Peter Barlow (Coronation Street)

Peter Barlow
Coronation Street character
Chris Gascoyne as Peter Barlow (2011)
Portrayed by	Robert Heanue (1965–70) Chris Dormer (1970–71) Mark Duncan (1971) Linus Roache (1973–75) Joseph McKenner (1977–78) David Lonsdale (1986) Chris Gascoyne (2000–14)
Duration	1965–71, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1986, 2000–03, 2007, 2008–14
First appearance	5 April 1965
Classification	Present; regular (departing temporarily)
Introduced by	H. V. Kershaw (1965) Eric Prytherch (1973, 1974) Susi Hush (1975) Bill Podmore (1977, 1978) Jane MacNaught (2000) Steve Frost (2007) Kim Crowther (2008)
In-universe information Occupation Sailor (1981–2000) Businessman (2008–14) Bookmaker (2000–03, 2008–13) Barman (2008–10) Factory Co-owner (2013–14) Clerk (2014–) Father Ken Barlow Mother Valerie Tatlock Stepmother Janet Barlow (1973–77) Deirdre Barlow (1981–92, 2005–) Sisters Susan Barlow Half-brothers Lawrence Cunningham Daniel Osbourne Wife Jessica Midgeley (1990–2000) Lucy Richards (2003) Shelley Unwin (2003) Leanne Battersby (2010–12) Carla Connor (2013–) Sons Simon Barlow Grandfathers Frank Barlow Alfred Tatlock Grandmothers Ida Barlow Edith Tatlock Uncles David Barlow Aunts Joyce Tatlock Nephews James Cunningham Adam Barlow Nieces Chloe Cunningham First cousins Darren Barlow

Peter Francis Barlow is a fictional character from the ITV television soap opera Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen when he was born during the episode aired on 5 April 1965. Currently portrayed by Chris Gascoyne, who has portrayed the character in episodes since the live 40th anniversary show in December 2000, the character has been previously portrayed by five different actors.

Raised with his twin sister Susan, by his grandparents from the age of five after the death of his mother Valerie Barlow (Anne Reid), Peter grew up apart from his father Ken (William Roache). He joined the Royal Navy in 1980 and married Jessica Midgeley 10 years later. The marriage lasted 10 years, after which Peter returned to Weatherfield. Having bought the Bookies, Peter married both Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay) and florist Lucy Richards (Katy Carmichael) in a high profile bigamous storyline. Having been discovered, Peter was left alone and fled Weatherfield. He returned in 2008 with a son Simon (Alex Bain) whom he had by Lucy who had died from cancer. Struggling to cope with fatherhood, Peter took to drinking and after numerous relationships, got engaged and married Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) in the 50th anniversary episode; however, they separated in February 2012 after his affair with Carla Connor (Alison King) was exposed. He later married Carla and then had an affair with Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan). It has been confirmed that Gascoyne will be leaving the show in Autumn 2014, alongside Marc Baylis who plays Rob Donovan leaving in December.

Storylines

1965–2007

Peter and his twin sister Susan are born on 5 April 1965. Their names are decided the next day and they come home on 26 April 1965.

In January 1971, Ken and Valerie plan to emigrate to Jamaica as Ken has been offered a teaching post there. On 27 January, the residents of Coronation Street organise a going-away party in The Rovers Return Inn. While Valerie is getting ready, she is electrocuted and killed by a faulty hairdryer. Wanting the best for the twins, their father sends them to Glasgow to live with Valerie's parents.

Peter doesn't make it to Ken's wedding to Deirdre Langton (Anne Kirkbride) in 1981 as he has joined the navy and is away at sea. In 1986, he visits when Susan marries Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs). As Ken refuses to go to the wedding, Peter makes an emotional appeal, saying that he and Susan had barely seen their father in the last 15 years and that he always assumed, given half a chance, Ken would step up if his children needed him and he was able to help. Ken reconsiders and attends the wedding.

Peter returns in December 2000. In early 2001, he accidentally lets slip that Susan has a teenage son, Adam Barlow, fathered by Mike Baldwin. Deirdre tells Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin), who tells Mike. Susan (Joanna Foster), who has been visiting at the time, tries to flee when Mike threatens legal action and she is killed in a car accident. Peter is devastated, blaming himself and Deirdre for Susan's death. Peter gets a job at the local bookies, stealing money from the dodgy owner and making it look like a break-in. He begins dating barmaid, Shelley Unwin, but when Peter's old Navy friend, Ciaran McCarthy (Keith Duffy), visits, he makes a pass at Shelley. Peter believes Ciaran's side of the story and Shelley moves out, though the couple later reconcile. Peter later meets florist, Lucy Richards, when buying flowers for Shelley. He is attracted to her and a brief affair begins but doesn't last.

Lucy, unknown to Peter, hires his stepsister, Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford), to cover her maternity leave. Tracy tells Peter that her employer is pregnant and Peter realises that he is the child's father. Peter marries Lucy while engaged to Shelley, promising Lucy it is over with the Rovers' landlady. Lucy gives birth to their son, Simon, in early July 2003 but isn't sure if she wants Peter involved. He is torn between his son and Shelley but marries her in a big church wedding. However, each woman realizes what Peter has done when Lucy sees Shelley sticking her wedding photos into an album and recognizes the groom and the bridesmaid. Lucy returns the same day and shows Shelley her wedding photos. Horrified, Shelley throws Peter out and he leaves briefly, so Shelley and Lucy take control of the bookies and investigate pressing charges for bigamy. When he returns, he reclaims the bookies and when Lucy sees that Shelley and Peter could reconcile, Lucy tricks him into thinking they have a future together. After he has told Shelley in front of a packed pub that he is leaving her for Lucy, Shelley punches him and Lucy announces that she and Simon are emigrating to Australia alone. Peter resigns himself to never knowing his son and leaves the Street soon after.

On 8 January 2007, Peter returns after Ken has contacted him regarding Tracy's stormy relationship with boyfriend, Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward). Only hours later, he is viciously attacked by Stubbs who thinks that Peter and Tracy have slept together. Tracy later kills Charlie, supposedly in self-defence, and he decides to stay when she is charged with murder. He has a brief dalliance with Maria Sutherland (Samia Ghadie), who was also involved with Charlie. However, once Tracy is convicted and sentenced to fifteen years in prison, Peter returns to Portsmouth, taking Adam (Sam Robertson), with him.

2008—

In 2008, Lucy dies from ovarian cancer and Peter gets custody of their son, Simon (Alexander Bain). Peter brings him to Weatherfield, seeking Ken and Deirdre's help but Ken suspects that Peter plans to leave Simon with him. This was his plan but Peter changes his mind when he learns that Lucy has left her estate to him, providing that he uses it for Simon's benefit. He buys the local bookmakers and renames it Barlow Bookies.

Peter becomes attracted to Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) but she is initially non-committal, suspecting that he has a drink problem. Eventually, Leanne agrees to go out with him but they only date a few times before Peter has to return to Portsmouth briefly. While he is away, his drink problems come to a head and he ends up in rehab. When he returns, Peter admits that he had a fling with another woman so she dumps him and leaves Weatherfield. However, Peter's drink problem is far from under control, coming to a head again when he passes out and accidentally sets fire to the flat, almost killing himself and Simon. Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien) and Luke Strong (Craig Kelly) rescue them and Peter finally admits that he is an alcoholic, giving up booze and attending a support group. He dates Michelle Connor (Kym Marsh) briefly but they decide it will not work. Leanne returns and she and Peter reconcile.

They decide to open a bar but Ken is hesitant because of Peter's alcoholism but Lucy's father, George (Anthony Valentine) offers to fund the project. The bar never opens because Peter falls off the wagon and returns to rehab. While he is away, George (having been granted temporary custody of Simon) applies for full custody. He and his wife, Eve, take Simon to Blackpool but he runs away. Peter frantically searches for him but Simon comes home alone and unharmed and George renounces his custody case. Peter and Leanne get engaged, but Peter feels threatened by the return of Leanne's ex-husband, Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), until Leanne convinces him that Nick is just a friend. Nick decides to open the bar and offers Leanne a job, believing that it will make Leanne happy, Peter persuades her to take the job and starts mentoring Leanne's friend, Carla Connor (Alison King), when he realises she has a drink problem but is annoyed by her attempts to seduce him.

Peter has his stag party in his former bar, The Joinery, on 6 December 2010, but there is an explosion due to a problem with the gas and a tram is derailed. The bar is destroyed and Peter is trapped with Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold) and Nick. Peter is crushed and Nick and Ashley help him out. Peter is rushed to hospital with crush injuries to the legs and trauma to the lower back and chest, and suffers a cardiac tamponade. Aware that he is unlikely to survive, he marries Leanne immediately but goes into cardiac arrest moments after the ceremony concludes. He survives and leaves hospital in a wheelchair, moving in with Ken briefly until he can manage stairs again. In late December 2010, he and Leanne go on their honeymoon but when they return, Nick gets Peter to fall off the wagon again but he stops for Simon's sake. Leanne and Peter decide to renew their vows but Peter is devastated to learn that Leanne had an affair with Nick. Peter uses the blessing to announce the affair to the congregation, telling Leanne that he wants a divorce. Peter gets revenge on Nick by scaring him in the ruins of the Joinery before reconciling with Leanne. Peter, Leanne and Simon go on holiday to celebrate their reunion. On their return, Peter returns to work, despite walking with a crutch.

In June 2011, Peter becomes friendly with Carla again, making Leanne extremely insecure and causing several arguments. The new manageress at the Rovers, Stella Price (Michelle Collins), saves Leanne from an armed robber when Peter collects Simon from school. In gratitude, Peter and Leanne invite Stella to dinner and Stella takes a picture of Leanne from the flat. Peter finds it in Stella's purse and confronts her - where she admits that she is Leanne's mother. During Leanne's 30th birthday party at The Rovers, Stella tells Leanne, who is furious that Stella abandoned her as a baby and also blames Peter for not telling her when he found out. In July, Leanne discovers that she is pregnant and is overjoyed, but Peter has doubts, admitting to Ken that he isn't sure they are ready. Carla overhears Ken and Deirdre congratulating them in the Rovers and pushes Peter into confirming that Leanne is pregnant. Leanne is furious when she realises Carla knows and drops hints to Simon about it. She confronts Peter and they argue again. After Leanne insults Peter about his alcoholism and he storms out. Feeling guilty, Leanne goes after him but falls down the stairs, where Stella finds her and raises the alarm. At the hospital, a doctor confirms that Leanne has miscarried. Peter feels guilty about the stress Leanne was under, thinking that he jinxed the pregnancy with his reservations. When Leanne realises that Peter had doubts, she assumes it means that he hasn't fully forgiven her for the affair with Nick and orders him to leave. Carla finds Peter in a highly agitated state and takes advantage of his vulnerability to try to seduce him again - he almost succumbs, but at the last minute pushes her away. After discussing the situation with Ken, Peter returns to the hospital and tells Leanne that he wants them to try again when she has recovered.

In December 2011, Peter starts drinking again and has an affair with Carla, telling her that she's the woman he loves and that he'll leave Leanne. Leanne learns about this when Frank Foster's mother gives her photos of Peter and Carla kissing while Peter is giving his testimony at Frank's rape trial. She offers to forgive him and try to work it through but Peter tells her he loves Carla. Leanne leaves in a taxi with a tearful Simon running after the car, begging her to stay. Simon then starts misbehaving with Peter as he blames him and Carla for Leanne's departure. Ken offers Peter his support when he sees that his son truly loves Carla but Deirdre makes her disapproval clear and Stella bars them from the Rovers. Everyone gradually accepts the relationship, including Leanne, and Stella allows them back into the Rovers.

In March 2012, Carla's ex-partner Frank Foster (Andrew Lancel) buys Carla out of the factory and cons her out of a deal they made. Peter attempts to attack Frank but Carla and Sally Webster (Sally Dynevor) stop him. When Frank is later found dead in the factory with major head injuries, many residents are suspected of the killing, including Michelle Connor, Sally Webster, Kevin Webster, and Carla. Carla initially suspects Peter of killing Frank, especially when he does not come home and when he does he has blood stains on his shirt. Realizing that Carla is likely to go down for Frank's killing as she was the last known person to see him alive, Peter confesses to Frank's murder but is released when a friend from his support group provides him with an alibi.

It is later revealed that Frank's mother Anne was the culprit and Peter begins a custody battle with Leanne over Simon. Leanne eventually wins a residency order and after she begins a relationship with ex-husband Nick Tilsley, Peter begins drinking again and ends his relationship with Carla in a drunken row. He later abducts Simon from school and plans to run away to Lanzarote on a boat with him and Carla.However, Carla's sister-in-law Michelle thwarts their plan and tells Leanne, who follows them to the railway station where Simon chooses to stay in Weatherfield with her. Peter says an emotional goodbye before he and Carla decide to go anyway, saying the break is what they need to sort themselves out. They return about a month later. In July 2013, Peter gets engaged to Carla and she signs 49% of her clothing factory Underworld over to him when he loses possession of the bookies.

When Leanne's husband Nick is involved in a car accident, he ends up with brain damage and Simon moves temporarily in with him and Carla. They employ Tina McIntyre as their nanny and Peter develops romantic feelings for her. They nearly kiss in The Rovers toilets but are caught by landlady Liz McDonald. The next day, Peter still goes on to marry Carla but while she is asleep in the hotel, him and Tina share a passionate kiss. The next day, Peter insists to Tina that it was a one off and he goes on his honeymoon with Carla. When he returns, he learns that Tina kissed Carla's brother Rob, who is dating his sister Tracy. He confronts Rob and warns him not to hurt Tracy, but he is actually jealous and can't bare to see Tina with another man. When Peter and Tina are alone in the flat, while Carla is visiting Hayley, they have sex in Carla and Peter's bedroom. For Christmas, Carla gives Peter a further 1% of the factory, making them equal partners.

Carla finds out that she is pregnant and confides in Michelle. Carla almost has a termination but cannot go through with it. Carla tells Peter that she is pregnant. Tina tells Peter that she might be pregnant. Peter gets drunk and tells Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) about his affair with Tina. Tina asks Peter to move with her to a new life. Peter initially agrees, but after realizing how much he loves Carla, he decided to stay at Weatherfield. During Carla's speech of being pregnant with Peter, an upset and angry Tina hears it all and threatens to tell Carla everything. Peter resigns himself to tell Carla about the affair, much to the anger of Carla. Tina is later killed by Rob Donovan, but Peter is the target of most of the blame, with numerous residents such as Beth Tinker (Lisa George) and Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden). A charm bracelet owned by Steph Britton (Tisha Merry) that was stolen from the crime scene is found in the Barlows' outhouse and Peter is subsequently arrested and charged. Peter was later to be found in hospital after a drink.

Creation

Casting

File:Peterbarlow1988.jpg

Peter in 1986 as played by David Lonsdale.

Robert Heanue was the first actor to portray the character from 1965 to 1970. Chris Dormer played the role from 1970 to 1972 when the 7-year-old actor was written out of the soap due to his parents' emigration to Canada. He did not continue to act and reflected on his time as the young Peter in 2001, "I really enjoyed the Street. I remember Pat Phoenix and Julie Goodyear kissing and tickling me because they thought I was cute. Most of the actors were nice, but some weren't. Violet Carson, who played Ena Sharples, was very grumpy. She didn't like children and really scared me." On-screen Peter and his sister Susan were written out of the soap to live with their grandparents when their mother Valerie Barlow was killed off.

One of the seven actors who has portrayed the character is Linus Roache, the real-life son of William Roache who portrays Peter's father, Ken Barlow in the programme. Linus returned to the show in 2010, playing Lawrence Cunningham, another son of Ken Barlow.

Personality and characterisation

Upon the character's return to the show in October 2008, Chris Gascoyne spoke of his character's destructive personality in an interview with Digital Spy, he stated, "He's been trying against the odds to sort his life out, but he can't. And when it doesn't work and it all goes wrong for him, he has a drink. There are hurdles in his way all the time. He's stubborn and resents people telling him what to do. He'll listen to advice, but he won't take any notice if he thinks the person giving it isn't in a place to do so. That happens a lot with Ken."

In an interview with ITV Chris Gascoyne said, "Drink is becoming an issue and his self-esteem is low. He can’t see a way out and he can’t imagine doing this for the rest of his life (fatherhood)." During the storyline he described his character as being seen as a coward, adding, "He has the potential to be a very good dad but at the minute he feels like everything is conspiring against him and he hasn’t got the confidence or the self-esteem to cope."

It was announced in September 2013 that Peter would begin an affair with Tina, and will go on until her exit in the summer of 2014.

Reception

Ahead of the fire storyline in March 2009, the fire minister Sadiq Khan said: "I would like to thank Coronation Street for highlighting this very important issue. Peter Barlow's actions show how dangerous it is to go to sleep while smoking, putting not only his but son Simon's life at risk too". The episode in which the fire was screened drew in 10.3 million viewers (42.6% audience share) in March 2009.

In February 2011, Gascoyne was nominated for Best Actor at the 2011 All About Soap Bubbles Awards for his portrayal of Peter. He was nominated in the category of "Best Actor" at the 2011 British Soap Awards. In 2014, Gascoyne has been nominated for "Sexiest Male", "Villain of the Year" and "Best Actor" at The British Soap Awards

Sarah Ellis of Inside Soap said that Peter was great to watch when he is with Carla. She also opined that the pair are "like a car crash waiting to happen".

External links

Peter Barlow at itv.com