Frank Barlow (Coronation Street)
Encyclopedia
Francis "Frank" Barlow is a fictional character
from the ITV
soap opera
Coronation Street
, played by Frank Pemberton. As the head of the show's core Barlow family, Frank was one of the original twenty-one characters upon the show's inception in 1960, along with wife Ida
(Noel Dyson
) and sons Ken
(William Roache
) and David (Alan Rothwell
).
In his time on Coronation Street, Frank survived the death of Ida in 1961 and entered into a controversial relationship with younger woman Christine Appleby
(Christine Hargreaves
). He remained in a prominent role until May 1964, when the character was written out by series producer Tim Aspinall. Pemberton later reprised the role for two further episodes, in 1967 and 1971. Frank last appeared at the funeral of daughter-in-law Valerie Barlow (Anne Reid
).
Pemberton never recovered from leaving the role he adored, and suffered a stroke a year later. He found work increasingly hard to come by in the following years and suffered a fatal heart attack in 1975. Frank's son Ken later tells his son Peter
(then played by Bill's son Linus Roache
) of his death in April 1975.
were prepared to pay £40 a week for a 'middle-aged dad with a genuine Lancashire
accent'. He later described the day as "the most exciting" of his life.
Frank Barlow was born in 1913 to parents Edna and Sidney Barlow. Frank joined the navy when he was 16 and he became very much a 'man's man'. His influences in life from that early age were men, and he depended on his superiors when his father Sidney died and his mother Frank's mother Edna was taken ill soon after and spent time in a psychiatric unit, which prompted Frank to leave the Navy once his training was finished. A few years later Frank was introduced to a friend of his sister Marjorie's, Ida Leathers and the pair quickly fell for each other. Frank and Ida married on 1 May 1938 and went on to have two sons - Kenneth (1939) and David (1942).
Ida's untimely death was a shock for Frank, who took out his frustrations on Ken and told him he was nothing but a disappointment when he learned that Ken was out of work. Of course they patched their differences soon enough like always and learned to cope together rather than on their own.
In early 1963, Frank found love once again when his friendship with widow Christine Appleby became something more. Their short-lived affair slipped into an engagement and shocked the neighbours, especially as Christine went to school with Frank's eldest son Ken. Eventually the romance ended when the age difference became too much and Christine realised her feelings for him were not as strong as his.
Frank recovered from his disastrous relationship with Christine by starting a fresh and quitting his job at the Post Office to open a DIY shop on Victoria Street. The new venture was a complete success but had to close due to fire damage later in the year. In 1964, Frank won £500 on the premium bonds and chose to leave the Street for a new life in Wilmslow. He sold the shop and celebrated his farewell in the Rovers, the night Martha Longhurst died. He had left the street two weeks later without saying goodbye to Ken.
He made two visits to the street, once in 1967 when Ken refused to pay a fine and instead to go to prison, and then in 1971 when he arrived for his daughter-in-Law, Valerie's funeral.
Frank died sometime before 1975 from natural causes.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, played by Frank Pemberton. As the head of the show's core Barlow family, Frank was one of the original twenty-one characters upon the show's inception in 1960, along with wife Ida
Ida Barlow
Ida Barlow is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera Coronation Street, she was played by actress Noel Dyson between 1960 and 1961.-Casting:...
(Noel Dyson
Noel Dyson
Noel Dyson was an English actress. Dyson appeared in a number of films but is best remembered as a versatile television actress who became a very familiar face to British viewers in a career spanning almost 50 years...
) and sons Ken
Ken Barlow
Kenneth "Ken" Barlow is a long-standing fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by William Roache, and created by Tony Warren. He is currently the world's longest-serving soap opera character, having appeared continuously from the programme's inception in December...
(William Roache
William Roache
William Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
) and David (Alan Rothwell
Alan Rothwell
Alan Rothwell is a British actor and television presenter. He was born in Oldham, Lancashire. He first came to fame in 1960, playing the character David Barlow in the then new ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He remained in this role in 1968, and the character was killed off two years later...
).
In his time on Coronation Street, Frank survived the death of Ida in 1961 and entered into a controversial relationship with younger woman Christine Appleby
Christine Appleby
Christine Appleby is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by actress Christine Hargreaves between 1960 and 1963.-Casting:...
(Christine Hargreaves
Christine Hargreaves
Christine Hargreaves was an English actress who was best known for appearing as the character Christine Hardman in the soap opera Coronation Street between 1960-1963....
). He remained in a prominent role until May 1964, when the character was written out by series producer Tim Aspinall. Pemberton later reprised the role for two further episodes, in 1967 and 1971. Frank last appeared at the funeral of daughter-in-law Valerie Barlow (Anne Reid
Anne Reid
Anne Reid, MBE is a BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television actress from Newcastle upon Tyne, best known for her roles as Valerie Tatlock in Coronation Street and Jean in dinnerladies....
).
Pemberton never recovered from leaving the role he adored, and suffered a stroke a year later. He found work increasingly hard to come by in the following years and suffered a fatal heart attack in 1975. Frank's son Ken later tells his son Peter
Peter Barlow (Coronation Street)
Peter Francis Barlow is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode aired on 15 April 1965...
(then played by Bill's son Linus Roache
Linus Roache
Linus William Roache is an English actor.-Early life:Roache was born in Manchester, the son of Coronation Street actor William Roache and actress Anna Cropper. Roache was educated at Bishop Luffa Church of England School in Chichester, West Sussex and at the independent Rydal School in Colwyn Bay,...
) of his death in April 1975.
Casting
Actor Frank Pemberton was offered the role of Frank on the day of his audition, after he had heard GranadaGranada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
were prepared to pay £40 a week for a 'middle-aged dad with a genuine Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
accent'. He later described the day as "the most exciting" of his life.
Background
Postman Frank has been described as the archetypal "hard-working northern man", he dedicated his life to providing for his family. The family's working-class background meant Frank was resentful of Ken upon his return from university prior to the first episode, and their differences spilled out into the early episodes and continued throughout.Frank Barlow was born in 1913 to parents Edna and Sidney Barlow. Frank joined the navy when he was 16 and he became very much a 'man's man'. His influences in life from that early age were men, and he depended on his superiors when his father Sidney died and his mother Frank's mother Edna was taken ill soon after and spent time in a psychiatric unit, which prompted Frank to leave the Navy once his training was finished. A few years later Frank was introduced to a friend of his sister Marjorie's, Ida Leathers and the pair quickly fell for each other. Frank and Ida married on 1 May 1938 and went on to have two sons - Kenneth (1939) and David (1942).
Storylines
Frank Barlow was introduced as the pipe-smoking head of the Barlow family in the very first episode of the Street in 1960. Frank resented the way his son Ken thought himself superior to them, and there was friction between the pair when Ken returned home from university. However, all their problems were put aside by the end of 1961 when they found themselves living alone. David had left the Street in the Summer to begin a new football career, and in September the Street was met with the news that Ida had perished under the wheels of a bus.Ida's untimely death was a shock for Frank, who took out his frustrations on Ken and told him he was nothing but a disappointment when he learned that Ken was out of work. Of course they patched their differences soon enough like always and learned to cope together rather than on their own.
In early 1963, Frank found love once again when his friendship with widow Christine Appleby became something more. Their short-lived affair slipped into an engagement and shocked the neighbours, especially as Christine went to school with Frank's eldest son Ken. Eventually the romance ended when the age difference became too much and Christine realised her feelings for him were not as strong as his.
Frank recovered from his disastrous relationship with Christine by starting a fresh and quitting his job at the Post Office to open a DIY shop on Victoria Street. The new venture was a complete success but had to close due to fire damage later in the year. In 1964, Frank won £500 on the premium bonds and chose to leave the Street for a new life in Wilmslow. He sold the shop and celebrated his farewell in the Rovers, the night Martha Longhurst died. He had left the street two weeks later without saying goodbye to Ken.
He made two visits to the street, once in 1967 when Ken refused to pay a fine and instead to go to prison, and then in 1971 when he arrived for his daughter-in-Law, Valerie's funeral.
Frank died sometime before 1975 from natural causes.