Rosie Webster
Encyclopedia
Rosie Webster is a fictional character
in the British television ITV
soap opera
, Coronation Street
. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 24 December 1990. Originally portrayed by actress Emma Collinge
from her birth until December 1999, the character has since been portrayed by actress Helen Flanagan
in episodes airing from 23 January 2000 onwards. Flanagan took a three-month break in Summer 2011 and returned on 26 September 2011. In October 2011 it was announced that Rosie would leave Coronation Street in 2012, after Flanagan decided to pursue other projects.
and Sally Webster
(Michael Le Vell
and Sally Dynevor). Rosie was the first of two Christmas births featured that year, as Gail McIntyre (then Platt) gave birth to her son David Platt
the next day. The character's name is taken from the fictional street she was born on, Rosamund Street.
Rosie's appearance was that of a normal young child with unstyled, tied up hair.
In 2004, the character tried carving herself an identity by going through a goth
phase, dressing in black, wearing black make-up and dying her hair jet black. The storyline was part of Rosie's romance with Craig Harris (Richard Fleeshman
), with both characters spending afternoons in Rosie's bedroom listening to a Dutch metal band called 'Stench of Death' and counting down the days to the apocalypse". Flanagen commented on about her character's favourite band sums her character up, at the time of 'the goth stage' stating: "I hate all that Goth music such as Marilyn Manson
and HIM that Rosie seems to like. Her favourite rock band are called Stench Of Death -that says it all.
In 2008, Flanagan revealed to The Mirror that she disliked her character's goth attire: "I’m used to being a goth, seeing as I had to dress as one as Rosie for so long. It was all so unflattering - really unfeminine, long black skirts down to the floor and horrible jackets." She also said in another interview that she hated black mini skirts she used to wear. The character's style also caused controversy in real life when headteachers in the Lancashire region warned any plans of copying the character's style would result in youngsters being sent home, it was said that: "Our advice to pupils considering following suit would be to experiment during the summer holidays. "The reason we have a school uniform is because it removes any danger of peer pressure to follow a trend or fashion, and although they may gripe about it the pupils do appreciate that. Going onto say: "We are not saying don't experiment, and I know pupils who have tried being gothic, but it isn't appropriate at school.
Flanagan later revealed to Digital Spy
what drives her character. When asked about if her character is driven by money, she said: "I think she's attracted to the power and money. Rosie knows that she can use her womanly wiles to get what she wants. In the long run, she wants a life away from Weatherfield. She wants to be rich when she's older and aspires to be like Carla - gorgeous, sexy and wearing designer clothes." adding "It's not wholly about the money. She's more driven by glamour and power." She also spoke how the character can be 'a bit of a bitch' but she does have a heart.
During the time of the character's compensation storyline, the plot saw her buy shares in the factory and go on to design her own range. Of this, an official of the show commented about the character: "Helen's had some harrowing storylines so it's nice for her to do something a little lighter. Rosie went through hell when she was kidnapped. But she has bounced back and, as long as she's got some money in her pocket, she feels able to start again. She's determined to make it big - and men's underpants are something she knows a lot about!"
In October 2011, it was anounced that Flanagan had decided to leave Coronation Steet. Flanagan had previously been suffering from panic attacks on set. This lead to speculation that she would quit the serial. However, Flanagan said it was purely her own decision to leave because she had played Rosie for more than half of her life and decided to pursue other projects.
)'s taxi on Rosamund Street. Rosie is a happy child, not giving her parents any trouble until Kevin leaves Sally for Natalie Horrocks (Denise Welch
). After that, she becomes a troubled child and goes through a bullying phase at school. She seems to grow out of it, quite quickly, but is never really happy, due to Kevin and Sally's turbulent romantic lives.
Wanting better for her daughter, Sally encourages Rosie's ambitions to go to stage school but just as Kevin and Sally take her to the school for her audition, she gets cold feet and changes her mind. Sally later discovers at a school parents' evening that Rosie is disruptive at school because she finds the work too easy so Sally enrols her at Oakhill Grammar School. Sally pushing Rosie as hard as she does backfires when, to afford Oakhill's fees, Sally gets a job as PA for Ian Davenport (Philip Bretherton), the father of one of Rosie's friends. The Davenports and the Websters become friendly when Rosie makes friends with their daughter and starts socialising, leading Ian to offer Sally a job. Before long, Ian and Sally begin an affair, which Rosie discovers and Sally blackmails her not to tell her father. Disgusted with her mother, Rosie distances herself from her.
Rosie goes through a goth phase and gets romantically involved with Craig Harris (Richard Fleeshman
). Rosie and Craig are banned from seeing each other after Sally discovers that they are sleeping together and worried Rosie would get pregnant, forces her to take the morning after pill. Rosie goes on the contraceptive pill, but when Sally finds out, she phones the police but they refuse to take any action against Craig. Sally drives Rosie at high speed to the moors to teach her a lesson but loses control of herself and the car; both nearly die and, later on, Rosie has a second near-death experience when she is hit by a car. Craig's caring attitude towards her persuades her parents to accept their relationship. However, the romance ends in October 2006 when Craig is left alone in Weatherfield and despite attempting to elope to Berlin, Rosie realises she can't leave her family, so Craig goes alone.
In 2007, Rosie leaves school and begins working at "Underworld," as a personal assistant (PA). Initially, it is just meant to be a summer job. However, Rosie proves to be efficient at the job. As such, Carla Connor
(Alison King
) offers to make it permanent and Rosie agrees, not wanting to return to school. Rosie fancies her boss, Liam Connor
(Rob James-Collier
), but he already has a girlfriend so she moves on to teacher John Stape
(Graeme Hawley
). They begin an affair and she goes to Weatherfield High to do her A-Levels, as John works there. He asks her not to, knowing he is risking his career if he has an affair with a pupil, but she ignores him. Fiz Brown
(Jennie McAlpine
), John's girlfriend, guesses that John is hiding something and thinks he is sleeping with Sally Webster as she is obsessed with him but discovers on Christmas Day, that he is sleeping with Rosie, due to swapped Christmas presents. Rosie and Fiz fight and Kevin attacks John. Fiz dumps him but John calls the police and has Kevin arrested for assault. Realising the trouble she has caused, Rosie ends things with John and he goes to teach in a boys' school.
John returns in July 2008, wanting Fiz back. They reconcile briefly but Fiz dumps for him a second time so he kidnaps Rosie after seeing her kissing a boy, Saj. John blames Rosie for his problems. Attempting to scare her into leaving Weatherfield, he takes her hostage in his cab and condemns her for destroying his life. Rosie is terrified but unharmed. He eventually takes her home and once safe, she verbally abuses him and refuses to pay the fare. She is furious that Sally and Kevin refuse to believe her version of events as Lloyd Mullaney
(Craig Charles
) saw her shouting at John.
After Rosie discovers that Carla and Liam Connor (in-laws), are having an affair in May 2008, Carla bribes her to keep quiet. Attempting to seduce Carla's fiance, Tony Gordon
(Gray O'Brien
), Rosie books a hotel room for them and, in revenge for him turning her down, shows him her mobile phone footage of Carla and Liam kissing. Tony is furious and threatens Rosie to make sure she keeps quiet, going on to kill Liam in revenge. Rosie subsequently vanishes, and a police investigation is launched. After she has been missing several weeks, it emerges that John has kidnapped Rosie, keeping her in his late grandmother's attic. He promises to free her but doesn't. Rosie escapes when Fiz goes to the house and accidentally finds her. John is arrested and Rosie comes home, to her family's relief. He pleads guilty to kidnap and is sentenced to two years in prison.
On 3 December 2008, Maria Connor (Samia Smith
) learns about Liam and Carla's affair at Carla's wedding to Tony. Sally tells Maria after Carla insults her family. Rosie tries to stop her but Sally shows her the video clip from Rosie's mobile phone. The next day, Rosie tells Maria that Tony knew about the affair. When Carla and Tony return from honeymoon, Carla warns Rosie not to cross her again.
Later that month, Rosie spots an opportunity to make some money from her kidnap ordeal. She sells her story to the local papers and poses for some racy photographs, which she posts on her Myspace
page. On Christmas Eve, Rosie's 18th birthday, Kevin and Sally are disgusted to learn this. When they come home, they are stunned to find Rosie has slept with neighbour Gary Windass
(Mikey North
). She thinks they are in a relationship but he moves on, flirting with Tina McIntyre
(Michelle Keegan
), leading to a fight between the two girls when Tina mocks Rosie's kidnap.
In June 2009, Rosie is shocked to get a visiting order from John Stape and, calling in sick to work, goes to the prison to see what he wants. She is overjoyed when John tells her that he is giving her £150,000, as compensation for what he put her through. With some of the money, she buys a PGO Cevennes, a French sports car, and invests in shares at Underworld.
In September, Rosie is dumped by her boyfriend, Luke Strong
(Craig Kelly
), while her parents are on holiday in Lanzarote. After resuming their relationship, Luke gets his revenge for Rosie setting him up to be dumped by Michelle Connor
(Kym Marsh
), by conning her out of her fortune. He offers to sell her his 60% share of Underworld, making her the boss. However, on 19 October 2009, Luke leaves town with her money. Rosie discovers what Luke has done when the solicitor phones and tells her that Luke didn't actually own any shares in the factory. She phones her bank to stop the transaction but is too late, making her realise that she has lost £90,000.
In December 2009, Rosie demands £50,000 from John saying that if he doesn't pay up, she will scream out of the cafe saying he attacked her. John firmly states that she isn't getting any money from him, Rosie runs out of the cafe screaming and her grandfather Bill
(Peter Armitage
) comes to her rescue. John is later arrested that same night. He is released the next day and it is revealed to all in The Rovers Return that Rosie had fabricated the story. Rosie apologises, and the Websters and the Stapes agree to call a truce on their feud.
On Christmas Day 2009, Sally discovers she has breast cancer; however, she and Kevin keep it secret for a while as they don't want to upset the girls during Christmas.
In January 2010, Rosie becomes a topless model, much to her parents' anger. After Kevin and Sally become angry with Rosie and Sally throws a glass of water in her face, Rosie confides in Sophie that she and her parents just had a massive row and they had completely overreacted. Sophie tells Rosie that she has noticed tension between the couple for a while and is worried they will split up. Rosie and Sophie confront their parents together and Sally tells them she is ill. Rosie is going to have a breast enhancement, to further her modelling career; however, Kevin persuades her not to go through with it with Sally having breast cancer.
Rosie is extremely supportive of Sophie when it is revealed that she is in a lesbian relationship with Sian Powers
(Sacha Parkinson
). When Rosie discovers that Sophie is going to run away with Sian, she lends her money and tells her to keep in touch. After this she and Jason Grimshaw
(Ryan Thomas
) bring her and Sian home, much to the relief of Kevin and Sally. After this, Rosie begins to see Jason in a new light as he comes to her rescue and redecorates the kitchen after she accidentally sets fire to it. When Rosie ropes Jason into a modelling shoot, passions are ignited between the pair and they sleep together in October 2010. After this they soon begin a relationship.
In December 2010, Rosie is devastated following the revelation that Kevin is the father of Molly Dobbs
(Vicky Binns
) baby son Jack, following a clandestine affair they had during the previous year. When Sally angrily orders Kevin to leave their home, Rosie stands by her mother and tells him to leave forever. She leaves home as she can't stand the fact that Kevin has baby Jack inside the house. She moves into 11 Coronation Street, to live with boyfriend, Jason.
John Stape returns in October 2011 after returning to confess to his crimes, which his wife Fiz Stape (Jenny McAlpine) is standing trial for after being accused of helping John comit the murders. John is afraid to go to the courtroom himself, so decides to persuade Rosie to do it for him. He pretends to be into buying a flat which Rosie and her boyfriend Jason Grimshaw
(Ryan Thomas
) are selling, and while Rosie is alone in the flat, John locks the door and kidnaps her, keeping her tied up and forcing her into being a witness
to free Fiz. Rosie eventually escapes after persuading John to remove the gag
from her mouth, and screams for help, to which Rosie's father Kevin hears her and calls the police. John gets into his car and speeds off from the scene, and with Kevin following, crashes his car into the back of a lorry. John confesses to his crimes in hospital before dying. Rosie is disgusted when the whole street go to John's funeral.
commented on the character saying: "Her character has evolved from teenage Goth to saucy minx and superbitch." Flanagan was nominated in the category of "Villain of the Year" at the 2008 British Soap Awards
, and "Sexiest Female" in 2011.
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 television 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...
. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 24 December 1990. Originally portrayed by actress Emma Collinge
Emma Collinge
Emma Collinge was born in October 1990, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, where she played the role of Rosie Webster, in ITV's Coronation Street, from the age of just two weeks old to December 1999, when the nine-year-old decided to leave, handing the role to Helen Flanagan. She left to...
from her birth until December 1999, the character has since been portrayed by actress Helen Flanagan
Helen Flanagan
Helen Joyce Flanagan is a British actress best known for playing Rosie Webster in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.Flanagan has played Rosie Webster in Coronation Street since 2000, when she was ten years old....
in episodes airing from 23 January 2000 onwards. Flanagan took a three-month break in Summer 2011 and returned on 26 September 2011. In October 2011 it was announced that Rosie would leave Coronation Street in 2012, after Flanagan decided to pursue other projects.
Background
A character that viewers saw born in the soap, Rosie's birth was part of the Coronation Street Christmas storyline in 1990. She was the first baby born to long-running couple KevinKevin Webster
Kevin John Webster is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Michael Le Vell, the character first appeared onscreen on 19 October 1983...
and Sally Webster
Sally Webster
Sally Webster is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Sally Dynevor, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 January 1986.-Casting:...
(Michael Le Vell
Michael Le Vell
Michael Le Vell is an English character actor, who since 1983 has played the role of garage mechanic, Kevin Webster, in the soap opera Coronation Street....
and Sally Dynevor). Rosie was the first of two Christmas births featured that year, as Gail McIntyre (then Platt) gave birth to her son David Platt
David Platt (Coronation Street)
David Daniel Platt is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 26 December 1990 and is portrayed by actor Jack P...
the next day. The character's name is taken from the fictional street she was born on, Rosamund Street.
Casting
Since Rosie was 10 days old, for most of her pre-teen years, the character was played by child actress Emma Collinge. She played Rosie in various minor storylines, most notably portraying the effect that parental separation has upon a child, leading to a spell as a school bully. In January 2000, the press announced that Collinge would be departing the serial "to devote more time to gymnastics". "Budding actress" Helen Flanagan was recast in the role. Nine-year-old Flanagan, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, joined the soap on 23 January 2000. At the time, Flanagan told the media that she was "thrilled" with her casting. Flanagan discovered she had been chosen just a few days before Christmas Eve 1999, but she was not permitted to reveal this to anyone for two weeks. In 2000, her mother Julia Flanagan commented, "She was really thrilled to get the part and she was bursting to tell people but she just couldn't. The Coronation Street people had asked us not to tell anyone, so we had to keep quiet. The hardest bit for Helen was not telling her grandad because he's such a fan of the programme. When he did find out, he was absolutely thrilled. She is loving every minute. She's met most of the cast and is still very excited about it all."Personality and identity
When portrayed by actress CollingeEmma Collinge
Emma Collinge was born in October 1990, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, where she played the role of Rosie Webster, in ITV's Coronation Street, from the age of just two weeks old to December 1999, when the nine-year-old decided to leave, handing the role to Helen Flanagan. She left to...
Rosie's appearance was that of a normal young child with unstyled, tied up hair.
In 2004, the character tried carving herself an identity by going through a goth
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
phase, dressing in black, wearing black make-up and dying her hair jet black. The storyline was part of Rosie's romance with Craig Harris (Richard Fleeshman
Richard Fleeshman
Richard Jonathan Fleeshman is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His television career began as a twelve year old, playing Craig Harris for four years in Coronation Street and most recently "All The Small Things"...
), with both characters spending afternoons in Rosie's bedroom listening to a Dutch metal band called 'Stench of Death' and counting down the days to the apocalypse". Flanagen commented on about her character's favourite band sums her character up, at the time of 'the goth stage' stating: "I hate all that Goth music such as Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
and HIM that Rosie seems to like. Her favourite rock band are called Stench Of Death -that says it all.
In 2008, Flanagan revealed to The Mirror that she disliked her character's goth attire: "I’m used to being a goth, seeing as I had to dress as one as Rosie for so long. It was all so unflattering - really unfeminine, long black skirts down to the floor and horrible jackets." She also said in another interview that she hated black mini skirts she used to wear. The character's style also caused controversy in real life when headteachers in the Lancashire region warned any plans of copying the character's style would result in youngsters being sent home, it was said that: "Our advice to pupils considering following suit would be to experiment during the summer holidays. "The reason we have a school uniform is because it removes any danger of peer pressure to follow a trend or fashion, and although they may gripe about it the pupils do appreciate that. Going onto say: "We are not saying don't experiment, and I know pupils who have tried being gothic, but it isn't appropriate at school.
Transformation
The character went through some personality changes in 2007, with her appearance becoming more glamorous and her behaviour became more manipulative and troublesome. Flanagan commented, "She’s gone from being a real innocent, experimenting with being a goth and having a sweet relationship with Craig, to being a real minx." Speaking about her character's new appearance she said: "I like to look sexy, but not tarty. Luckily, I do pretty well as Rosie - she's a glamorous girl, kind of a sassy secretary, so it's all pencil skirts, which I love, and a lot of low-cut tops. I don't want people looking at my boobs or want to be known for my boobs, but Corrie is a family show so thankfully they never go too far with it."Flanagan later revealed to Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
what drives her character. When asked about if her character is driven by money, she said: "I think she's attracted to the power and money. Rosie knows that she can use her womanly wiles to get what she wants. In the long run, she wants a life away from Weatherfield. She wants to be rich when she's older and aspires to be like Carla - gorgeous, sexy and wearing designer clothes." adding "It's not wholly about the money. She's more driven by glamour and power." She also spoke how the character can be 'a bit of a bitch' but she does have a heart.
During the time of the character's compensation storyline, the plot saw her buy shares in the factory and go on to design her own range. Of this, an official of the show commented about the character: "Helen's had some harrowing storylines so it's nice for her to do something a little lighter. Rosie went through hell when she was kidnapped. But she has bounced back and, as long as she's got some money in her pocket, she feels able to start again. She's determined to make it big - and men's underpants are something she knows a lot about!"
In October 2011, it was anounced that Flanagan had decided to leave Coronation Steet. Flanagan had previously been suffering from panic attacks on set. This lead to speculation that she would quit the serial. However, Flanagan said it was purely her own decision to leave because she had played Rosie for more than half of her life and decided to pursue other projects.
Storylines
Rosie is born on Christmas Eve 1990 to Kevin and Sally Webster. Sally doesn't realise she has gone into labour and doesn't get to the hospital before giving birth in the back of Don Brennan (Geoffrey HinsliffGeoffrey Hinsliff
Geoffrey Hinsliff is an English actor best known for his portrayal of Don Brennan in Coronation Street from 16 August 1987 to 8 October 1997. He had previously played other characters in the same programme, in 1963 and 1977....
)'s taxi on Rosamund Street. Rosie is a happy child, not giving her parents any trouble until Kevin leaves Sally for Natalie Horrocks (Denise Welch
Denise Welch
Jacqueline Denise Healy is an English actress, dancer and television presenter.-Early life:Denise Welch was born in Ebchester, County Durham, to father Vin and mother Ann and has a younger sister Debbie...
). After that, she becomes a troubled child and goes through a bullying phase at school. She seems to grow out of it, quite quickly, but is never really happy, due to Kevin and Sally's turbulent romantic lives.
Wanting better for her daughter, Sally encourages Rosie's ambitions to go to stage school but just as Kevin and Sally take her to the school for her audition, she gets cold feet and changes her mind. Sally later discovers at a school parents' evening that Rosie is disruptive at school because she finds the work too easy so Sally enrols her at Oakhill Grammar School. Sally pushing Rosie as hard as she does backfires when, to afford Oakhill's fees, Sally gets a job as PA for Ian Davenport (Philip Bretherton), the father of one of Rosie's friends. The Davenports and the Websters become friendly when Rosie makes friends with their daughter and starts socialising, leading Ian to offer Sally a job. Before long, Ian and Sally begin an affair, which Rosie discovers and Sally blackmails her not to tell her father. Disgusted with her mother, Rosie distances herself from her.
Rosie goes through a goth phase and gets romantically involved with Craig Harris (Richard Fleeshman
Richard Fleeshman
Richard Jonathan Fleeshman is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His television career began as a twelve year old, playing Craig Harris for four years in Coronation Street and most recently "All The Small Things"...
). Rosie and Craig are banned from seeing each other after Sally discovers that they are sleeping together and worried Rosie would get pregnant, forces her to take the morning after pill. Rosie goes on the contraceptive pill, but when Sally finds out, she phones the police but they refuse to take any action against Craig. Sally drives Rosie at high speed to the moors to teach her a lesson but loses control of herself and the car; both nearly die and, later on, Rosie has a second near-death experience when she is hit by a car. Craig's caring attitude towards her persuades her parents to accept their relationship. However, the romance ends in October 2006 when Craig is left alone in Weatherfield and despite attempting to elope to Berlin, Rosie realises she can't leave her family, so Craig goes alone.
In 2007, Rosie leaves school and begins working at "Underworld," as a personal assistant (PA). Initially, it is just meant to be a summer job. However, Rosie proves to be efficient at the job. As such, Carla Connor
Carla Connor
Carla Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. She is portrayed by actress Alison King. Carla was created by producer Steve Frost as part of the new Connor family....
(Alison King
Alison King
Alison King is an English actress. She has had major television roles as Lynda Block in the Sky One television series Dream Team, and as Carla Connor in Coronation Street since 2006.- Early life and education :...
) offers to make it permanent and Rosie agrees, not wanting to return to school. Rosie fancies her boss, Liam Connor
Liam Connor
Liam Barrington Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street, played by Rob James-Collier from 2006 to 2008.-Creation:...
(Rob James-Collier
Rob James-Collier
Robert James-Collier is a British actor and model. He is known for his roles as Liam Connor in Coronation Street and as Thomas on Downton Abbey.- Background :James-Collier was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester...
), but he already has a girlfriend so she moves on to teacher John Stape
John Stape
John Stape is a fictional character from the British soap opera, Coronation Street, played by actor Graeme Hawley. He made his first on-screen appearance during the episode airing on 6 May 2007. The character departed on 3 June 2011 after four years on the show...
(Graeme Hawley
Graeme Hawley
Graeme Hawley is an English actor known for his role as John Stape in the British soap Coronation Street.-Career:He graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a degree in Drama before beginning his acting career in the theatre.He started his career off by performing on stage at...
). They begin an affair and she goes to Weatherfield High to do her A-Levels, as John works there. He asks her not to, knowing he is risking his career if he has an affair with a pupil, but she ignores him. Fiz Brown
Fiz Brown
Fiona "Fiz" Stape is a fictional character from the British ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street, played by Jennie McAlpine. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 April 2001. Initially appearing for five episodes, McAlpine's contract was soon extended and Fiz became a regular character...
(Jennie McAlpine
Jennie McAlpine
Jennie Elizabeth McAlpine is a British television actress and comedienne. She is best known for her role as Fiz Stape in the well known British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
), John's girlfriend, guesses that John is hiding something and thinks he is sleeping with Sally Webster as she is obsessed with him but discovers on Christmas Day, that he is sleeping with Rosie, due to swapped Christmas presents. Rosie and Fiz fight and Kevin attacks John. Fiz dumps him but John calls the police and has Kevin arrested for assault. Realising the trouble she has caused, Rosie ends things with John and he goes to teach in a boys' school.
John returns in July 2008, wanting Fiz back. They reconcile briefly but Fiz dumps for him a second time so he kidnaps Rosie after seeing her kissing a boy, Saj. John blames Rosie for his problems. Attempting to scare her into leaving Weatherfield, he takes her hostage in his cab and condemns her for destroying his life. Rosie is terrified but unharmed. He eventually takes her home and once safe, she verbally abuses him and refuses to pay the fare. She is furious that Sally and Kevin refuse to believe her version of events as Lloyd Mullaney
Lloyd Mullaney
Lloyd Mullaney is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Craig Charles, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 20 June 2005 and remained on screen until 23 July 2006 when Craig Charles was suspended but he...
(Craig Charles
Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
) saw her shouting at John.
After Rosie discovers that Carla and Liam Connor (in-laws), are having an affair in May 2008, Carla bribes her to keep quiet. Attempting to seduce Carla's fiance, Tony Gordon
Tony Gordon
Anthony "Tony" Gordon was a fictional character in the itv soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on screen on 16 September 2007 and making his final appearance on 9 June 2010 after deciding to sacrifice himself in the Underworld fire. He is a...
(Gray O'Brien
Gray O'Brien
Gray O'Brien is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his portrayal of the villainous Weatherfield businessman Tony Gordon in the popular British soap opera Coronation Street from 2007 to 2010, and as Dr Richard McCaig on Casualty from 1996 to 1998.O'Brien was born in Stewarton,...
), Rosie books a hotel room for them and, in revenge for him turning her down, shows him her mobile phone footage of Carla and Liam kissing. Tony is furious and threatens Rosie to make sure she keeps quiet, going on to kill Liam in revenge. Rosie subsequently vanishes, and a police investigation is launched. After she has been missing several weeks, it emerges that John has kidnapped Rosie, keeping her in his late grandmother's attic. He promises to free her but doesn't. Rosie escapes when Fiz goes to the house and accidentally finds her. John is arrested and Rosie comes home, to her family's relief. He pleads guilty to kidnap and is sentenced to two years in prison.
On 3 December 2008, Maria Connor (Samia Smith
Samia Smith
Samia Maxine Ghadie , is an English actress best known for playing Maria Connor in the ITV Soap Coronation Street.-Early life:...
) learns about Liam and Carla's affair at Carla's wedding to Tony. Sally tells Maria after Carla insults her family. Rosie tries to stop her but Sally shows her the video clip from Rosie's mobile phone. The next day, Rosie tells Maria that Tony knew about the affair. When Carla and Tony return from honeymoon, Carla warns Rosie not to cross her again.
Later that month, Rosie spots an opportunity to make some money from her kidnap ordeal. She sells her story to the local papers and poses for some racy photographs, which she posts on her Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. On Christmas Eve, Rosie's 18th birthday, Kevin and Sally are disgusted to learn this. When they come home, they are stunned to find Rosie has slept with neighbour Gary Windass
Gary Windass
Gary Windass is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Mikey North, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 14 November 2008.-Background:...
(Mikey North
Mikey North
Michael "Mikey" North is an English actor best known for his role as Gary Windass in Coronation Street.-Early life and career:...
). She thinks they are in a relationship but he moves on, flirting with Tina McIntyre
Tina McIntyre
Tina McIntyre is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Michelle Keegan, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 7 January 2008...
(Michelle Keegan
Michelle Keegan
Michelle Elizabeth Keegan is an English actress who currently plays Tina McIntyre in the soap opera Coronation Street.-Biography:...
), leading to a fight between the two girls when Tina mocks Rosie's kidnap.
In June 2009, Rosie is shocked to get a visiting order from John Stape and, calling in sick to work, goes to the prison to see what he wants. She is overjoyed when John tells her that he is giving her £150,000, as compensation for what he put her through. With some of the money, she buys a PGO Cevennes, a French sports car, and invests in shares at Underworld.
In September, Rosie is dumped by her boyfriend, Luke Strong
Luke Strong
Luke Strong is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Craig Kelly, the character appeared throughout 2009. Luke took over Carla Gordon's share of the Underworld factory with Tony Gordon...
(Craig Kelly
Craig Kelly (actor)
Craig Kelly is a British actor, best known for his role as Vince Tyler in the Channel 4 television series Queer as Folk and as Luke Strong in Coronation Street.-Biography:...
), while her parents are on holiday in Lanzarote. After resuming their relationship, Luke gets his revenge for Rosie setting him up to be dumped by Michelle Connor
Michelle Connor
Michelle Sinéad Connor is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Kym Marsh, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 3 April 2006...
(Kym Marsh
Kym Marsh
Kimberley Gail Marsh is an English actress and singer.- Early life :Marsh was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester and raised in Garswood, in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside...
), by conning her out of her fortune. He offers to sell her his 60% share of Underworld, making her the boss. However, on 19 October 2009, Luke leaves town with her money. Rosie discovers what Luke has done when the solicitor phones and tells her that Luke didn't actually own any shares in the factory. She phones her bank to stop the transaction but is too late, making her realise that she has lost £90,000.
In December 2009, Rosie demands £50,000 from John saying that if he doesn't pay up, she will scream out of the cafe saying he attacked her. John firmly states that she isn't getting any money from him, Rosie runs out of the cafe screaming and her grandfather Bill
Bill Webster
William Geoffrey "Bill" Webster is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Peter Armitage, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 February 1984. He remained in the show until 1985 when Armitage decided to leave,...
(Peter Armitage
Peter Armitage
Peter Armitage is a statistician specialising in medical statistics.Peter Armitage attended Huddersfield College and went on to read mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge. Armitage belonged to the generation of mathematicians who came to maturity in the Second World War...
) comes to her rescue. John is later arrested that same night. He is released the next day and it is revealed to all in The Rovers Return that Rosie had fabricated the story. Rosie apologises, and the Websters and the Stapes agree to call a truce on their feud.
On Christmas Day 2009, Sally discovers she has breast cancer; however, she and Kevin keep it secret for a while as they don't want to upset the girls during Christmas.
In January 2010, Rosie becomes a topless model, much to her parents' anger. After Kevin and Sally become angry with Rosie and Sally throws a glass of water in her face, Rosie confides in Sophie that she and her parents just had a massive row and they had completely overreacted. Sophie tells Rosie that she has noticed tension between the couple for a while and is worried they will split up. Rosie and Sophie confront their parents together and Sally tells them she is ill. Rosie is going to have a breast enhancement, to further her modelling career; however, Kevin persuades her not to go through with it with Sally having breast cancer.
Rosie is extremely supportive of Sophie when it is revealed that she is in a lesbian relationship with Sian Powers
Sian Powers
Sian Powers is a fictional character on the UK soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by actress Sacha Parkinson. Sian was introduced as a love interest for Sophie Webster . Sian joined the cast of Coronation Street alongside Ben Richardson in early 2009 as Sophie's schoolmates...
(Sacha Parkinson
Sacha Parkinson
Sacha Louise Parkinson is a British actress best known for playing Sian Powers in the ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street from January 2009 onwards. Her character will leave the show in January 2012.-Career:...
). When Rosie discovers that Sophie is going to run away with Sian, she lends her money and tells her to keep in touch. After this she and Jason Grimshaw
Jason Grimshaw
Jason Grimshaw, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Ryan Thomas, the character first appeared during the episode airing on 25 December 2000, when he comes looking for mother Eileen at the Battersbys' home.Jason is very much the...
(Ryan Thomas
Ryan Thomas
Ryan James Thomas and is an English actor who is currently starring as the character, Jason Grimshaw on ITV's Coronation Street.-Career:...
) bring her and Sian home, much to the relief of Kevin and Sally. After this, Rosie begins to see Jason in a new light as he comes to her rescue and redecorates the kitchen after she accidentally sets fire to it. When Rosie ropes Jason into a modelling shoot, passions are ignited between the pair and they sleep together in October 2010. After this they soon begin a relationship.
In December 2010, Rosie is devastated following the revelation that Kevin is the father of Molly Dobbs
Molly Dobbs
Molly Cosette Dobbs is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Vicky Binns, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 5 September 2005. On 7 May 2010, Binns announced she was quitting the soap...
(Vicky Binns
Vicky Binns
Victoria Jane "Vicky" Binns is an English actress who is best known for her two roles in the two veteran ITV soap operas Emmerdale and Coronation Street respectively. She had a lead role in 'Von trapped' opposite Caroline Quentine and also appeared in Children's Ward playing a character named...
) baby son Jack, following a clandestine affair they had during the previous year. When Sally angrily orders Kevin to leave their home, Rosie stands by her mother and tells him to leave forever. She leaves home as she can't stand the fact that Kevin has baby Jack inside the house. She moves into 11 Coronation Street, to live with boyfriend, Jason.
John Stape returns in October 2011 after returning to confess to his crimes, which his wife Fiz Stape (Jenny McAlpine) is standing trial for after being accused of helping John comit the murders. John is afraid to go to the courtroom himself, so decides to persuade Rosie to do it for him. He pretends to be into buying a flat which Rosie and her boyfriend Jason Grimshaw
Jason Grimshaw
Jason Grimshaw, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Ryan Thomas, the character first appeared during the episode airing on 25 December 2000, when he comes looking for mother Eileen at the Battersbys' home.Jason is very much the...
(Ryan Thomas
Ryan Thomas
Ryan James Thomas and is an English actor who is currently starring as the character, Jason Grimshaw on ITV's Coronation Street.-Career:...
) are selling, and while Rosie is alone in the flat, John locks the door and kidnaps her, keeping her tied up and forcing her into being a witness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
to free Fiz. Rosie eventually escapes after persuading John to remove the gag
Gag
A gag is usually a device designed to prevent speech, often as a restraint device to stop the subject from calling for help. This is usually done by blocking the mouth, partially or completely, or attempting to prevent the tongue, lips, or jaw from moving in the normal patterns of speech. They are...
from her mouth, and screams for help, to which Rosie's father Kevin hears her and calls the police. John gets into his car and speeds off from the scene, and with Kevin following, crashes his car into the back of a lorry. John confesses to his crimes in hospital before dying. Rosie is disgusted when the whole street go to John's funeral.
Reception
Jon Wise of The PeopleThe People
The People, previously known as the Sunday People, is a British tabloid Sunday-only newspaper. The paper was founded on 16 October 1881.It is published by the Trinity Mirror Group.In July 2011 it had an average daily circulation of 806,544....
commented on the character saying: "Her character has evolved from teenage Goth to saucy minx and superbitch." Flanagan was nominated in the category of "Villain of the Year" at the 2008 British Soap Awards
British Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards is an annual awards ceremony to honour the best of British soap operas.The first event took place in 1999 and takes place in May each year. Although it is an ITV production, the events were held at the BBC Television Centre, in London until 2010. The 2011 awards relocated to...
, and "Sexiest Female" in 2011.
External links
- Rosie Webster Fan Page for Rosie Webster
- Rosie Webster at ITV soaps