List of Coronation Street characters (2022)

Coronation Street is a British soap opera first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. 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. 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 Ciarán Griffiths and Andrew Still made their first appearances as respective characters Damon Hay and Justin Rutherford in December. Moreover, several other characters appeared throughout the year.

Ted Spear
Edward "Ted" James Spear, played by comedian Duggie Brown, is an elderly man that Faye Windass (Ellie Leach) accidentally hits with her car whilst she is learning to drive. Faye and Emma Brooker (Alexandra Mardell), who she was driving with, check up on Ted and insist he goes to the hospital, but he claims he is fine. The pair later visit him to find he had died. Emma later meets Ted's grandson, Jon Spear (Jordan Ford Silver) at his funeral and the two end up dating. 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 is happy to hear that someone was there for his grandfather when he died. He and Emma later fall in love and leave for Australia to run a bar on Bancoora Beach together.

Teddy Thompkins
Teddy Thompkins, played by Grant Burgin, 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, 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, is Abi Webster's (Sally Carman) drug dealer, who first appears on the show 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 seizes this opportunity to speed off. He returned to the show on 21 August 2023 as part of Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney)'s storyline, where she is struggling to get her life back on track after years of addiction. He meets up with her to claim the money she owes him, and ends up assaulting her, however Abi warns him off, and he departs again on 6 September. It was reported on 13 November 2023 that Crank had been seen filming scenes and Dean returned again on 9 January 2024 to supply Abi with morphine, which she buys for Paul Foreman (Peter Ash), who is suffering from motor neurone disease and wanted to take his own life by overdosing before his condition worsened.

On 13 May 2024, it was announced that Dean would return once again when he approaches Abi at the garage, asking her for help. She then discovers that sex videos have appeared across different sites and they're allegedly of her, however this is later proven not to be the case. "Assuming Dean is responsible, Abi confronts him with a wrench in hand. Dean insists he has no idea what she’s talking about, but a furious Abi of course doesn’t believe him. As Dean is taken in for questioning, Abi learns that four more videos have been uploaded. But as she studies the footage, Abi realises it’s not actually her – they are all deepfakes. The deepfakes turned out to be the responsibility of Stefan Brent (Paul Opacic).

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 is doing drugs again. 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.

Ben Chancellor
Ben Chancellor, played by Jon-Paul Bell, is a paralegal who appeared between 18 April and 30 May. He is hired by Imran Habeeb (Charlie De Melo) to spy on Abi Webster (Sally Carman) in an attempt to find evidence of drug abuse so that Imran will be awarded custody of his son Alfie. He lies in court when he sees Abi giving money to a friend, and claims that it was drugs in her hand. As a result of this, the court rules that Alfie would be safer living with Imran, with Abi allowed supervised visits only. The Metro described Chancellor's character to be a "dodgy paralegal." Leeds Live reported that Chancellor was part of a "dramatic storyline" that was also part of De Melo's exit storyline as Imran by saying "Jon-Paul’s stint in Coronation Street is part of the end of character Imran Habeeb’s time in the soap."

Aaron Sandford
Aaron Sandford, played by James Craven 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 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. 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. 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.

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". 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. 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". Kilkelly wondered if Frank would still be the same person George knew or if he had changed. This connection was later revealed as Frank having bullied George in school. 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".

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. 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. 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".

Bridget Woodrow
Bridget Woodrow, played by Beth Vyse, is the estranged daughter of Stu Carpenter (Bill Fellows), whom he has not seen since she was a teenager, as he spent 27 years in prison for murder that he adamantly denies committing. Stu goes to visit her after not seeing her for years when friend Yasmeen Nazir (Shelley King) finds her address behind his back. When he tried to reach out to her, she shunned him which led to her mother Lucy Woodrow (Lynda Rooke) turning up a few weeks later to warn him off.

After a while, she begins to build a relationship with Stu and introduces him to her daughter, Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo). When Eliza asks Stu about life in prison, he tells her how hard it was, which causes Bridget to break down in tears and confess to killing Charlie, the lady Stu was accused of murdering, by hitting her over the head with a sculpture as she could see they were having an affair. When Lucy discovered what Bridget had done, she made her cover up and allowed Stu to take the blame as they found his DNA all over her. Yasmeen's granddaughter Alya Nazir (Sair Khan) got Dee Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) to try and reopen the investigation into Stu's case, which backfires as it leads to Bridget and Lucy being arrested on 14 October, and subsequently sentenced to 15 years and 20 years in prison respectively.

On 9 August 2023, Bridget makes an unannounced return to Coronation Street when Stu telephones her in prison to tell her that Eliza's father, Dom Everett (Darren Morfitt) had made contact and wanted to be a part of her life, which she is against because she does not think he would be a great father due to him not being interested in Eliza since she was born.

Lucy Woodrow
Lucy Woodrow, played by Lynda Rooke, is the mother of Bridget Woodrow (Beth Vyse) and ex-wife of Stu Carpenter (Bill Fellows). She tells Yasmeen Nazir (Shelley King) that he murdered someone who he was having an affair with. Yasmeen believes Lucy, and she kicks Stu out of her house. However, her grandchildren Alya Nazir (Sair Khan) and Zeedan Nazir (Qasim Akhtar) set out to prove his innocence. Stu later turns up at Yasmeen's house and is arrested for harassment. After Stu begins to build a relationship with Bridget and her daughter Eliza Woodrow (Savannah Kunyo), Bridget confesses to the murder which the case was recently reopened by Alya alongside Dee Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown), causing her and Lucy to be arrested on 14 October and sentenced to 15 years and 20 years in prison respectively.

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). Glenda is a former cruise ship singer who becomes a barmaid in the Rovers Return Inn. 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. Months later, after being released from the STC, Max was prepared to get Griff taken down for his crimes.

On 13 May 2024, it was announced that Griff would be returning to Coronation Street. He is set to return to Weatherfield Prison where Roy Cropper (David Neilson) is after being accused of the murder of Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton). Metro described that Roy is "completely oblivious to the man making his way back into the Weatherfield prison" and asked "now Griff is back, does this put Roy in even more trouble?" Griff returned on 24 May and after Reece Bolton (Scott Anson) had told him about Roy being accused of Lauren's murder, he decided to try and kill him in prison, making it look like a suicide. Luckily, he was stopped after Roy was released after Nathan Curtis (Christopher Harper) had been arrested for Lauren's murder.

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 had 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.

Fern Lindon
Fern Lindon, played by Gabrielle Glaister, is a woman who appeared between 26 August and 16 November that looked almost identical to Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove). This was Glaister's second role in Coronation Street, as she had played regular character Debs Brownlow, the sister of Natalie Barnes (Denise Welch), between February and November 2000.

Fern accuses Bernie of stealing her blazer while Bernie was out shopping for Joseph Brown's (William Flanagan) school uniform. Since the pair look similar to each other, Fern offers Bernie money to take her place in a speed awareness course. Bernie later applies for a cleaner job with a cleaning agency, but Fern advises her against it because she believes the company is dodgy, takes advantage of her similar appearance, and attends the job interview posing as Bernie, who the job is offered to, and then does a cleaning job at a jeweler. The next day, she makes sure that Bernie meets up with her alone so she has no alibis, and then when the jeweler manager goes on a lunch break, she ransacked the place. She later then framed Bernie, who was doubted by everyone, including her daughter Gemma Winter (Dolly-Rose Campbell) and her partner Chesney Brown (Sam Aston), all except her own partner Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin). Eventually she manages to prove her innocence when they set up a trap to stop Fern, who turns up in the trap with the jewelry, who was arrested by Craig Tinker (Colson Smith).

Gabrielle Reid
Gabrielle Reid, played by Helene Maksoud, is the estranged wife of Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce), who first appears on 5 September 2022, nearly 24 years after she was first mentioned in February 1999 when Stephen's nephew Nick Tilsley (Adam Rickitt) and his then wife Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) returned to Weatherfield after he briefly visited him in Canada when he was instructed to invite his mother Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls), sister Gail Platt (Helen Worth), and brother-in-law Martin Platt (Sean Wilson) to their wedding a month after he'd met Gabrielle. By 2007, she and Stephen had relocated to Milan, however when Stephen returned to Weatherfield, Gabrielle did not accompany him, but he shortly returned to Milan, and they were joined by his niece Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) and her daughter Bethany Platt (Amy and Emily Walton).

On 24 June 2022, Stephen returned to Weatherfield after a nearly 15-year absence. By this time, he and Gabrielle had separated, however it was later revealed when Gabrielle first appeared that Stephen had embezzled €200,000 from her company to pay off his debts, which was the reason for Stephen's return to try and get the money from Audrey to pay Gabrielle back. Stephen then goes on to con people out of money and becomes a serial killer, claiming the lives of Leo Thompkins (Joe Frost) and his father Teddy Thompkins (Grant Burgin), as well as Rufus Donahue (Steve Meo).

Gabrielle Reid was Maksoud's second role on Coronation Street as she played May Radfield in 2019, who was the wife of Duncan Radfield (Nicholas Gleaves), who was also a conman.

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. 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. Dee Dee is a lawyer and MacLeod stated that viewers could expect "a certain amount of chaos. She has got an incredibly big heart. She is incredibly competent at her job, but you'd never guess that to meet her."

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. 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." He thought that it was a "refreshing" decision and allowed the character to be "incredibly joyous." He believed the audience would take to her.

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

Eric Sandford
Eric Sandford, played by Craig Cheetham, is the alcoholic father of Aaron Sandford (James Craven), who first appears between 5 and 28 October. In August, Aaron was forced to reveal the abuse his father had subjected him to when he was drinking to stop his girlfriend, Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) from reporting a mugging to the police. When Eric first appeared, Aaron had stolen cannabis from his wallet, and he went to the garage, where Aaron worked to threaten him in front of Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell), Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) and Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine). Kevin sends Eric packing. Summer subsequently finds out that she is pregnant with Aaron's baby, and they agree with a plan with a couple Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) knew from church Mike (Tom Lorcan) and Esther Hargrave (Vanessa Hehir) that they would sell them their baby to pay for Eric to go through rehabilitation.

In May 2023, Eric returns to Weatherfield to inform Aaron about his grandmother's passing. When he returns, he finds out that Aaron is being accused of raping Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney), but he denies the allegations. As the investigation had been dropped, Eric was determined to prove his son's innocence, despite everyone shunning him, and he and Aaron began tormenting Amy and even tried to sue her for libel. However, the case was dropped by Aaron and he departs with Eric on 16 June 2023.

Ollie Deacon
Ollie Deacon, played by Carl Blakeley, was a member of Griff Reynolds (Michael Condron)'s far-right extremist gang, who groomed Max Turner (Paddy Bever) and Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton). He first appeared on 28 October alongside Reece Bolton (Scott Anson) when Ollie, along with Griff, Reece and Dave Fairchild attended a concert accompanied by Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) and Spider Nugent (Martin Hancock); however, the band's lyrics were racist, which Peter took issue with, causing a fight between him and Dave and the latter making violent threats.

On 2 November, Griff introduces Max to the gang, and he meets Lauren for the first time. Over the coming weeks, the gang began to groom him. Ollie was the youngest member of the gang, aside from Max and Lauren and was seemingly the most impressionable. Ollie was responsible for filming a violent attack on Daryan Zahawi outside of Speed Daal where he worked, and posting it on the internet. Ollie departed alongside most of Griff's gang on 4 January 2023.

Over a month after his last appearance, it was confirmed that Blakeley had departed the series on 20 February 2023. Blakeley commented on his casting on Coronation Street by saying, “Joining the Cobbles in August was a dream come true and I’ve had the most amazing experience on the show... You guys made every day fun, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to work with.”

Reece Bolton
Reece Bolton, played by Scott Anson, is the father of Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton), and a part of Griff Reynolds (Michael Condron)'s far-right extremist gang, who were grooming Max Turner (Paddy Bever) and his own daughter into making racist videos. Throughout November, the gang constantly protested against Maria Connor's (Samia Longchambon) idea to open a refugee centre. In January 2023, the gang attempted to bomb the community's winter market, but Max now realising what he'd been manipulated into, warned everyone and the gang got sent down. Lauren then departed Weatherfield to live in Devon with her mother.

In June 2023, it was announced that Lauren was returning to the programme and she returned later that month. Alongside Lauren's return, it was also announced on 5 July that Reece would also return. He returns on 14 July when he asks Lauren to go and visit him in prison. Max goes with her and he asks them both to make a false statement to try and get him released from prison, but they both decline his request. In 2024 it was confirmed that Recce would return in the disappearance of his daughter, Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) storyline. Max goes to visit him in prison to see if he knew where she would of went or who might of took her but he did not know, then Max tells him that Roy Cropper (David Neilson) was accused of her disappearance and then Reece sends two people to Roy’s cafe and held him hostage.

Lauren Bolton
Lauren Bolton, played by Cait Fitton, made her first appearance on 2 November 2022. 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.

In June 2023, Digital Spy announced that Lauren would be returning to the series, with Fitton reprising her role that same month. Lauren returns to Max after a fallout with her mother, but learns that Max is dating Sabrina Adetiba (Luana Santos). In February 2024, Lauren goes missing. After Sean Tully (Antony Cotton) finds blood in her flat, police officers Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) and Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) start an investigation. Roy Cropper (David Neilson) is later arrested and charged with her murder. In May 2024, it was revealed that Lauren had been attacked by lawyer Joel Deering (Callum Lill), after Roy Cropper (David Neilson) had been accused.

Damon Hay
Damon Hay, played by Ciarán Griffiths, made his first appearance on 16 December 2022. Damon is the estranged father of Jacob Hay (Jack James Ryan) and half-brother of Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor). 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 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. He then starts an affair with Nick's sister Sarah Barlow (Tina O'Brien). 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. Sarah later discovers that she is pregnant and there was a question that he maybe the father. When Sarah received the DNA test results, it turned out to be Damon's baby, but her uncle Stephen Reid (Coronation Street) (Todd Boyce) stepped in and falsified results to say that Adam was the father. This however did not convince Adam after he phoned the clinic and at the gender reveal party, Adam revealed in front of everybody that the baby was indeed Damon's.

On 30 October 2023, it was announced that Griffiths would reprise his role as Damon. Griffiths' return was announced the same day as three other characters, Linda Hancock (Jacqueline Leonard), Tommy Orpington (Matt Milburn) and his half-brother Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor) and Damon returned in January 2024. Since then, he has had Adam kidnapped and held at gunpoint after he found out Sarah miscarried his baby and believes that Adam is at fault for it, but he backs down and later embarks on a relationship with Sarah, much to the dismay of her family and Adam who was wanting to work things out with Sarah. Adam then visits Damon's half-brother Harvey in prison to see if he can get rid of Damon. He agreed providing he helped him get released from jail, where he was sentenced to after murdering Natasha Blakeman (Rachel Leskovac).

Justin Rutherford
Justin Rutherford, played by Andrew Still, made his first appearance on 21 December 2022. After an initial cameo, Still began appearing more as Justin when Justin was involved in a storyline highlighting stalking. Justin exited in 2023 when he went to prison, but Still reprised the role that same year, with the cameo return airing on 17 October.

Justin 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 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.

Justin's acid attack won "Scene of the Year" and "Best Single Episode" at the 2023 British Soap Awards, whilst Justin's of stalking Daisy was shortlisted for "Best Storyline" that same year. Still was longlisted for "Best Villain" at the 2023 Inside Soap Awards, whilst the acid attack and stalking storyline were shortlisted for "Best Storyline" and the acid attack won "Best Showstopper". Araminta Parker from OK! noted that Coronation Street fans were happy about Justin being convicted of his crimes and that they were "full of praise for Andrew Still's thrilling portrayal of the villain", adding that the actor "soared to fame" quickly due to the "harrowing storyline".