Ray Langton
Encyclopedia
Raymond Anthony "Ray" Langton was a major character
in the British
television soap opera
Coronation Street
. He was played by Neville Buswell
. An ex-borstal boy, Ray built up a reputation as a troublemaker. He first appeared in the Street in 1966 but was forced out by Len after he threatened Lucille Hewitt. Nevertheless, Ray turned up again two years later and Len gave him a job at his building firm, and invited him to move into his bachelor pad at No.9. Ray hoped to go into business for himself but eventually settled for a partnership with Len and Jerry Booth
.
Ray was something of a womaniser and he was involved with many women while living in the Street, including Sandra Butler, Audrey Fleming, Vicki Bright and Sue Silcock. In 1975 he married the yard's secretary Deirdre Langton and they moved into No.5; their daughter Tracy was born in 1977. His roving eye soon led him into another affair however, with waitress Janice Stubbs. He ended the relationship before Deirdre found out, but the marriage finished anyway as Deirdre backed out of plans for the family's fresh start in Holland, and Ray went by himself.
Ray absented himself for all of Tracy's early life, and eventually divorced Deirdre. In 2005, he found out he had stomach cancer and decided to return to Weatherfield and make amends with Tracy before he died. After getting to know Tracy and her daughter Amy, Ray died at Deirdre and Ken Barlow's wedding reception at the Rovers.
Neville Buswell is the third cast member to have the longest break in Coronation Street, which is a 27 Year absence from 1978 to 2005. The actor in the show who currently has the record for the longest break is Philip Lowrie
who played Dennis Tanner
and was absent for 43 years.
In 1978, Len began an affair with waitress Janice Strubbs and was found out by Deirdre so ended the affair. He then made plans to move to Holland for a new life and wanted Deirdre and Tracy to come with him, but at the last minute, Deirdre decided she didnt want to go with him. Ray then left the street on his own for a new life, leaving Deirdre behind to raise Tracy. However Ray did keep in contact most of the time and even sent Tracy presents, but this died down over the years. He later contacted Deirdre as he wanted a divorce as he found another woman in Holland who was pregnant with his child.
Ray divorced from his second wife sometime around 2000. When he discovered he had stomach cancer in 2005, he returned to Weatherfield to track down Tracy to make amends. Ray arrived in Coronation Street on the day of Ken and Deirdre's second wedding and hit baby Amy Barlow's pram. He met up with Deirdre, Blanche and Ken, at the hospital and realised that Amy was his granddaughter and that the mother was his daughter Tracy, who he hadnt seen since she was an infant. Ray revealed to everyone that he had stomach cancer and only had a certain amount of time to live and that he was also divorced for 5 years. He began lodging with Emily Bishop who took him in to help him out. Tracy eventually softened towards her dad, and Ray later attended Ken
and Deirdre's wedding and wished the couple well. During the reception in the Rovers Return, Ray had died of his illness, much to the distress of Tracy.
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...
in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television 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...
. He was played by Neville Buswell
Neville Buswell
Neville Buswell is a British actor, best known for his role as Ray Langton in Coronation Street.Neville Buswell attended Belmont Abbey School near Hereford from 1955-1960...
. An ex-borstal boy, Ray built up a reputation as a troublemaker. He first appeared in the Street in 1966 but was forced out by Len after he threatened Lucille Hewitt. Nevertheless, Ray turned up again two years later and Len gave him a job at his building firm, and invited him to move into his bachelor pad at No.9. Ray hoped to go into business for himself but eventually settled for a partnership with Len and Jerry Booth
Jerry Booth
Jerry Booth was an English footballer who played as a winger. He played one match in the Football League for Burnley in 1903.-References:...
.
Ray was something of a womaniser and he was involved with many women while living in the Street, including Sandra Butler, Audrey Fleming, Vicki Bright and Sue Silcock. In 1975 he married the yard's secretary Deirdre Langton and they moved into No.5; their daughter Tracy was born in 1977. His roving eye soon led him into another affair however, with waitress Janice Stubbs. He ended the relationship before Deirdre found out, but the marriage finished anyway as Deirdre backed out of plans for the family's fresh start in Holland, and Ray went by himself.
Ray absented himself for all of Tracy's early life, and eventually divorced Deirdre. In 2005, he found out he had stomach cancer and decided to return to Weatherfield and make amends with Tracy before he died. After getting to know Tracy and her daughter Amy, Ray died at Deirdre and Ken Barlow's wedding reception at the Rovers.
Departure (1978)
Ray Langton's departure in 1978 came due to Neville Buswell qutting acting and later leaving to work in Las Vegas. However, he returned in 2005 for a brief stint, 27 years since he portrayed the character.Neville Buswell is the third cast member to have the longest break in Coronation Street, which is a 27 Year absence from 1978 to 2005. The actor in the show who currently has the record for the longest break is Philip Lowrie
Philip Lowrie
Colin Philip Lowrie is an English television actor. He played Dennis Tanner, the son of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street, from 1960 until 1968. On 25 January 2011, it was announced that he would return to the role, reappearing on screen later in the year...
who played Dennis Tanner
Dennis Tanner
Dennis Tanner is a fictional character in British soap opera Coronation Street. He is played by Philip Lowrie. The character was created by writer Tony Warren and was introduced in the very first episode on 9 December 1960...
and was absent for 43 years.
Storylines
Ray Langton was born at Number 2 Gas Street and was in trouble with the police most of the time. After briefly staying around in the street in 1966, he left but returned two years later and got into the building trade with Len Fairclough. He began a relationship with Deirdre Hunt and they later got married in 1975. Together they had a daughter in 1977 who was named Tracy Langton.In 1978, Len began an affair with waitress Janice Strubbs and was found out by Deirdre so ended the affair. He then made plans to move to Holland for a new life and wanted Deirdre and Tracy to come with him, but at the last minute, Deirdre decided she didnt want to go with him. Ray then left the street on his own for a new life, leaving Deirdre behind to raise Tracy. However Ray did keep in contact most of the time and even sent Tracy presents, but this died down over the years. He later contacted Deirdre as he wanted a divorce as he found another woman in Holland who was pregnant with his child.
Ray divorced from his second wife sometime around 2000. When he discovered he had stomach cancer in 2005, he returned to Weatherfield to track down Tracy to make amends. Ray arrived in Coronation Street on the day of Ken and Deirdre's second wedding and hit baby Amy Barlow's pram. He met up with Deirdre, Blanche and Ken, at the hospital and realised that Amy was his granddaughter and that the mother was his daughter Tracy, who he hadnt seen since she was an infant. Ray revealed to everyone that he had stomach cancer and only had a certain amount of time to live and that he was also divorced for 5 years. He began lodging with Emily Bishop who took him in to help him out. Tracy eventually softened towards her dad, and Ray later attended 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...
and Deirdre's wedding and wished the couple well. During the reception in the Rovers Return, Ray had died of his illness, much to the distress of Tracy.
Other appearances
- He appeared in Viva Las Vegas!, a VHS spin-off released in 1998. This was a brief cameo appearance. In this video, he claimed he was married to a man and was hiding from his evil twin. None of these events where ever mentioned in the programme itself.