List of Coronation Street characters introduced in 2018
Coronation Street is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters introduced in 2018, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by series producer Kate Oates or her successor, Iain MacLeod. The first character to be introduced is Josh Tucker, the rapist of David Platt, in January. Gail Rodwell's clairvoyant Rosemary Piper, Liz McDonald's new love interest Mike Thornberry, school bully [|Tyler Jefferies] and Geoff Metcalfe, Tim Metcalfe's father, joined the show in March. April saw [|Emma Brooker], a new love interest for David, and Kayla Clifton, a character introduced to continue Bethany Platt's sexual exploitation storyline, make their first appearances, while the year's first birth, [|Susie Price], daughter of Aidan Connor and Eva Price, also took place this month. [|Paul Foreman] made his first appearance in May for a guest stint, before returning to the serial regularly in January 2019. Mr Fitzgerald appeared in July. Sally Metcalfe's lawyer Paula Martin joined the cast in August, while Liz and Jim McDonald's fraudulent "daughter" Hannah Gilmore, Tyrone Dobbs' long-lost grandmother Evelyn Plummer and Tyler's mother Vicky Jefferies were introduced in September. Elsa Tilsley, Nick Tilsley's secret wife, joined the cast in November.
Josh Tucker
Josh Tucker, played by Ryan Clayton, made his first appearance on 26 January 2018. Details about the character were announced in early December 2017. Clayton's casting was announced on 16 January 2018. In July 2018, Clayton was longlisted for the "Best Bad Boy" award at the Inside Soap Awards. He did not progress to the viewer-voted shortlist. Clayton filmed his final scenes later in the year and Josh departs in episode 9575, first broadcast on 1 October 2018.In July 2019, it was announced that Clayton had reprised his role as Josh, who would return for a story with David Platt. He returns for a guest stint and the character is stabbed as part of the story. David becomes the prime suspect for the stabbing and Shepherd admitted that the scripts were vague as to whether David is responsible, so the outcome is unknown. The character returned in the episode broadcast on 18 October 2019 when David spots him in a prison hospital awaiting treatment. Another prisoner then explains that Josh is in prison for drugging and raping someone, like he had to David.
When a vacancy arises at Webster's Autocentre, following the death of their mechanic Luke Britton, Josh approaches co-owner Tyrone Dobbs and asks if he needs to fix anything in order to prove he is worthy of the job. After a brief interview, despite querying about the number of different towns and garages he has worked in, Tyrone agrees to give Josh the job. Josh also impresses Tyrone by suggesting that they and other street residents should remember Luke by hosting a charity boxing match in his honour.
Over the following months, Josh befriends David and the pair often hang out and go drinking together. This initially causes problems in David's relationship with his girlfriend, Shona Ramsey. However, Shona eventually accepts their friendship. When Shona, David and Josh are drinking in the pub with some of their neighbours, Shona comments on the chemistry between Josh and Alya Nazir. David dismisses this idea leading Shona to tease him about wanting Josh all to himself. Josh overhears this and becomes more flirtatious with David.
In March, Josh spikes David's drink with GHB during a night out. He takes David back to his flat and rapes him. David awakens in Josh's bed and realises with horror what happened to him. When Josh turns up at his house the next day, David confronts him but Josh manipulates David by claiming that they got drunk and had a consensual one-night stand. David's relationship with Shona suffers as a result of his secret rape trauma and he breaks up with her. Josh asks David if he ended his relationship because of their "one night stand" but an angry David tells Josh he is delusional and sick in the head if he thinks David ended his relationship because he wants to get together with him.
When Tyrone pulls out of the charity boxing match, David volunteers to fight his sister Sarah Platt's boyfriend Gary Windass in his place despite his epilepsy ruling him out. Josh is refereeing the fight and taunts David during the break. David snaps and brutally beats up Gary in front of the shocked crowd. Josh does not bother to stop the fight. Gary is rushed to hospital where he recovers. Gary thinks David is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of witnessing his wife Kylie's murder two years previously.
David is arrested for ABH but released on bail. David has a one-night stand with new trainee hairdresser, Emma Brooker and moves her into his house. However, after his neighbour Aidan Connor commits suicide, David admits to Shona that Josh raped him. David is arrested for failing to turn up at court and Shona confronts Josh who continues to pretend he and David had a consensual one night stand. Josh arrives at Alya's house with flowers and charms her into bed to give himself a cover story in case David and Shona report him to the police.
Josh returns a month later when it is revealed that David had been following him to try and stop him from raping someone else. Billy Mayhew finds David and tells him to go home. However, once David leaves, Billy tells Ethan that Josh is a rapist. It transpires that Josh was beaten up by Ethan after he found GHB in his pocket.
Josh is left temporarily blind in the hospital due to the attack. David is happy at Josh's suffering but Billy is wracked with guilt over his role. Billy tries to get Josh to admit his sins but fails. Josh is discharged from hospital in September 2018 and turns up at Billy's flat as he has nowhere to go. Billy reluctantly allows Josh to stay warning him to keep a low profile. Alya discovers that Josh is living at Billy's and tells David, who tells Billy that Josh also raped others so Billy throws Josh out.
In October 2018, Josh apologises for spiking David but is reluctant to admit to rape, giving half-truths. David bundles Josh into a car. Driving Josh to an alleyway, David tells him that he has driven him to the police station and demands him to hand himself to the police. Josh, terrified, pleads to David not to destroy his life, saying he would not cope in jail. He goes on to say he would be branded a rapist and likely to be put on a register. This satisfies David enough to reveal they are nowhere near a police station. Having gotten closure despite Josh not directly admitting to the rape, David drives off, leaving Josh behind.
After David was sentenced to 4 months in prison for fraud, he needed some painkillers, but as soon as he goes to the nurse, he pulls a distressed look when he witnesses Josh in the prison with multiple injuries. He was brutally beaten up by Terry "Tez" Collier for being a rapist. It turns out Josh was sent here for getting caught raping someone and GHB, the sentence was unknown. David was left distressed.
As David's sentence was nearly over, a prison riot occurred because of overcrowding and Abe Crowley told David it was his chance to get revenge. But David protected Josh and went into a cell with him. David forces Josh to admit what he did, Josh admits he raped David and loads of other people, which left David infuriated.
Josh was later stabbed in prison with a pair of scissors. The police take David out of his cell and they charge him with attempted murder along with Abe and Tez.
David pleads not guilty along with the others, but he is refused bail despite his sentence being almost over. Josh lied to the police to frame David for stabbing him. The video showed Josh with a scissor stab and David walking out with no traces of blood left on him but the police do not believe David.
David phones Billy Mayhew asking him to talk to Josh in the hospital because apparently they were friends and he listens to him. Billy tries to get contact but he fails.
Paul Foreman disguises himself as a nurse and forces Josh to admit he lied and how much this is affecting David with multiple counts of persuasion.
Josh finally admits to the police he lied, and that Abe and Tez stabbed him. It's unknown what happened but it presumed he was charged with perverting the course of justice.
After David got let out of prison, Billy tells him Josh was charged with another count of rape against him, leaving David relieved.
Josh went on trial for his rape on 3 January 2020, David was left nervous because Shona was not there to support him since she is in a coma, David manages to testify against Josh.
On 8 January 2020, Josh was found guilty of raping David and the other people and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Rosemary Piper
Rosemary Piper, played by Sophie Thompson, made her first appearance on 12 March 2018. The character and Thompson's casting details were announced on 18 January 2018. Rosemary is a psychic medium, who tells Audrey Roberts that she has been in contact with her late husband Alf Roberts. Audrey's daughter Gail Rodwell is unconvinced, but Rosemary tells her that she has also received messages from Gail's former, deceased husbands, including Richard Hillman. Of Thompson's casting, a show spokesperson stated, "Sophie is perfect for the role of Rosemary and we are excited she is joining the cast and working alongside Helen and Sue. Gail and Audrey are convinced she is getting messages from Alf and Gail's husbands. It remains to be seen if she is all she claims to be."The character's storyline was nominated for "Most Bizarre Soap Storyline" at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards; it came in ninth place with 2.5% of the total votes.
Rosemary first appears when she books a hair appointment at Audrey's Salon. She claims that a former client of Audrey's, who recently died, recommended the salon. It emerges that Rosemary is conspiring with Lewis Archer in a scheme against Gail, which Roy Cropper and Cathy Matthews become targets of too.