List of Coronation Street characters (2021)

The character and Ryan's casting was announced on 29 January 2021.[4] It was stated that Jacob would "shake things up" in Coronation Street, and it was confirmed that he is part of a gang that sell drugs disguised as food deliveries.^[5] On his casting, Ryan took to social media to state that he is "incredibly proud" to be able to appear on the soap, and stated that he found it difficult to keep his casting a secret. He explained that since he is from Manchester, he "can't quite articulate what it means" to be part of the cast of Coronation Street, and confirmed that he has watched the show since he was young, and always hoped to "step on those cobbles".^[5]

In scenes aired on 12 March 2021, it is revealed that Jacob has been secretly ripping drug lord Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor) off. When Harvey discovers his betrayal, he orders a beating for Jacob, and he is put into hospital. Following the episode, actor Ryan confirmed that the scenes were his last. He thanked the fans of the soap for welcoming him, and added that his time on Coronation Street was "an absolute dream come true" for him.^[6] However, Jacob returns in 2022 after series producer Iain MacLeod decided to bring him back to the soap. He explained his decision, stating that Ryan is a good actor and that the character "feels very Coronation Street and he's got funny bones. He's got a really good way with the comedy and feels very authentic as well."^[7] His return storyline sees him revealed as the boyfriend of Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney); the producers formed the relationship as they liked the idea of pairing a bad boy up with "somebody who is historically quite well behaved and wouldn't say boo to a goose".^[7] MacLeod added that the relationship will also explore Jacob's redemption as it explains how he ended up in the drugs industry. He felt that while Jacob has done some bad things, he is mature enough to know he needs to make amends in the town. He hoped that the scenes would "reframe people's view of him and make you see him in a slightly different light".^[7]

Ronnie Bailey

Ronnie Bailey, played by Vinta Morgan, made his first appearance on 19 February 2021.

Harvey Gaskell, played by Will Mellor, made his first appearance on 12 March 2021.^[15] Harvey is the drug lord boss of Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) and Jacob Hay (Jack James Ryan).^[16] The character and Mellor's casting was announced on 9 February 2021, where it was stated that his character will "pile on the pressure" for Simon, and that when Simon and adoptive mother Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) tries to free himself from the drug business, Harvey "no intention of letting them out of his grasp". On joining the soap, he commented: "I'm honoured to be asked to come into Coronation Street, it's such an iconic show and has been a huge part of my family life". He recalled that when he began acting, it was his mother's dream for him to join the soap, so he was happy to "finally be able to make it come true". He described the soap as a "Manchester institution", and that he was pleased to have finally appeared in the series.^[17] Talking about the character, Mellor stated that Harvey is the first "out-and-out baddie" he has played in his career, which made him excited to portray the role, adding that Harvey will "make some waves" in Weatherfield.^[18]

Executive producer Iain MacLeod expressed his excitement at Mellor's casting, and noted that he has "thrown himself heart and soul into making his character as terrifyingly real as possible". He confirmed that Harvey would have a large impact on the characters involved in the drug dealing storyline "from the moment he swaggers menacingly onto the screen".^[18] Mellor described Harvey as a "seasoned baddie who turns vulnerable people into drug dealers and bullies them into doing things they don't want to". He added that when Harvey threatens to break somebody's legs, "he means it". Mellor stated that he was "apprehensive" to join Coronation Street as a villain, and believes he will be confronted on the street by fans of the soap. Mellor explained that despite the soap being fictional, "die-hard fans feel everything for these characters" which led him to fear he would get a negative response from viewers. Prior to his first appearance airing, Mellor was already receiving messages from fans of the soap telling him to "leave Simon and Leanne alone", so he anticipated even more messages following his scenes airing.^[19]

After a trial, Harvey is found guilty of drug offences after Sharon betrayed him by providing evidence only to take his position as a drug lord. It was stated that Mellor had left the soap following Harvey's sentencing; however, in August 2021, Mellor was spotted filming for the soap again. It was then confirmed that he would be returning to Coronation Street.^[20] Harvey escapes from prison to get revenge on Leanne for sending him to prison and accidentally shoots Natasha Blakeman (Rachel Leskovac) in a case of mistaken identity as she is wearing the same Halloween costume as Leanne. Natasha dies in hospital from her injuries and Harvey goes back to prison after Leanne crashes the car into a skip and knocks Harvey unconscious.

Stefan Brent

Stefan Brent, played by

Detective Sergeant Lisa Swain, played by Vicky Myers,[24] is a detective who works at Weatherfield Police Station and has investigated multiple crimes since her introduction on 7 May. The first crime she investigated was the murder of

From 2021 and 2024, she was a recurring character, however on 4 March 2024 it was announced that Myers had been promoted to a regular character as she is seen appearing more frequently.[27] When told of her promotion, Myers told Digital Spy "We're only just scratching the surface with Swain. When I got the call that this was happening, it was very much that she was the itch that I needed to scratch."^[28] Myers also discussed the character's sexuality and revealed that she is gay by saying "Relationship-wise, we know she has a teenage daughter. I'm not entirely sure if everybody knows this, but Swain is gay. I think she perhaps has seen somebody that's caught her eye but at the moment she's far too busy with focusing on this investigation, her career, being a single mum and juggling her home life as well with her teenage daughter."^[29]

Glory Bailey

Glory Bailey, played by Eleanor Beckles (previously Kamiyah Brown),

Curtis Delamere, played by Sam Retford, made his first appearance on 24 May 2021. Curtis was introduced as a love interest for Emma Brooker (Alexandra Mardell) when the pair meet while she is working a shift in the Rovers Return Inn. Susannah Alexander, writing for Digital Spy, stated that he will bring "some excitement and potentially romance" to Emma's life.^[33] Calli Kitson of the Metro described Curtis as a "good-looking young man" who offers to help Emma move barrels of alcohol into the pub's cellar.^[34] The pair share a drink, but Emma's father Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) is unhappy to find them as he deems Curtis a "hooligan" since he knocked Steve from his bike in a charity bike race.^[34] Curtis knocking Steve from his bike led him to come last in the race, so he initially holds a grudge against Curtis.

Steve tries to make amends with Curtis by giving him pointers for his forthcoming interview at the Bistro. Steve and Emma help Curtis by giving him a mock interview, where he informs them that he is also training to become a doctor, which causes Emma to "swoon" and leaves Steve "impressed".^[34] He gets the job and thanks the pair for their help.^[34] Kate White of Inside Soap wrote that "sparks fly" between Curtis and Emma, and stated that there is "potential for romance" between the pair.^[35] White also confirmed that since Curtis had gotten the job at the Bistro, Emma and her family would be seeing "a lot more of Curtis", and pondered if the new relationship could be the "start of something special".^[35]

Retford was driving along the M60 motorway with his car strapped full of school lockers when his manager called him. They explained to the actor that the producers wanted him to portray Curtis, which left him feeling "very happy" for the rest of the journey.^[36] Retford described his character as determined, hardworking, nice and curious. He said that he has never played a character like Curtis before, who Retford finds to be nervous and has "a lot to learn, and a lot to offer".^[36] The actor liked that his character is different to previous roles, since he enjoyed playing a character who is happy and is enjoying life. On Curtis' budding relationship with Emma, Retford explained that his character sees a fresh start in her, which excites him.^[36]

Curtis and Emma's relationship bloomed into a marriage proposal under the pretense that Curtis was terminally ill. However, Curtis' infliction was in fact factitious disorder, meaning that as a result of his mental illness, he was lying to Emma about him dying, when there was in fact no threat to his physical health. Although Emma initially agreed to still marry Curtis and forgive him for his lies under the condition that he was honest with everyone moving forwards, the couple split once Emma saw Curtis telling hospital staff that he was dying, and the two would not be legally wed, leading to Curtis' departure from the show.

Fergus Dunford

Fergus Dunford, played by Toby Hadoke,^[37] was a traffic warden who appeared between July and November. He was also a friend and neighbour of Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston). Hadoke is the off-screen partner of Houston.^[38] Fergus' storylines included supporting Izzy through the COVID-19 pandemic, such as when her samples needed to meet deadlines at work, he encouraged her to ask for more time. Something which later caused her to quit her position at Underworld, but later ask for her job back with Fergus' support. Furthermore, when working as a parking attendant, he gives Sally Metcalfe (Sally Dynevor) a parking ticket which leads to an argument between the pair, however ended up giving her the short shrift after thinking she was bribing him out of it by offering to buy him a white wine.

Phill Whittaker

Phill Whittaker, played by Jamie Kenna,

Leo Thompkins, played by Joe Frost, made his first appearance on 27 September 2021. Leo is introduced as a construction worker who is employed to perform structural work on the Platt family's garden. His storylines then see him "quickly become wrapped up in what's happening on the street and [meeting] more people".[42] Frost described his character as a "salt of the earth bloke" who is hardworking and cares about the people around him.^[42] Frost did not know much about the character prior to securing the role, but had an interest in enriching his backstory and how he deals with people. Frost had watched Coronation Street for years prior to being cast and noted that his family are big fans of the soap; he felt that "the stars aligned" when he was cast as Leo.^[42] Frost found his first scene to be overwhelming, which he accredited to working with Helen Worth and Jack P. Shepherd. He was also grateful to Sally Ann Matthews and Charlotte Jordan for taking him "under their wing and giving Frost a "brilliant crash course in Corrie".^[42]

When Mendonça made her first appearance, fans immediately recognised her as Olivia Wheeler reported to OK! that "eagle-eyed soap watchers were left distracted during the scenes as they instantly recognised Orla Crawshaw star Carla Mendonça from My Parents Are Aliens."[44]

Tez Wyatt

Terence "Tez" Wyatt, played by

Isla however, has a husband unbeknownst to Tyrone and when they are on their date, Isla's husband Tony Haywood (Greg Snowden) arrives to collect her and is horrified to discover that she had not been meeting with her friends as she told him and was instead cheating on him. Tyrone apologises although Tony then punches him in the face. Oaten also commented on the marriage dynamic between Isla and Tony and how Tyrone fits into the situation. "‘Isla tells Tyrone she liked being married, but [her husband Tony] was a pipe and slippers kind of bloke,’ continued Gemma. Then Tony comes in, and he ain’t pipe and slippers! Poor Tyrone is going: “who’s this?” Isla is in the middle. You can see a tinge of: “[Tony] is fighting for me, he wants me!”, but when Tyrone gets punched, she’s like: “Oh my god, what are you doing?!” and that’s where some of the actual realities of their relationship come out. Tony says you’re meant to be out with the girls, and she tells him: “I’m with the father of one of our daughter’s friends, who if you spent any time with, you’d know that.”'^[52]

Lydia Chambers

Lydia Chambers, played by Rebecca Ryan, made her first appearance on 10 December 2021. Lydia was introduced as a new personal assistant at Underworld factory.^[53] She attends a meeting with Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) and later befriends Sarah, who is horrified to realise that she has history with Sarah's husband Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson), whom she dated at university. A jealous Lydia eventually starts to harass the couple by breaking into their apartment and leaving gifts and threatening notes, but she is not suspected after Adam believes that it is a man who lost against his legal team in court. After weeks of sending herself text messages pretending to be Adam and making purchases on a forged credit card belonging to Adam, she tells Sarah that they had been having an affair. Sarah believes Lydia and kicks Adam out of their flat. When Adam tries to find out why she is doing this to him, she explains that she is getting revenge on him for treating her badly during their fling years prior to this. She also trashes her own flat whilst Adam is in the building which leads police to think that this was his doing. Adam is then arrested. In March, Adam and Lydia come to blows in a shopping centre. This leads to Lydia pushing Adam off the balcony, leaving Adam with potentially life-threatening injuries, including possible damage to his sight. Fortunately, Adam recovers safely and when Lydia is arrested, he lies and tells the police he fell, because he felt that it was payback for how he treated Lydia during their relationship. Lydia calls a truce with Adam before she leaves Weatherfield.^[54]

When Lydia begins to show her sinister side, viewers predicted that she would be similar to