List of Coronation Street characters (2021)

Jacob Hay, played by Jack James Ryan, first appeared on 1 February 2021.[1] He is a colleague of Simon Barlow (Alex Bain), who he works with at a food delivery company. When Simon reveals to him that he is struggling for money, Jacob gives him £60. When Simon's friend Kelly Neelan (Millie Gibson) sees Jacob with Simon, she makes a comment about how he cannot be trusted. She later states that while at another school, he was in a relationship with her friend, and treated her badly. She then explains that he was also imprisoned for stabbing somebody over an incident involving drugs. Simon dismisses her comments, stating that people can change following their mistakes.

The character and Ryan's casting was announced on 29 January 2021.[2] It was stated that Jacob would "shake things up" in Coronation Street, and it was confirmed that he is part of a gang that sell drugs disguised as food deliveries.[3] On his casting, Ryan took to social media to state that he is "incredibly proud" to be able to appear on the soap, and stated that he found it difficult to keep his casting a secret. He explained that since he is from Manchester, he "can't quite articulate what it means" to be part of the cast of Coronation Street, and confirmed that he has watched the show since he was young, and always hoped to "step on those cobbles".[3]

Ronnie Bailey, played by Vinta Morgan, is set to make his first appearance on 19 February 2021.[4] The actor and casting details were announced in January 2021, when details of a storyline regarding the Bailey family undergoing systematic racism was also announced.[5] Ronnie will be introduced as the brother of established character Ed (Trevor Michael Georges). It was stated that upon his arrival, he will be "a massive injection of chaos, energy and humour". Ronnie was described as a "real jack the lad", and it was stated that he "will tip [the Bailey family's] currently-quite-cosy lifestyle on its head", and that "he'll be setting many cats among many pigeons up and down the street, much to Ed's exasperation at times". Executive producer Iain MacLeod added that Ronnie "will arrive off the back of quite a big family drama and he turns up with a secret".[6] His backstory was later confirmed; Ronnie a 51-year-old single man from London who looks to relocate to Weatherfield for unknown reasons. He is described as "the wayward uncle who can be slightly ruthless but irrepressibly charming", and it was noted that he is good with business decisions and money. It was also hinted that he would look for romance in Weatherfield.[7]

MacLeod teased that Ronnie arrives at "the worst possible time", since he arrives in Weatherfield at the same time that Grace Vickers (Kate Spencer) goes into labour prematurely. He compared his arrival to "holding the hand grenade with the pin already out and just wondering when to drop it", but added that he "means no malice" by his actions. MacLeod also compared Ronnie's personality to former character Danny Baldwin (Bradley Walsh), noting that like Danny, Ronnie is "slightly ruthless but also irrepressibly charming", and that Coronation Street has not had a character like Ronnie "for a while".[8] Morgan's portrayal of Ronnie was not initially announced. Without giving any details on the portrayer, MacLeod stated that the actor is "fabulous" and "really, really strong".[8] When his casting was announced, Morgan stated: "It's so great to be joining Coronation Street. I grew up watching it, I know the characters, I've lived the stories and now, to play my part on the street, I can only say I'm blessed. In my household it has always been a firm favourite", and added that Ronnie is an "enigmatic character".[4]

• Cast and characters at itv.com
• Cast and characters at the Internet Movie Database