Tina McIntyre

Tina McIntyre
Coronation Street character
File:TinaMc.jpg
Portrayed by	Michelle Keegan
Duration	2008—
First appearance	7 January 2008
Classification	Present; regular
Introduced by	Kim Crowther
In-universe information Occupation Newsagent assistant (2008–09, 2010) Barmaid (since 2010) Father Joe McIntyre Mother Anna McIntyre

Tina McIntyre is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Michelle Keegan, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 7 January 2008. Tina worked at Prima Doner when she arrived, as well as newsagents The Kabin. The character has gained a large fan base due to the her brash personality, with the character being central to many key storylines such as perjury, abortion and the sudden death of her father.

Character creation

Background

Tina McIntyre was first cast into the soap opera to portray the short-term girlfriend of character David Platt, to help change his evil ways. As the character's introduction and personality was portrayed on screen, soap bosses and viewers were impressed with the character and actress Michelle Keegan which resulted into her character becoming a more permanent fixture. Giving the character more ties to Coronation Street it was announced that her on screen family had been cast. She has worked in low skilled jobs and began work at a newsagents. Her main links in Coronation Street were initially with the Platt family.

Casting

Auditions were held for the part of the character and Michelle Keegan eventually received a call from her agent telling her she had been offered the part, the initial audition being only her second for any part. She was called to a meeting with Steve Frost who was the producer at the time, he was immediately happy with her and handed her the scripts.

In an interview with The Mirror, actress Michelle Keegan spoke upon her character's success and permanent duration on the show stating that: "Tina came in to the show just to change David into a nice character, and then to get to the point where he pushed his mum down the stairs. I was supposed to be out of there after that. But they’ve kept me on. They needed a bit of a ballsy character, I think. She’s moved into the Platts’ now and she’s getting a family base around her, so hopefully she’s around for the long haul. I didn’t think I was staying, so I’m very lucky".

Character development

During the character's first episode Tina clashed with various characters such as Betty Williams, Gail Platt and Becky Granger who initially had taken a dislike to her. This showed off her brash personality and her straight talking attitude from her first appearances. These personality trends have helped characterize and popularize Tina.

Describing Tina's personality after her arrival on screen, the official ITV website states: "Tina has never felt like she’s fitted in anywhere, but she’s not a pushover by any means. She thinks she knows everything, but doesn’t and would rather be friends with lads than girls, who usually hate her. Challenge her to an arm wrestle and she’ll probably win." Also stating that she is feisty and fell into a common job rather than not being smart enough to do anything else, with Michelle saying during an interview: "She’s feisty but she’s essentially a good girl at the moment". In another interview she reveals that her character dresses to appear sexy and confident on her sexuality. and with another the ITV official website saying: "She can be very feisty but she's just a normal, vulnerable, 17-year-old girl and she's very confused.".

On the teenage abortion storyline actress, Keegan (who knew about the storyline before taking the part) said: "It was such an emotional storyline to be involved in I was scared and wondered if I'd really be able to pull it off. But it's been a real challenge and good to get my teeth into something.".

Storylines

2008—

The character becomes the girlfriend of David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), and within a week, has sex with David, resulting in Tina becoming pregnant. When David has Tina's name tattooed on his arm, she becomes very angry and storms out.

The pregnancy is one of the character's first major storylines. After the weekend, she finds out that she is pregnant, revealing all to David's mother, Gail (Helen Worth). First shocked, Gail decides to talk to Tina about what she is going to do. She then suggests maybe an abortion might be best, when Tina agrees she asks her to keep it a secret from David and she will pay for her to have a private abortion, as the NHS would take up to three weeks..

Tina goes on to have the abortion; Gail goes along with her for support. When Tina has the procedure, she turns down David's trip to see a band. After David eventually notices something is not right about the way Tina is acting, he ends their relationship.

When David eventually finds out about the abortion, he pushes his mother down the stairs, leaving the scene quickly and fleeing to Tina's, making up with her while he is there. She later gives David an alibi when the police ask about David's whereabouts at the time of Gail's accident. Tina tells them he was with her. Tina tells David that she will help him if it goes to court and has to commit perjury. After David pushes Gail down the stairs, he convinces Tina to lie for him. When Gail's memory starts returning, Tina begins to worry under the pressure of lying and moves back to her own house. She also tells David they are finished but David refuses to give up. This hope eventually pays off as she decides to give him a second chance when she visits him in prison and seals it with a kiss, despite the fact it is against the rules of the institution.

She is plans to visit David with a picture of his gay grandfather Ted Page (Michael Byrne), but her mother goes to Gail's house and forbids her from seeing David again. She moves into the Platts' and introduces her father Joe (Reece Dinsdale) to David. The relationship soon begins to crumble - David begins to get suspicious of Tina and her emails as he hacks into her account. When she finds out, she is not happy. She packs her bags and goes home with her father. Tina gets revenge on David by getting him fired from his salon job at Peter and Paul's. Tina continues to avoid David, but he has gig tickets and after being refused by Tina, offers them to Amber Kalirai (Nikki Patel), who has a crush on David. Amber and David date briefly and Tina tells Darryl Morton (Jonathan Dixon), David's friend, that she doesn't care at all, but Darryl thinks she is secretly jealous. When Amber and David go on to another date at his house, Tina confronts them and Amber realises that David only wanted to make Tina jealous. David and Tina later reconcile on 31 August 2008. She then starts work at The Kabin for Rita Sullivan (Barbara Knox) as well as the kebab shop.

In November 2008, Tina discovers that a dodgy family, the Windasses, are creating trouble for her father Joe after they refuse to pay for the kitchen which he has fitted for them. As revenge, Tina, David and their friend Graeme Proctor (Craig Gazey) break into their house and rip out the kitchen and set fire to all the fittings. Both Tina and Joe are dismayed to subsequently discover that the Windasses have moved in next-door to the Platts. Gary Windass (Mikey North) begins tormenting David and when he makes suggestive comments about Tina on Christmas Day 2008, David attacks him.

In January 2009, Gary is continuing to pester Tina which outrages David. Gary deliberately goads him on the street and when he sees Tina he makes David punch him in the face which leads to a violent brawl between the pair. David urges Tina to lie to the police by telling them that Gary threw the first punch which she reluctantly agrees to. Gary's uncle Len (Conor Ryan) is furious when he hears about Tina's account of events and threatens her while they are both alone together in the kebab shop. Tina is frightened by the encounter but still agrees to testify that Gary started the fight. She begins to feel the mounting pressure upon seeing how distressed Anna Windass (Debbie Rush) is at the prospect of Gary going to prison and confesses to Joe that she is lying about the fight.

Shortly before the trial, caught between David and Joe's wishes that she tell the truth, Tina leaves the Platts a note saying that she needs to get away. On 2 March 2009, the day of the trial, she shows up at the court much to David's delight. Before she takes the stand Joe urges her not to perjure herself but Tina refuses. However, when she is in the witness box she admits that she was lying about who started the fight, which leaves David furious. The jury then clear Gary of the assault charge. After the verdict, Tina ends her relationship with David after he accuses her of being attracted to Gary.

The character's next storyline was a relationship with Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas). The relationship featured in the shows official promotional campaign for the summer of 2009, titled 'Summer of Love'. The couple were featured on promotional posters, television commercials and online video content. Media reporting website Digital Spy carried out a poll to see who the viewing public would rather the character to be romancing. Jason topped the poll with 41.6%, proving their relationship to be more popular with viewers than her previous relationship with David Platt.

On screen the plot began to play out when Jason plants a drunken kiss on Tina after humiliating himself with Minnie Chandra (Poppy Jhakra). Although at first clearly enjoying his attention, after the kiss, Tina angrily informs him that isn't the way to win her affections and leaves. Later, she and Jason go out for a drink together and return to Jason's house. Tina then asks Jason if he fancies her and, after he admits he does, she tells him the feeling is mutual and they kiss passionately. When Tina tells David that she and Jason are together, he takes the news badly and it sends him out of control, throwing building items at Jason in the middle of the street. The couple then move in to the flat above The Kabin after their bid to buy it is accepted and they renovate it together. David later threatens Tina, which upsets Jason and in a turn of events which sees David be attacked by a mystery assailant, Jason is subsequently blamed and arrested but later no charges are brought against him.

In December 2009, after a blazing row with Jason over his estranged wife Sarah (Tina O'Brien), Tina gets drunk and heads into town. She goes to a bar where she meets Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), David's half brother, and is unaware of who he is as she drinks with him. Tina subsequently kisses Nick and then leaves, feeling guilty over Jason. She is shocked to discover him at the Platts' house on Christmas Day as he is introduced to her. The pair agree to keep their indiscretion a secret from everybody.

On 12 February 2010, Jason gives Tina his divorce papers from Sarah as a Valentine's Day present to her and as she assumes that this is her only Valentine's Day gift, she goes out to get alcohol. When she is returns he proposes after she has seen the ring and she accepts.

In February 2010 after Gail returns from the Lake District without Joe, (whom she has recently married), after a breakaway, Tina becomes worried. Unknown to everybody, Joe has in fact drowned at the lake in a botched attempt to fake his own death in order for Gail to claim on his life insurance policy. Gail and David decide to keep Joe's underhand plans a secret from Tina and cover it up by saying that Joe has got a job near the Lakes. As Tina become increasingly more anxious, David tries to keep Tina calm by sending Tina flowers on her birthday, supposedly from Joe but Tina still knows something isn't right. Soon after the truth comes out as Joe's body is discovered and Tina is devastated when she finds out from Gail and David about Joe's death. Tina struggles with the death and is shocked to discover what Joe had been planning to do. She is livid that David sent her flowers, pretending to be her father and is frustrated with Gail for not reporting Joe's disappearance immediately.

Matters take an unforeseen direction in March 2010 when Gail is accused of murdering Joe. Tina then comes to suspect that Gail may be guilty and bans her from attending Joe's funeral. When Gail gives a eulogy at the funeral, Tina angrily storms back into the church, hurling accusations at Gail. She then tells the police that Gail told her to lie to the police. This leads to Gail being arrested at Joe's wake with Tina showing no guilt for having Gail wrongly arrested.

Tina sinks deeper into depression as she grieves for Joe. Frustrated that Jason is unable to understand how she is feeling, she reveals to him that she kissed Nick at Christmas time, which leads to the couple splitting up. However, things get worse for Tina when she starts to suffer dizzy spells and faints. David's friend Graeme Proctor does his best to try and help her but she refuses and he discovers that she has not eaten for a long period of time. At this point, Tina tells him that she doesn't want to eat, because she no longer has the will to live.

When Gail is in court for murder in May-June 2010, Tina attends the trial, where she learns that it was David who sent her the messages and flowers. The pair later have a fight when they get back to Coronation Street. On the day of the verdict, Tina is anxious but sure that Gail will be found guilty - she is present in the court when the jury announce their verdict that Gail is not guilty, which leaves her reeling. However, when she later learns that Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) was making up the claim that Gail confessed to her, she comes to realise that her stepmother is innocent, and she makes her peace with her.

Events take a surprising turn for Tina when she begins to harbour deeper feelings towards close friend Graeme. Having reconciled with Jason as he supported her through Gail's trial, she soon comes to the conclusion that she is not in love with him, which she subsequently confesses. On 20 June 2010, she kisses Graeme and goes on to spend the night with him. Although ex boyfriends Jason and David plot to split the couple up, they stay together. When David upsets Tina, Graeme decides to cheer her up by taking her for a surprise day out by the canal. Tina really enjoys herself and realises how caring Graeme is. Eventually, he admits to Tina that he is love with her, however, she does not reciprocate immediately. Their relationship seems to be hindered in episodes aired in mid-July 2010 when Graeme announces that he feels he has to split from Tina before she has a chance to break up with him. However, later that day Tina and Graeme get back together.

In September 2010, Tina quits her job in The Kabin after Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) accuses her and Graeme of credit card fraud. Things go from bad to worse when David attempts to kiss her after misinterpreting her signals and becomes so angry that he pins her against the couch. Shocked at his own actions, David flees the flat, leaving Tina shaken and angry. She confides in Rita about the incident but refuses to tell Graeme about what happened. He eventually finds out a few weeks later, and he and Tina agree to pretend that David no longer exists in their lives. Although Graeme promises to leave it, he has a fight with David in the pub. Tina is angry with him for breaking his promise, but they make up. That night, whilst Graeme is walking home, David runs him over and he is unconscious. Graeme is rushed into hospital with broken ribs and punctured lungs. Tina tells David that if Graeme dies, she'll make sure that he'll get sent down for murder. However, Graeme suvives. It is later confirmed that David had a black-out at the wheel of the car due to an epileptic fit, putting him in the clear. Graeme and David become friends again, much to Tina's disgust.

Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly) offers Tina a new job working behind the bar at the Rovers in December 2010 and she accepts the job, reluctantly leaving The Kabin as she is close to Rita. Tina's first night on the job proves to be memorable for all the wrong reasons when a gas explosion at The Joinery Bar causes a tram to derail and crash on to the Street. Tina is frantic when she sees all the carnage, as she doesn't know where Graeme is. Luckily, he appears, having been to visit a friend. Tina helps in the rescue effort as many devastated residents seek shelter at the Rovers.

Reception

Ian Wylie of Manchester Evening News spoke upon the fact that Michelle Keegan was nominated for 'Best newcomer' at The British Soap Awards 2008 and her portrayal of the character saying: "Coronation Street’s Michelle Keegan is nominated as Best Newcomer, fully deserved even after just a few months on screen" and "Teen rebel Tina McIntyre, played by Michelle, reminds many of a young Suranne Jones as Karen McDonald." Actress Michelle Keegan went onto win the 'Best Newcomer' award at the 2008 British Soap Awards for her portrayal of Tina, which she was voted for by a panel. One of the main reason's Michelle was given a longer contract with the soap was because the character had impressed the viewers and bosses so much and Ian Wylie also commented on the win and big impression, an achievement because of the short amount of time the character has been on screen. Jon Wise of 'The People' observed her as bolder than Liz McDonald's make-up and brassier than Leanne Battersby. Michelle has also been nominated at the National Television Awards for Best Newcomer.. The Daily Mail commented how the character has gained a large male fan base after just 18 months within the show. With fellow British tabloid, The Mirror commenting that she has gained a notable army of fans because of her character's personality and Keegan's natural acting style.

External links

• Tina McIntyre at ITV Soaps