becky McDonald
played by Katherine Kelly
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Betty Williams
played by Betty Driver
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Blanche Hunt
played by Maggie Jones
- C
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Carla Gordon
played by Alison King
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Chesney Battersby-Brown
played by Sam Aston
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Claire Peacock
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Ciaran McCarthy
played by Keith Duffy
- D
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Darryl Morton
played by Jonny Dixon
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David Platt
played by Jack P Shepherd
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Deirdre Barlow
played by Anne Kirkbride
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Dev Alahan
played by Jimmi Harkishin
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Eddie Windass
played by Steve Huison
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Eileen Grimshaw
played by Sue Cleaver
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Emily Bishop
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Fiz Stape
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- G
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Gary Windass
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Graeme Proctor
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Gail Platt
played by Helen Worth
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Hayley Cropper
played by Julie Hesmondhalgh
- J
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Janice Battersby
played by Vicky Entwistle
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Jesse Chadwick
played by John Thomson
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Joe McIntyre
played by Reece Dinsdale
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John Stape
played by Graeme Hawley
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Julie Carp
played by Katy Cavanagh
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Jack Duckworth
played by Bill Tarmey
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Jason Grimshaw
played by Ryan Thomas
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Joshua Peacock
played by Benjamin Beresford
- K
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Ken Barlow
played by William Roache
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Kevin Webster
played by Michael Le Vell
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Kirk Sutherland
played by Andrew Whyment
- L
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Liz McDonald
played by Bev Callard
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Lloyd Mullaney
played by Craig Charles
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Leanne Battersby
played by Jane Danson
- M
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Maria Connor
played by Samia Smith
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Michelle Connor
played by Kym Marsh
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Molly Dobbs
played by Vicky Binns
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Mary Taylor
played by Patti Clare
- N
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Norris Cole
played by Malcolm Hebden
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Nick Tilsley
played by Ben Price
- P
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Pam Hobsworth
played by Kate Anthony
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Peter Barlow
played by Chris Gascoyne
- R
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Rita Sullivan
played by Barbara Knox
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Rosie Webster
played by Helen Flanagan
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Roy Cropper
played by David Neilson
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Ryan Connor
played by Ben Thompson
- S
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Sarah Louise Platt
played by Tina O'Brien
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Simon Barlow
played by Alex Bain
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Sally Webster
played by Sally Whittaker
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Sean Tully
played by Antony Cotton
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Sophie Webster
played by Brooke Vincent
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Steve McDonald
played by Simon Gregson
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Sian Powers
played by Sacha Parkinson
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Sunita Alahan
played by Shobna Gulati
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Tina McIntyre
played by Michelle Keegan
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Tony Gordon
played by Gray O'Brien
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Tyrone Dobbs
played by Alan Halsall
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Tracy Barlow
played by Kate Ford
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Vera Duckworth
played by Elizabeth Dawn
