Mary Taylor (Coronation Street)

Upon being introduced into the series Mary bonds with established character Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) over their interest of entering competitions.[4] Mary develops feelings for Norris and tries to flirt with him. He does not respond to her behaviour and she tries to seduce him. He rejects her and becomes concerned about her romantic intentions. When Mary's mother dies she decides to go travelling. The character was later reintroduced to the series and a show publicist stated that Mary returns with the intention to reconnect with Norris.[4] Hebden has claimed that his off-screen friendship with Clare helped to create a good comedy duo with Mary and Norris.[5]

Norris agrees to go on a cottage holiday with Mary. Brian Roberts from the Daily Mirror revealed that Coronation Street had planned a kidnapping storyline in similar to the narrative featured in the novel Misery.[6] While at the cottage Mary vandalises their car and telephone to prevent Norris from leaving. Mary develops fantasies of her and Norris having a romance resembling Heathcliffe and Cathy, fictional characters from the novel Wuthering Heights. Norris tries to escape but hurts his ankle and she refuses to take him to the hospital. The storyline takes a sinister turn when Norris watches Mary using an axe in the yard. He begins to fear Mary and barricades himself in the cottage. Roberts revealed that Mary becomes "seriously demented" during the scenes.[6] Hebden branded the plot as "strangely enjoyable" to portray. He believed that rival soap operas had not portrayed such a strange "one-off" story.[7]

In 2015, Producer Stuart Blackburn announced that he had planned romance and comedy stories for Mary.[8] The casting department hired Ted Robbins to play Brendan Finch who was billed as a new love interest for Mary. The pair bond over Mary's interest in Brendan's magazines. Robbins stated that "he has a bit of a backbone and I think Mary likes that." He believed that Mary is instantly attracted to Brendan and he notices.[9] The pair start an affair in secret as Brendan is married. He tells Mary that he will eventually leave his wife and plan a future with Mary. Clare told David Brown of Radio Times that Mary is true to her characterisation and has fantasies about the relationship.[10] She believes everything that Brendan has told her. He is a "clever man" who knows the right things to say and Mary believes him. The actress added "she’s totally fallen for him and he's everything to Mary: he’s manly, he’s straight out of a Mills and Boon novel." Norris is upset about her affair and does not like Brendan. Clare explained that Norris has become a "very loyal friend" to Mary but she thinks that he is jealous of her relationship. Dev walks in on Mary and Brendan being intimate and she is so embarrassed that she quits her child-minding job.[10]

It was later reported that Brendan's wife Bridget would be introduced.[11] A publicist from Coronation Street told Susan Hill of the Daily Star that Bridget slaps Mary in the face in-front of her neighbours. They added that Brendan is a "love rat" who used Mary for sex and Bridget knows exactly what her husband is like.[11] Clare believed that her character was filled with excitement by Bridget's arrival. She believed it was to be the "eye of the storm" in her romantic novel. She presumed that the public showing would be the first step towards her future with Brendan.[10] She thinks it is time for Bridget to know the truth, but the scenario plays out different. Brendan denies all knowledge of their affair, sides with his Bridget and she insults Mary. Clare explained that her character is left "humiliated [and] mortified" because her close friends Dev and Erica are witness to the attack. She was not worried for her character's emotional development and added "she’s been badly bruised but Mary’s extremely resilient. She’s like the Terminator, perhaps to the point of being foolhardy."[10]

In 2016, producers decided to introduce a family for the character. Writers created a breast cancer scare for Mary. But when her results return clear, she remains upset and her friends are confused. David Brown from Radio Times reported that Mary would "deliver shock news" that would leave other characters in "astonishment". No more details were publicised prior to transmission.[12] Norris becomes concerned for her and asks her for the truth. Mary tells Norris that she was sexually assaulted when she was fourteen and gave birth to a son.[13] Mary's mother had forced her to conceal the pregnancy and give the child, who she had named Jude, up for adoption. Norris convinces Mary to find Jude, believing that he will not blame her for what happened.[13] Soon Paddy Wallace joined the cast as Mary's son Jude Appleton. He gets to know Mary and asks her to move to South Africa with him. She accepts and makes preparations to leave Weatherfield. However, the character remained on the show.

Wallace later joined the cast on a permanent basis and writers introduced Mary's daughter in law Angie Appleton (Victoria Ekanoye) and grandson George Appleton (Romeo Cheetam-Karcz).[14] Their introduction storyline involved Mary and Norris creating a sham marriage in order to win a competition. Jude and Angie arrive for the wedding and later end up moving into Coronation Street.[14] Ekanoye told Radio Time's Brown that Jude decides to stay because getting to know Mary is a "big thing for him". She added that Mary is pivotal in convincing Jude and Angie to stay. She added "she wants her family around. So you will see her clashing with Angie quite a bit. But, in time, they might become quite a formidable force."[14] Mary settles with her new-found family. Later stories for them include Jude pretending to be a marine biologist despite only working in an aquarium gift shop. Mary decides to keep the secret and helps him lie to Angie.[15]