List of Coronation Street characters (2000)

The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street in 2000, by order of first appearance

Kirsten Grant

Kirsten Grant was a girl who bullied pregnant thirteen year old Sarah-Louise Platt (Tina O'Brien). She made her first appearance on 13th March 2000 and made her last appearance on 19th May 2000. She was portrayed by Vicky Connett.

In March 2000, Kirsten was one out of many pupils to stair at Sarah-Lou after they discovered she was pregnant at the age of just thirteen, and, along with the rest of the pupils, they bullied the girl by putting a baby doll in her locker and calling her names. However, Sarah-Lou's best mate, Candice Stowe, stood up for Sarah-Lou, despite a threat from Kirsten that she wouldn't be her friend anymore if she stuck by Sarah-Lou.

In May 2000, Sarah-Lou was upset once Candice told her she was hanging with Kirsten now as she is nicer. This was proven true when Kirsten apologized to Sarah for Bullying her two months previously and Sarah-Lou accepted her apology.

Dr. Wilson

Dr. Wilson was a pediatrician, who examined thirteen year old Sarah-Louise Platt and found that she was pregnant. She made her first appearance on 21 February 2000 and made her last appearance on 23 February 2000. She was portrayed by Lois Higgins.

In February 2000, when thirteen year old Sarah-Lou refused to eat her daily meals and was constantly sick, it made her mother, Gail, worry about her as she was afraid that her daughter was developing an eating disorder. She took her daughter to the doctors, where she was examined by Dr. Wilson. After the examination was done, Dr. Wilson told the shocked mother and daughter that Sarah-Lou was five months pregnant, meaning it was also too late for a termination and that they would have to be visited by social services.

Lydia Summers

Lydia Summers was a social worker, who had a word with the Platt family when thirteen year old Sarah-Louise became pregnant. She made her first and last appearance on 27 February 2000. She was portrayed by Alison Darling.

In February 2000, Lydia was contacted to have a word with the Platt family, who's thirteen-year-old daughter, Sarah-Louise, is pregnant and there could be a possible reason that stepfather, Martin, was the baby's father. She does have a private word with Sarah-Louise in her bedroom and even though she doesn't want to talk about him, Sarah-Louise talks about the baby's father, Neil Fearns.

Judith Roberts

Judith Roberts was Sarah-Louise Platt's midwife. She made her first appearance on 3 May 2000 and made her last appearance on 5 June 2000. She was portrayed by Jane Hogarth.

In May 2000, Judith first appeared as a midwife at an antenatal class. One of her patients, Jenny Lyons, asks her if her mother can be at the baby's birth, to which Judith happily agrees to.

In June 2000, Judith is about to deliver Sarah-Louise's baby. Sarah gives birth to a baby girl, later naming her Bethany. Later on, she gives Sarah's mother, Gail, advice on how to be grandmother for the very first time.

In March 2016, when Sarah gave birth to her third baby, Harry, whilst she was in the hospital, her named midwife was Judith Roberts.

Josh Lyons

Josh Lyons is the son of Jenny and her unknown ex-boyfriend. He made his first appearance on 3 November 2000 and made his last appearance on 4 June 2001. He was portrayed by Adam Chapman but it was unknown if he played the role again on the character's last appearance.

Josh was born in 2000 to a pregnant thirteen year old Jenny, who had a relationship with an unknown boy. Once he discovered she was pregnant, he left Jenny to raise Josh on her own, wanting nothing to do with him.

In August 2000, whilst at Bethany Platt's Christening party, Jenny revealed to friends, Sarah and Candice Stowe, that Josh can get sick easily. This makes Candice hand Bethany over to Roy Cropper.

In November 2000, Josh makes his first appearance alongside his mother when they were at the Platts' house for a bombfire. Candice went over to the house upset as she was dating Vikram Desai, pretending to be in her twenties when she really was fourteen and felt humiliated when he found out.

In June 2001, Josh appeared again at Bethany's first birthday party. There, Jenny meets Kevin Webster, who stopped by at 8 Coronation Street to give Sarah a present for Bethany. He also lost his wife and baby son, Alison and Jake, the previous year. When he heard Josh's name, it upset him as it was similar to his dead son's name.

Jenny Lyons

Jenny Lyons is the mother of Josh and former friend of Sarah-Louise Platt. She made her first appearance on 3 May 2000 and made her last appearance on 4 June 2001. She was portrayed by Natalie Lawless.

In May 2000, Sarah met Jenny at their first antenatal class. Like Sarah, Jenny's pregnancy was a mistake and her boyfriend left her, wanting nothing to do with the child. She asks midwife, Judith Roberts, if her mother can be at the baby's birth, to which Judith happily agrees to.

In July 2000, after Sarah and her baby daughter, Bethany, returned to 8 Coronation Street from Jenny's baby son Josh's Christening, she says she wants to get Bethany Christened as well. In August, when Sarah's best friend Candice Stowe's mother, Marion, banned her from attending the Christening, she tells Sarah to ask Jenny to be Godmother alongside Hayley Cropper, to which Sarah refuses to do. Candice decides to sneak out and her plan succeeds but has to bring then boyfriend, Darren Michaels, with her. Jenny was a guest at the event. However, the Christening party was ruined when Marion turned up at No.8 to collect her daughter and made a scene while Sarah's younger half brother, David, was brought in a police cab after he was caught shoplifting.

In November 2000, Jenny appears again at No.8 with her baby son Josh to attend a bombfire with the Platts. She and Sarah also comfort Candice when she was dating Vikram Desai and discovered that she was fourteen and not his age as he thought.

In June 2001, Jenny and Josh appear again at Bethany's first birthday party. There, she meets Kevin Webster, whose wife and baby son, Alison and Jake, passed away a year earlier. He became upset with Josh's name as it was similar to his deceased son's name.

Glen Middleham

Glen Middleham was the boyfriend of Sarah Platt. He made his first appearance on 5 November 2000 and made his last appearance on 7 January 2001. He was portrayed by Will Haigh.

In November 2000, Glen met Sarah Platt and her best friend, Candice Stowe, at the pictures. That same month and year, he and Sarah started dating but unknown to Glen, Sarah was the teenage mother of a baby daughter, Bethany, and kept her hidden from him. However, it was later discovered when Sarah's adoptive father, Martin, found them alone at 8 Coronation Street and told Glen that Bethany was Sarah's daughter. This caused Glen to leave the house with both anger and confusion. However, he and Sarah got back together on New Year's Day when Sarah admitted of how she felt, but when Candice told Sarah that Glen was spreading rumors that they had sex when they really didn't, Sarah angrily confronted him and broke off their relationship.

Darren Michaels

Darren Michaels was the boyfriend of Candice Stowe. He made his first appearance on 4 August 2000 and made his last appearance on 4 March 2001. He was portrayed by Bruno Langley (who would go for the role of Todd Grimshaw a year later) in 2000 and by Nicholas Zabel in 2001.

In August 2000, Darren goes to the Christening of Bethany Platt (Candice's best friend Sarah's daughter) with girlfriend Candice, who had lied to her mother, Marion, so she can go to the event. However, Marion would later angrily turn up at 8 Coronation Street and drag her daughter off (Sarah was thirteen when she had Bethany and Marion found her a bad influence on her daughter until November 2001).

In March 2001, Darren discovered from Sarah's younger half brother, David, that Candice was two timing him and Todd Grimshaw. He angrily went across the street from No.8 to 11 Coronation Street and dumped Candice along with Todd. However, after the incident, Todd and Candice got back together after Candice told him that she was going to dump Darren for him.

Marion Stowe

Marion Stowe is the mother of Candice (Nikki Sanderson). She made her first appearance on 19 March 2000 and made her last appearance on 7 September 2003. She was portrayed by Paula Simms.

In March 2000, Marion told Candice and her best friend, Sarah-Louise Platt (Tina O'Brien), that she doesn't want them hanging out together because of Sarah being pregnant. When Sarah-Lou returned to 8 Coronation Street upset and told her mother, Gail (Helen Worth), of what had happened, Gail stormed over to the Stowe's house and had a row with Marion when Candice intervened and told her mother that Sarah-Lou is a good friend. Marion told her daughter that she can have a reputation as a "little slap," but warned her that if she ever gets pregnant, she will kick her out and slammed the front door in Gail's face.

In May 2000, before they went out to baby shop, Sarah-Lou told Gail and her adoptive father, Martin (Sean Wilson), that Marion had told her it was bad luck to buy things before the baby is born, to which Gail angrily replied that Marion should think before she speaks and that everything she says "is nothing but superstitious twaddle!" That same month and year, Candice told Sarah-Lou that her mother wouldn't allow her to take boys up to her bedroom anymore because of her (Sarah-Lou) being pregnant. This made Sarah-Lou emotionally offended.

In August 2000, after Sarah (as she now wants to be called) gave birth to her daughter Bethany (Mia Cookson) in June, Marion turned up at No.8 to collect Candice, who had secretly gone to the christening while she had banned her from attending. She pointed a finger at Sarah and called her a "little tramp" and insulted christening pastor, Jessica Lundy (Olwen May), who told her back that she wishes her mouth were as small as her mind! She physically dragged Candice from the house while Gail, Martin, and Sarah's maternal grandmother, Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls), followed her outside the front yard. Gail angrily confronted her for embarrassing herself and her daughter and Martin told her that having Bethany christened is none of her business while Audrey watched without saying a word. Marion told them that if they found out Sarah was pregnant sooner, they should've had a termination because they were going through a "charade" and that they were "fooling nobody."

In July 2001, Marion turned up at the front yard of No. 8 again after Candice tried to sneak off to go on a holiday camping trip with the Platts. She told her she doesn't want her ending up like Sarah; she also accused Candice's then boyfriend, Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley), of having sex on his mind and told the family that Martin is a bad father. They tried to convince her to let Candice come with them but she said it will only happen over her dead body. Again, she dragged Candice off.

In November 2001, Marion discovered it was her own daughter who was the bad influence on Sarah after she bullied her into letting her copy her homework so she can save her factory job. Candice had also hidden bags of expensive shopping in Sarah's bedroom when she was afraid her mother would find them in her own room. When Gail discovered the items in her daughter's bedroom, she confronted Sarah, thinking she had stolen them, but Sarah told her they're Candice's but wouldn't give an explanation for them. This resulted in Gail summoning Marion and her daughter and Candice tried to make Sarah look like the guilty party but when recriminations started to fly between Gail and Marion, Sarah broke her best friend's trust and admitted the truth about Candice's evening job. Marion dragged her daughter away from No.8 and told her to not get away from Sarah's "influence."

In September 2003, Marion started dating Gerry Burton (Mark Chatterton). However, Gerry started to sexually harass her daughter and whenever Candice told her mother what was going on, she doesn't believe her. This resulted in Candice to stay the night inside the flat of her then place of work, Audrey's Salon. The next day, Gerry turned up at the salon and told Candice that he and her mother were worried about her, but was mostly frightening the girl. When Audrey entered the salon to collect her purse, she noticed how frightened Candice looked and discovered that Gerry was a pervert; she told the man to back off and that if he ever came near Candice again, she will call the police. After the incident, Marion turned up at the salon and demanded her daughter to come home and to stop her "lies" about Gerry. Candice refused and Marion selfishly dumped a bag of her daughter's items at her feet, having kicked her out. Audrey stood up for Candice and sent Marion away with a flea in her ear. Since then, Candice and her mother never spoke to each other again.

In November 2005, before she left Weatherfield to start a hairdressing tour, Candice admitted to Audrey that she has been more of a mother to her rather than her own mother.

Amy Goskirk

Amy Goskirk
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Jayne Ashbourne
First appearance	10 January 2000
Last appearance	6 February 2000
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; recurring
Profile
Occupation	Barmaid

Amy Goskirk is an ex-girlfriend of Dev Alahan's (Jimmi Harkishin) who follows him to Weatherfield from Birmingham. Dev is not pleased to see her and is hostile, even physically evicting her from his shop.

Spotted crying by her car by Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden), he takes her for a drink in The Rovers where she overhears landlady Natalie Barnes (Denise Welch) talking about the need to employ another barmaid and Natalie offers her a job after learning of her experience. Amy works hard to get the sympathy of the residents, much to the disdain of Dev. Everyone takes Amy's side when she says that she and Dev were engaged to be married but his devoutly religious family were against their relationship. In addition, she claims that he cheated on her and now she is pregnant. Dev calls her bluff and agrees to marry her on condition that she proves the existence of the baby. She happily agrees but then claims that her scan was cancelled. No one but Dev is able to see through her lies. Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) provides a sympathetic shoulder for Amy to cry on when they share their troubles with each other, Leanne confiding in Amy about her drug problems and Amy telling of her parents’ death in a boating accident when she was a child (she told Vera Duckworth (Liz Dawn) it was a car accident). Amy winds up Leanne by telling her that Dev is forcing her to have an abortion and Leanne, in her anger, turns the majority of the women and some of the men, against Dev.

Amy suddenly disappears for almost two weeks, leaving behind a suicide note. Leanne reports her disappearance to the police, who ask Dev to identify a recently discovered body. It is not Amy but even his conviction that the threat was an empty one is shaken. His relief when she reappears, complete with bandaged wrists from an attempt to cut her wrists is evident; however, his business starts to suffer as people begin to turn against him even more. He resolves to put an end to the situation and cons Amy into thinking that he really does have feelings for her. He turns up in the Rovers that night and, while chatting quietly to her under the glaring eyes of the regulars, suddenly rips her bandages off for all to see that, as he suspected, there are no wounds. The residents are outraged that they’d been deceived, Leanne in particular, but all she gets for her sympathy is a mouthful of abuse and the fact that she is a recovering drug addict broadcast across the pub. Amy disappears from the Street, never to be seen again.

Debs Brownlow

Debs Brownlow
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Gabrielle Glaister
First appearance	6 February 2000
Last appearance	10 November 2000
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Hairdresser
Family Sisters Natalie Barnes Nephews Tony Horrocks Nieces Lorraine Brownlow Laura Barnes

Debs Brownlow is the hairdresser sister of Natalie Barnes (Denise Welch) who first appears in The Rovers Return after working on a cruise ship for a number of years. She soon begins a relationship with resident Duggie Ferguson (John Bowe), despite his hesitation due to the memory of his dead wife Laura. Debs supports Natalie when the body of her murdered son Tony Horrocks (Lee Warburton) is discovered, and subsequently in August 2000 when gangster Jez Quigley (Lee Boardman) stands trial for the killing. Debs soon tires of Duggie's reluctance to have sex with her and has a one-night stand with Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) in April 2000.

Debs reunites with Duggie and they consummate their union. In October 2000, Duggie moves into No. 6 with her but she soon tires of him prioritising work over her and she orders him out. When Debs shares her relationship woes with Natalie's boyfriend Vinny Sorrell (James Gaddas) over a bottle of wine they sleep together. Duggie catches them in the act and tells a devastated Natalie. She throws Debs out of No. 6 and she subsequently leaves Weatherfield with new lover Vinny, returning to her old work on the cruise ship.

Dennis Stringer

Dennis Stringer
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Charles Dale
Duration	2000-02
First appearance	7 February 2000
Last appearance	2 January 2002
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Mechanic
Family Wife Carol Janice Battersby (2001–02) Stepdaughters Toyah Battersby (2001–02) Aunts Joan Lawson

Dennis Stringer was played by Charles Dale. Dennis is introduced in February 2000 and develops from a biker friend of Les Battersby (Bruce Jones) into the partner of Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) later in 2000.

In late 2001 Dennis and Janice Battersby (Vicky Entwistle) form a relationship and leave their respective partners to live together. Following this, Les attempts suicide by getting drunk and gassing himself in his car on New Year's Day. Dennis tracks him down and prevents the suicide, but while driving Les to hospital, crashes head on into another car. Les suffers minor injuries but Dennis is badly injured, dying in hospital shortly afterwards. Janice's daughter Toyah (Georgia Taylor) gives a reading at his funeral.

Neil Fearns

Neil Fearns
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Paul Holowaty
First appearance	6 March 2000
Last appearance	26 March 2000
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; recurring
Profile
Occupation	Student
Family Father Mr. Fearns Mother Brenda Fearns Daughters Bethany Platt

Neil Fearns is revealed as the father of Sarah-Louise Platt's (Tina O'Brien) daughter, Bethany (Amy and Emily Walton). He is an "absent father" and has nothing to do with Bethany, although his family do send Beth a card for her first birthday.

In 2003, it is revealed that Neil has died in a car accident. Martin (Sean Wilson) and Gail Platt (Helen Worth) break the news to Sarah who is shocked at Neil's death but not overly emotional. At Martin's insistence, Sarah takes Bethany to Neil's funeral where she meets his mother. Neil's mother, Brenda (Julia Deakin), becomes mentally unstable following Neil's death. She becomes attached to Bethany and kidnaps her after she begins visiting her regularly. Bethany is later safely returned to her mother, and Brenda is left sobbing in the back of an ambulance.

Bobbi Lewis

Bobbi Lewis
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Naomi Ryan
Duration	2000-02
First appearance	20 March 2000
Last appearance	5 April 2002
Introduced by	Jane Macnaught
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Home	London

Roberta "Bobbi" Lewis was played by Naomi Ryan. She is employed as a machinist at Mike Baldwin's (Johnny Briggs) Underworld factory. In 2002 the character was axed by producer Kieran Roberts as part of a drive to revitalise the show, as it was being regularly beaten in the ratings by rival soap EastEnders at the time.

Bobbi starts work at Underworld in March 2000 when she takes over Linda Sykes' (Jacqueline Pirie) machine. She has an initially turbulent start when Linda sacks her for producing substandard work but is soon reinstated by Mike. She moves to the Street when she rents the salon flat with barmaid Geena Gregory (Jennifer James).

In October 2000, Bobbi is furious to discover that sales rep Harvey Reuban (Andrew Scarborough) has been dating her and Karen McDonald (Suranne Jones) at the same time. When the two women confront Harvey he smugly shrugs them both off. After they discover that he has a fiancée, they are determined to get revenge. A shameless Harvey turns on the charm to Bobbi, promising her he thinks she's special, also doing the same with Karen. They both play along but know the score. With the help of the other Underworld girls they organise a farewell party for him, where they get Harvey drunk and phone Saskia (Nikki Landowski), his fiancée, to pick him up. They graffiti his car, pour baked beans over him, sew the words "Slime Ball" on to the back of his suit jacket and tell his fiancée all about his womanising.

Karen and boyfriend Vikram Desai (Chris Bisson) set Bobbi up on a date with Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), but it does not lead to anything further. After Karen and Vikram break up, Bobbi starts going out with Vikram in March 2001. After playing hard to get for a couple of months, Bobbi eventually sleeps with Vikram and they begin a serious relationship. In early 2002, Vikram cheats on Bobbi with Hazel Wilding (Kazia Pelka). Having fallen in love with Hazel, Vikram soon dumps Bobbi but she takes revenge by filing a false complaint against Vikram's taxi business, StreetCars for sexual harassment. With the business facing possible closure, and with employees' livelihoods on the line, Bobbi realises that her scheme has backfired. She subsequently withdraws her allegations and leaves Weatherfield in shame.

Mr. Fearns

Mr. Fearns
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Eric Hulme
Appears on	29 March 2000
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; guest
Family Wife Brenda Fearns (1984–2001) Sons Neil Fearns Granddaughters Bethany Platt

Mr. Fearns is the father of Neil Fearns (Paul Holowaty) who impregnates Sarah-Louise Platt (Tina O'Brien) when they are 12 years old. He offers the Platt family help with the baby, which Sarah's mother Gail (Helen Worth) refuses as Neil is not willing to take responsibility for the child. He makes his only appearance just over two months before Sarah's baby is born.

Emma Watts

Emma Watts
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Angela Lonsdale
Duration	2000-03
First appearance	10 April 2000
Last appearance	1 September 2003
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Police Officer
Home	Newcastle upon Tyne
Family Husband Curly Watts (2000-03) Sons Ben Watts

Emma Watts (née Taylor) is played by Angela Lonsdale, and first appears on 10 April 2000. At the beginning she is credited as Sgt Emma Taylor. She is a police officer who helps solve the case when corrupt DC Simon Cavanagh is stalking Colette Graham and Curly Watts (Kevin Kennedy).

On 12 October 2000, the police, including Emma, surround the Fresco's supermarket as a siege develops inside. When they eventually burst in, Emma shoots the main gunman, Dean Sykes (Ciaran Griffiths)—who dies in an ambulance on the way to hospital. Due to her licence to kill, a trial is not undertaken. Dean had in fact fired a shot and Emma had responded.

Curly takes her out for a night on the beach and later asks her out to dinner. Curly proposes to Emma on a bateau mouche in Paris and they marry on Christmas Eve, 2000. Their honeymoon to New York is delayed because Curly's daughter, Alice, cannot return to his ex-wife Raquel (Sarah Lancashire) when planned. Emma becomes pregnant shortly after their marriage and gives birth to their son Ben on Boxing Day 2001.

Emma later gets involved in a feud between one of her colleagues, Mick Hopwood (Ian Gain) and Les Battersby (Bruce Jones). Mick had been dating Les' ex-wife Janice (Vicky Entwistle). Les is very jealous and they spend a lot of time winding each other up. Things escalate one night when Mick and Emma stop Les in his taxi on a minor traffic offence and after Les insults Mick, Mick beats him quite savagely but Emma promises to back Mick up even though Les did not really deserve the attack. When Curly finds out, this causes a lot of tension and the couple split up temporarily. Emma feels very guilty and plans to confess the truth to her superiors but at the last minute decides to back Mick up. She commits perjury at Les' trial for assaulting Mick and Les is imprisoned for three months.

Near the end of Les' incarceration, Emma is put forward for promotion to Inspector in Newcastle. This would involve moving house and Curly is afraid he'd never see Ben. He swallows his principles and, in order to reconcile and be able to live in peace, away from Les, they put Number 7 on the market and move to Newcastle.

In the 2010 spin-off DVD special Coronation Street - A Knight's Tale, Curly reveals that his marriage to Emma has ended since their departure from Weatherfield.

Geena Gregory

Geena Gregory
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Jennifer James
Duration	2000-02
First appearance	9 February 2000
Last appearance	11 October 2002
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; regular
Family Father Maurice Gregory Mother Jill Gregory

Geena Gregory was played by Jennifer James.

Geena arrived when her friend Vinny Sorrell (James Gaddas) needed help in The Rovers Return. She was well qualified for the job, and her good looks and cheeky banter made her popular with the customers. She was maid of honour at her friend Linda Sykes' (Jacqueline Pirie) wedding to Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) and although she knew about her affair with Mike's son Mark Redman (Paul Fox), Geena remained loyal to Linda and said nothing.

Geena had a complicated love life. Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) proposed to her but her mother, Jill, was determined to put a stop to it and set him up with Karen McDonald (Suranne Jones). Her plan failed and Geena broke off their engagement when she discovered he had cheated on her with his employee Deirdre Rachid (Anne Kirkbride) during Christmas 2001. She was soon seduced by handsome former prison convict, Joe Carter (Jonathan Wrather), and the two enjoyed a fun relationship until a jealous Dev goaded Joe into beating him up.

Joe was scared of going back to prison and admitted he loved Geena. By this time, she had completely fallen in love with him and agreed to talk to Dev. He then told Joe to end his relationship with Geena publicly and he would drop the assault charges against him. Joe did so and Geena was left shattered and humiliated by two men who claimed to love her and fled the street after saying her goodbyes to her friend, Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay).

Eileen Grimshaw

Main article: Eileen Grimshaw

Eileen Grimshaw is the mother of Jason Grimshaw and Todd Grimshaw

Maria Connor

Main article: Maria Connor

Maria Jane Connor (née Sutherland), pplayed by actress Samia Ghadie. The character first appeared on-screen on 19 May 2000. During her time on Coronation Street, Maria has been the centre of storylines such as giving birth to a stillborn baby, sleeping with her best friend's boyfriend and being widowed after eight months of marriage. She also had many failed romances. Maria was off-screen between November 2009 and June 2010 due to Ghadie's pregnancy. She departed again in October 2015 after giving birth to her son the previous month. She will return in April 2016.

Eric Sutherland

Eric Sutherland
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Steve Money
Duration	2000-01, 2005, 2008, 2015
First appearance	19 May 2000
Last appearance	9 January 2015
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught (2000, 2001) Tony Wood (2005) Kim Crowther (2008) Stuart Blackburn (2015)
Classification	Former; recurring
Profile
Home	Cyprus
Family Wife Dot Sutherland Sons Kirk Sutherland Daughters Maria Connor Grandsons Paul Connor Jr. Liam Connor Jr.

Eric Sutherland is the father of Kirk Sutherland (Andrew Whyment) and Maria Connor (Samia Ghadie). He first appears on 19 May 2000 when Jack Duckworth (Bill Tarmey) and Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) are looking to mate Tyrone's greyhound Monica with one of the studs from his kennels. Eric reappears in 2005 to let Kirk know that he and his wife Dot (Susie Baxter) are retiring to Cyprus and Kirk goes out to visit him for several weeks after Eric has injured his back. He returns on 20 October 2008 to console his daughter following the death of her husband Liam (Rob James-Collier). He carries the coffin at Liam's funeral after Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien) has to comfort a grief-stricken Carla (Alison King). This causes Liam's mother Helen (Sorcha Cusack) to be unhappy as Eric did not know Liam. Eric and Dot return to Cyprus following the funeral. In January 2015, Eric and Dot attend Kirk's wedding to Beth Tinker (Lisa George). Beth unwittingly insults Eric and Dot before realizing who they are. At the wedding reception, Eric gets drunk and flirts with Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford).

Kirk Sutherland

Main article: Kirk Sutherland

Kirk Sutherland played by Andrew Whyment, made his first appeared on 22 May 2000, played by an uncredited actor. When Kirk reappeared five months later, the role was now played by Andrew Whyment who has continued to play the role to date.

Bethany Platt

Main article: Bethany Platt

Bethany Britney Platt, played by Lucy Fallon, made her first appearance on 4 June 2000. Amy and Emily Walton shared the role of Bethany Platt from the character's birth in 2000 until 2007 when Tina O'Brien chose to quit. Mia Cookson also played the role of Bethany alongside the Walton twins in 2000. On 23 October 2014, it was announced that Bethany, now 14 years old, would return to the show. Katie Redford was initially cast in the role, but was sacked just days later before filming began after it was revealed that she was 25 years old, not 19 as she and her management had claimed. On 29 January Blackpool-born Lucy Fallon was confirmed as her replacement. She returned on 20 March 2015. Bethany's storylines have included her taking ecstasy tablets when her uncle, David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) hid them in a toy, her infatuation with Callum Logan as well as being caught up with her family's feud with Callum.

Jake Webster

Jake Webster
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Unknown
Appears on	5 June 2000
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former, guest
Family Father Kevin Webster Mother Alison Webster Half brothers Jack Webster Half sisters Rosie Webster Sophie Webster Grandfathers Bill Webster Bob Wakefield Grandmothers Alison Webster Joan Wakefield Uncles Carl Webster Aunts Debbie Webster Cheryl Wakefield

Jake Webster is the son of Kevin (Michael Le Vell) and Alison Webster (Naomi Radcliffe), born on 5 June 2000. Shortly after his birth Jake turned blue and is diagnosed with a Group B streptococcal infection. Jake's condition proves to be fatal and he dies minutes later in Alison's arms. Following Jake's death, Alison committed suicide by throwing herself in front of a lorry.

Sam Kingston

Sam Kingston
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Scott Wright
Duration	2000–02
First appearance	19 June 2000
Last appearance	7 June 2002
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Home	Ibiza
Family Mother Brenda Kingston Uncles Pat Hegarty

Sam Kingston is a builder played by actor Scott Wright; he first appeared on 19 June 2000. Soon after his arrival, Sam is revealed as a male stripper, disguising himself as "The Masked Python".

In December 2000, when Sam befriended the Platt Family, the only daughter, Sarah, had a huge crush on him. She wrote about it in her diary but when her younger half brother, David, and his friend Simon got a hold of it, they read the story about Sam and this resulted in David to tell his very concerned father, Martin, what he and Simon had read. Both Martin and his ex-wife (Sarah and David's mother), Gail, have been very protective of Sarah over boys since she gave birth to her daughter, Bethany, in June 2000 at just the age of thirteen and Martin angrily confronted Sarah at tea, even bringing Sam into the situation, telling them both to stay away from each other, humiliating Sarah. The whole family were furious with Martin for the way he treated Sam and didn't even speak to him for a month.

Karen McDonald

Main article: Karen McDonald

Phil Simmonds

Phil Simmonds
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Jack Deam
Duration	2000-01
First appearance	1 September 2000
Last appearance	6 August 2001
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; recurring

Phil Simmonds befriends Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) after landlord Duggie Ferguson (John Bowe) makes him homeless in September 2000. He takes legal action against Duggie but later settles out of court. He reappears on 9 April 2001, when Toyah encounters him on the street. Four days later, Phil brutally rapes Toyah in the ginnel. Toyah is left clueless as to the identity of her attacker as Phil pretends to support her through her ordeal. On 30 April 2001, when Toyah is on her own in her house with Phil she suddenly recognises his voice as being that of the rapist. Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) hears her screams from the street, breaks into the house and saves her from Phil.

In August 2001, Toyah visits Phil in prison, after he sends her a letter pleading for her forgiveness. She is shocked to see that he has attempted suicide. She gets Phil to agree to plead guilty to the rape charges. However, Toyah later discovers that Phil has no intention of pleading guilty, despite the DNA evidence. He later changes his plea to guilty, meaning that no trial would take place, much to Toyah's relief. On 7 September 2001, Phil is sentenced to ten years imprisonment for Toyah's rape.

Dean Sykes

Dean Sykes
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Ciaran Griffiths
Duration	2000
First appearance	11 October 2000
Last appearance	12 October 2000
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; guest
Family Father Ray Sykes Mother Eve Elliott Brothers Jimmy Sykes Ryan Sykes Sisters Linda Sykes

Dean Sykes is Linda Sykes' (Jacqueline Pirie) brother, and appears in two episodes.

Dean and his companion, Lenny Larkin, stage an armed raid at Fresco's Supermarket. When the shop is closed, however, Dean hopes he can raid the safe in the supermarket, and escape with thousands of pounds. As the siege grows, the police surround Fresco's. The climax occurs when the authorities burst in and police markswoman, Emma Taylor (Angela Lonsdale), fires a shot at Dean, who dies on the way to hospital.

Ray Sykes

Ray Sykes
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Peter Guinness
Duration	2000, 2002
First appearance	13 October 2000
Last appearance	22 April 2002
Classification	Former; recurring
Family Spouse Eve Elliott (divorced) Sons Dean Sykes Ryan Sykes Jimmy Sykes Daughters Linda Sykes

Ray Sykes (played by Peter Guinness) is the father of Linda Sykes (Jacqueline Pirie).

Ray's wife Eve (Melanie Kilburn) had walked out on him and their children and Linda had been forced to help Ray raise her brothers, Dean (Ciaran Griffiths), Ryan (Matthew Dunster), and Jimmy (Danny Cunningham).

Ray first appears after his son Dean is shot dead by the police while committing a robbery at Fresco's supermarket and meets Linda's husband Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs). Mike, who had been held prisoner by Dean during the robbery, is angry by Ray's belief that Dean had been a victim and angrily informs Ray that his son was a violent robber and Linda is forced to intervene to stop a fight breaking out.

Mike is further angered when Ray accuses Linda of marrying him for his money and Linda tells Ray that he treated her like a skivvy following her mother's abandonment. She then offers to pay for Dean's funeral. Ray attends the funeral and is unexpectedly reunited with his ex-wife Eve who shows up to say goodbye to her son. Linda is hostile towards Eve, blaming her for Dean going off the rails and his subsequent death, and Ray comforts her.

Ray does not appear again until two years later when Eve goes to visit him and he reveals that Linda, who had been missing for seven months, was alive and well and living in Dublin. Ray tells Eve not to tell anyone that Linda is alive. Eve's husband Fred Elliott (John Savident), had followed Eve after being suspicious of her behaviour and witnesses her say goodbye to Ray on his doorstep and jumps to the wrong conclusion, that they are having an affair.

The next day, Fred sees Ray in the area and asks Mike if Ray had been into the Rovers during the day. Fred later goes to visit Ray at his home and asks him what is going on between him and Eve. Ray refuses to tell Fred why Eve visited him but reveals that he and Eve never divorced, making her marriage to Fred bigamous. Fred leaves in shock and this is Ray's last appearance in the show.

Eve Elliott

Eve Elliott
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Melanie Kilburn
Duration	2000–02
First appearance	20 October 2000
Last appearance	10 May 2002
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Pub landlady (2002)
Family Husband Ray Sykes (divorced) Fred Elliott (2001–02) Sons Dean Sykes Ryan Sykes Jimmy Sykes Daughters Linda Sykes

Eve Sykes (previously Elliot) is the bigamous ‘wife’ of Fred Elliott (John Savident), she first appears at the funeral of her son Dean (Ciaran Griffiths) in October 2000. Eve tries to explain to daughter Linda Sykes (Jacqueline Pirie) why she abandoned the family but Linda holds her responsible for Dean going off the rails and is upset that she left her to be mother to her brothers.

Eve leaves after Fred discovers that she is still married to the father of her children, Ray, and that her marriage to Fred is therefore void.

Dot Sutherland

Dot Sutherland
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Susie Baxter
Duration	2000, 2005, 2008, 2015
First appearance	22 October 2000
Last appearance	9 January 2015
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught (2000) Tony Wood (2005) Kim Crowther (2008) Stuart Blackburn (2015)
Classification	Former; recurring
Profile
Home	Cyprus
Family Sisters Ruby Husband Eric Sutherland Sons Kirk Sutherland Daughters Maria Connor Grandsons Paul Connor Jr. Liam Connor Jr. Craig Tinker (step)

Dot Sutherland is the mother of Kirk Sutherland (Andrew Whyment) and Maria Connor (Samia Ghadie). She first appears on 22 October 2000 when she attends Maria's engagement party to Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall). In 2005, She and her husband Eric (Steve Money) decide to relocate to Cyprus to run a donkey sanctuary and leave the dog kennels to Kirk for him to run. Dotty returns on 20 October 2008 to console her daughter following the death of her husband Liam (Rob James-Collier). Maria berates her parents for going on a cruise instead of to her wedding; Dotty says they had been hurt that Maria had not considered postponing the wedding until they got back. When she leaves on 31 October 2008, she tells her daughter that she wished she had met Liam. In January 2015, Dot and Eric attend Kirk's wedding to Beth Tinker (Lisa George). Dot also drunkenly reminisces about Kirk's past girlfriends which makes Beth feel insecure.

Molly Hardcastle

Molly Hardcastle
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Jacqueline Kington
Duration	2000-02
First appearance	5 November 2000
Last appearance	20 May 2002
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Practice Nurse

Molly Hardcastle was played by Jacqueline Kington. She first appears as the new practice nurse in the medical centre on Rosamund Street. She goes on to have a relationship with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) who is estranged from wife Sally (Sally Dynevor). She leaves Weatherfield after breaking up with Kevin in May 2002. She was last mentioned in November 2009 by Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) to his wife also called Molly (Vicky Binns), while listing all of Kevin's relationships with women. Unbeknownst to Tyrone, his wife had just started an affair with Kevin. Upon hearing about his previous affairs behind Sally's back, Molly Dobbs confronted Kevin, making particular reference to the fact she was not the first woman called Molly he had been with.

Matt Ramsden

Matt Ramsden
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Stephen Beckett
Duration	2000-02, 2006
First appearance	22 November 2000
Last appearance	17 July 2006
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught (2000) Steve Frost (2006)
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Doctor
Family Wife Charlie Johnson(1992-2003) Sylvia Ramsden (200?-) Sons Joshua Peacock

Matthew "Matt" Ramsden and his alcoholic schoolteacher wife Charlie (Clare McGlinn) moved to Coronation Street when the new Medical Centre on Rosamund Street opened its doors and Matt got a job there as a GP.

Matt is the biological father of Joshua Peacock (Benjamin Beresford), after having a drunken one-night stand with Ashley Peacock's (Steven Arnold) wife, Maxine (Tracy Shaw). Matt left Weatherfield when Joshua was only a week old in an attempt to rebuild his and Charlie's marriage. Maxine was murdered in January 2003, leaving Ashley to raise Joshua. In 2006, Matt reappeared with a new wife seeking access to his estranged son. Ashley went to court to stop Matt seeing Joshua, but at the last minute, decided to grant Matt limited visitation rights so that the judge would not make the decision.

On Matt's first visit, Ashley's wife Claire Peacock (Julia Haworth) went into labour, and Matt helped her deliver her baby son on the living room couch. After the birth of Freddie, Ashley thanks Matt, but reminds him that this does not change anything. Matt has not been seen since but has been referred to subsequently, often visiting Joshua and taking him out, off-screen.

Charlie Ramsden

Charlie Ramsden
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Clare McGlinn
Duration	2000–02
First appearance	22 November 2000
Last appearance	16 April 2002
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	English teacher
Family Mother Pam Hargreaves Half brothers Luke Ashton Half sisters Christine Hargreaves Husband Matt Ramsden (1992–2003) Nieces Lucy Hargreaves

Charlotte "Charlie" Ramsden (née Johnson, previously Hargreaves) was the wife of Matt Ramsden (Stephen Beckett), played by actress Clare McGlinn from 2000 to 2002.

Charlie arrives in Weatherfield with her husband Matt in November 2000, having bought Natalie Barnes' (Denise Welch) house. She is first seen breaking up a fight between Sarah-Louise Platt (Tina O'Brien) and David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), and Sarah recognises her as her English teacher at school. Charlie does not properly settle in Weatherfield due to her snobbish attitude and also due to the fact that most of the teenage residents were her students. She makes friends with Emma Watts (Angela Lonsdale), but takes an instant dislike to Maxine Peacock (Tracy Shaw). It soon becomes apparent that Charlie is an alcoholic, due in part to the fact that she had been given up for adoption as a child. Charlie tracked down her birth mother and was horrified to discover a student of hers, Luke Ashton, was her half-brother.

Her marriage to Matt becomes increasingly rocky during their time in Weatherfield as a result of Charlie's alcoholism. Matt wants to have a family but Charlie does not, and when becomes pregnant she immediately books an abortion. She confides in Emma and Maxine about this, leading Maxine to warn Matt before she goes through with the procedure. Matt tries desperately to stop Charlie going ahead with the abortion, but she does anyway. Maxine then comforts a distraught Matt, leading to her revealing that he might be the father of her unborn child. When Charlie returns home from the abortion clinic Matt reveals Maxine's news to her. Charlie is devastated to learn of the couple's one-night stand and walks out on Matt. Charlie takes the news badly and continues drinking heavily, even at work and as a result is suspended from her job. Charlie then agrees to give Matt another chance on condition that they leave the area for a fresh start. The Ramsdens pack their bags and leave in the middle of the night.

In 2006, Matt returns to Weatherfield, wanting access to Joshua and is married to a woman called Sylvia, indicating that he and Charlie had split up and divorced in the intervening years.

Wayne Hayes

Wayne Hayes
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Gary Damer
Duration	2000-01
First appearance	22 December 2000
Last appearance	24 December 2001
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Family Mother Sheila Hayes Stepfather Alex Swinton

Wayne Hayes is a young teenager who is first seen breaking into Roy's Rolls café in search of food. Roy Cropper (David Neilson) later sees Wayne in the Builder's Yard and invites him in for some food. Roy and his wife Hayley (Julie Hesmondhalgh) discover that he lives in a children's home, but has run away from his mother's where he was to spend Christmas. Roy later witnesses Wayne's mother's boyfriend, Alex Swinton, hitting him and they are unhappy about bringing him back to the children's home as he is evidently unhappy there.

Roy and Hayley grow close to Wayne and harbour hopes of fostering him, despite the presence of troublemaker Alex. Their application for fostering is approved in January 2001. In June 2001, Hayley bumps into Wayne and his mother, Sheila. It soon emerges that Alex is still hitting Wayne. When the social workers get involved, both Wayne and Sheila are forced to lie that no abuse is taking place. When Alex later offers Wayne to the Croppers in exchange for £10,000, Roy agrees to pay him, as they fear for Wayne's safety. Sheila decides that it would be best for Wayne to stay with the Croppers even after finding out about the deal.

When Alex starts to demand more money for Wayne, Hayley and Roy soon realise that they are backed into a corner as they do not have legal custody of Wayne. In July 2001, they decide that they need to get Wayne away from Alex for good and the three go on the run in Martin Platt's (Sean Wilson) car. Events become serious when the media begin reporting that the Croppers have kidnapped Wayne. Amidst the media frenzy, the trio stay with an old friend of Hayley's, Ruth Audsley, in the countryside. Eventually Ruth informs the police of their whereabouts and Roy and Hayley are subsequently arrested for Wayne's abduction. Wayne is then returned to his mother and Alex, where he is threatened by Alex not to tell the police about their consent to him living with the Croppers. Alex is later arrested when Sheila makes a statement to the police, placing the Croppers in the clear.

On Christmas Eve 2001, Wayne reappears when he and Sheila visit Roy and Hayley at the café.

Jason Grimshaw

Main article: Jason Grimshaw

Simon Green

Simon Green
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Lee Battle
Duration	2000-01
First appearance	31 December 2000
Last appearance	5 November 2001
Introduced by	Jane MacNaught
Classification	Former; recurring

Simon Green, played by Lee Battle, appearing as the best friend of David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) in 2000 and 2001.