Eccles | Coronation Street Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Tess [1] Eccles is a Border Terrier who was owned by Lena Thistlewood , a friend of Blanche Hunt . When Lena died in January 2006 , the dog was left to Blanche in her will. Upon bringing the dog back home from the funeral, she bit Ken Barlow . She was originally named "Lady Freckles", but swiftly changed to Eccles as Amy couldn't pronounce the name. Ken regularly took Eccles for walks along the towpath of Weatherfield Canal , however in January 2009 , Eccles jumped into the canal when chasing ducks, and was rescued by Martha Fraser , a touring actress who lived on a barge. Ken took a shine to Martha, and used their walks as an excuse to get him out of the house to meet Martha, although this stopped when Ken called time on the affair and returned to wife Deirdre . When Blanche passed away in May 2010 , she left the dog to Ken in her will. Tracy Barlow entrusted Eccles to Maddie Heath and Sophie Webster in August 2014 while the pair were also looking after Amy and Simon Barlow .

Sophie tied the dog outside a shop and Eccles ran off as soon as Amy untied her. When they discovered Eccles was gone, Sophie and Maddie went off in search and found the dog injured by the roadside. After rushing her to the vets, they were told that Eccles had been hit by a car but would recover with the aid of some drops. Deirdre who had been very worried about Eccles was relieved. Coronation Street stars bring dogs on set to raise money for Manchester Dogs Home - Mirror Online TV Coronation Street stars bring dogs on set to raise money for Manchester Dogs Home The stars of the ITV soap have rallied in support of the charity after a suspected arson attack ravaged the home Share Get soaps updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Video Loading Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Watch Next Coronation Street stars took a paws from filming to parade their dogs on the cobbles in a show of support for the fire-ravaged Manchester Dogs Home .

Cast and crew members brought their pets to ITV’s Salford Quays studio to raise money and awareness after at least 43 animals died in a suspected arson attack at the Harpurhey rehoming centre. Among them was Georgia May Foote and her adorable cavalier/bichon frise cross, Marley, who was making friends with Samia Ghadie’s cute Maltese pooch, Sonny. Georgia, 23, who plays Katy Armstrong, said: “When we heard about the fire it was awful. I couldn’t think of anything worse. "If anything happened to my dog I’d be devastated, so it’s nice that everyone has come together to support it.” Samia, 32, who plays Maria Connor, brought Sonny in on her day off to show her support for the stricken charity, for which a Manchester Evening News appeal has now raised over £1.4m. She said: “I’m a massive dog lover, Sonny is like my little baby, and I just feel really passionate about what happened last week. “I felt sick at the thought of those helpless animals. “It’s so nice that so many people across the country - and the world - have donated so much money.

It’s really heartwarming.” Stunning Georgia May Foote is a dog lover (Photo: Getty) The cause is especially close to Beverley Callard’s heart, having rescued her English bull terrier, Trev, from another rehoming charity three years ago. The 57-year-old, who plays Liz McDonald, said: “He had been stabbed, he had had both his hips broken with a baseball bat, he was in a really bad way, and apparently it took them about eight months to make him better. “We gave him a home and he is just the softest boy in the whole world. “I brought him down to the Rovers today because we were distraught when we heard about the fire. “We’re just trying to help raise as much money as we can.” Other cast members including Alison King, Jane Danson and Eileen Derbyshire posed with Deirdre Barlow’s border terrier Eccles - and his stand-in, Freckles - and Maria’s black lab Ozzy. Extra Annie Giles Quinn and her guide dog Mr Quin, who can often be seen walking through Weatherfield together, were also showing their support.

Jack Shepherd, who issued a grovelling apology after making a sick joke about the fire on Twitter, was not there but the 26-year-old actor, who plays David Platt, has made a donation to the charity. Collection tins were being rattled and dog food, blankets and leads were also being donated by staff at the studio today. First assistant director Woody Wade, who came up with the fundraising idea with colleague Paul Sparrow, said: “We are both massive dog lovers and we came in on Friday and just thought we needed to do something. “Coronation Street is a big name so hopefully us doing this to raise money will encourage others to do the same.” Like this? Did you know we have a dedicated TV and film page on Facebook? Video Loading Coronation Street spoilers: is Eccles the dog to be killed off? Coronation Street spoilers: is Eccles the dog to be killed off? Tracy demands that the Barlows' pet be put to sleep - but will Maddie come to the rescue?

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW By David Brown Thursday 11 September 2014 at 11:15AM The Coronation Street scriptwriters really seem to have it in for border terrier Eccles. Blanche's former pet - who is now cared for by both Ken and Deirdre - was recently seen in need of veterinary attention after being knocked down. And now the poor pooch is to have another brush with danger after Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) insists that he be put down. Eccles's life will be seen hanging in the balance after a lying Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) claims that she's been bitten by the dog. Mum Tracy will demand that the pet dog be put down, leaving young Simon (Alex Bain) distraught and Deirdre left with little option but to comply with her daughter's wishes. But help will come from Maddie (Amy Kelly) who promises to help Simon by rescuing Eccles. With Sophie (Brooke Vincent) lending assistance, Maddie steals the dog and hides him at No 4. But later in the week, Ken (William Roache) spots Maddie and Sophie taking Eccles out for a secret walk.

With the girls busted, Simon is forced to explain that they were keeping her safe from Tracy, who still insists on having her put down. As Ken appeals to Amy to tell the truth, will she admit that she lied about Eccles having bitten her? Or is Eccles set to join Schmeichel and Mavis's budgie on the list of Corrie's fallen pets? Coronation St 'Eccles' - Border Terriers Coronation St 'Eccles' Dog Training The part of Eccles in Coronation St was played by Tess, Phi and Maeve, between 2007 and 2010. The first major scenes for the Eccles character were initially shown on 26th Jan 09. It was a Border Terrier Bonanaza with all three 'Eccles' being shown on the one night, friends and family who know the dogs managed to spot which dogs appeared where.

· November 20, 2016 · There are some not very nice peoples saying that the three retired 'Eccles' are ALL DEAD (classy) and that I (admin) need to stop cheating people with this page, these same people are using a young entire male to play the part of an elderly female 'Lady Freckles' aka Eccles...so who's cheating?

So if anyone has heard these fake rumors about Phi Tess and Mave the rave here's a couple of recent pictures of two of them enjoying their walks <3 Ken Barlow Ken Barlow Parents: Frank and Ida Barlow Born: 9 October 1939, No3 Coronation Street, Weatherfield, Lancashire Janet Reid (29 October 1973) Deirdre Langton (n�e Hunt) (27 July 1981) (8 April 2005) Children: Peter (m: Valerie Barlow ) b: 15 April 1965 Daniel Osbourne (m: Denise Osbourne) b: 4 January 1995 Adopted child: Tracy Lynette (formerly Langton); (b:24 January 1977; m: Deirdre Langton ; f: Ray Langton ). Adopted 1986. Grandchildren: Played by: Bill Roache First appeared: 9 December 1960 Ken Barlow is the only surviving member of the characters that appeared in the very first episode of the Street.

Slightly improbably, Ken has become the Street's lothario - racking up a total of 21 screen lovers; and more improbably he still lives on the street where he was born, having lived in a total of 8 different addresses in that one street. After attending Bessie Street School, Ken continued to live in No3 Coronation Street with his parents whilst he was a student at Manchester University (where he gained a 2nd class honours degree in History and English). It was at university he met Susan Cunningham. In 1961, Ken's mother died, and he turned down a teaching post down south to support his father and started working as a personnel officer at Amalgamated Steels (and had an affair with librarian Marion Lund). In August 1961, Valerie Tatlock moved into No1 to live with her Uncle Albert as her family had moved to Glasgow. By the time she left in October, she had become another of Ken's women. She returned to Uncle Albert's in July 1962, and became the first Mrs Kenneth Barlow the next month. Ken and Valerie then moved into No9 Coronation Street. By now, Ken was teaching.

In 1964 Ken had a fling with exotic dancer Pip Mistral. Twins Peter and Susan were born 15 April 1965. In January 1966 Ken had an affair with newspaper reporter Jackie Marsh. Valerie found out and packed her bags and left - but returned later. In March 1967, Ken spent 7 days in jail after being arrested on a student march. In June 1968, the Barlows sold No9 and moved into one of the newly-built maisonettes - No14 Coronation Street. In January 1971, Ken was set to move far away from the Street to a teaching post in Jamaica, but on their last night Valerie was famously electrocuted by a faulty hairdryer which burned down the maisonette. Ken rented No3 Coronation Street (previously his parents house), but the twins proved more than he could manage, and were sent to live with their grandparents in Glasgow. Leading the batchelor life again, Ken went out with hotel receptionist Yvonne Chappell ; Ken proposed to her, but she realised he was only looking for a replacement for Valerie.

In April 1972, Ken moved into No1 to live with Valerie's Uncle Albert. In the January, he had started teaching at Bessie Street School, and soon started got friendly with a pupil's mother - Rita Bates , common-law wife of Harry Bates. Norma Ford started work as assistant in the corner shop in May 1972 (living in the flat above), and started to make a play for Ken. He held out for an incredible 13 months as he was chasing Elaine Perkins - his headmaster's daughter, and only took up with Norma on the rebund from Elaine. Soon afterwards he again met up with Rita Bates - now using her maiden name of Rita Littlewood - who was on the rebound from Len Fairclough , and they spent the night together. In October, Ken visited the twins in Glasgow, and came back with a wife (and prospective stepmother for the twins) - Janet Reid . However, Janet Barlow didn't want the twins, and the marriage quickly degenerated. The Barlows rented No11 Coronation Street from Elsie Howard in the new year of 1974.

By May 1974, Janet Barlow had packed her bags and left. Ken gave up teaching and became an executive at the Mark Brittain warehouse - and had an affair with shop steward Peggy Barton. 1975 was a quiet year for Ken (apart from playing the hero in a fire that gutted the warehouse) - but he does need a rest sometime ! In May 1976, Ken was at it again. He had lost his job at the warehouse after the fire, worked as a taxi driver for a while, but soon got a post as Community Development Officer, in charge of the Community Centre, and when Wendy Nightingale came to the centre to conduct a survey on reading habits, she fell for him. As Daran Little succinctly puts it: "it only took two home-cooked meals at No11 to seduce Wendy". Wendy was married, but left her husband for 5 weeks to live with Ken. Wendy's husband Roger laid Ken out when he was spurned - but Wendy went back to him when she found Coronation Street far too claustrophobic.

At the same time, Elsie arrived back on The Street, demanded her house back, and in the June, Ken was forced to move back into No1 with Uncle Albert. In February 1977, Janet Barlow re-appeared. She had been thrown out by her lover, and begged Ken to take her back. He refused, but let her stay the night.The next morning Ken found her dead in bed - she had taken an overdose. Initially the police suspected Ken of murdering her, but the truth came out; Ken was wracked with remorse over Janet's death. By 1978, Ken had recovered sufficiently to take out Uncle Albert's chiropodist Sally Robson on a few dates (including rugby league matches !), and in December togues started wagging (though without cause) as he started to teach illiterate Karen Barnes to read and write until he was stopped by her jealous husband. In November 1978, Ray Langton left his wife Deirdre for a new life in Holland. Ken and her became friendly the next year, and despite the offer of marriage and a new life in Jersey from Billy Walker , Deirdre stayed in Weatherfield.

By January 1980 their friendship had deepened sufficiently that she strongly hinted to Ken that if he asked her to marry him she wouldn't say no. This only scared Ken away - saying he was too old for her and would be unsuitable as he was twice-married. However, you were left with the sneeking suspicion that Annie Walker 's warning to Ken that marriage to Deirdre would be a marriage to a social and intellectual inferior was far closer to the real reason than Ken would care to admit. Ken however was still drawn to Deirdre, and in January 1981 he asked her out again, and the romance briefly blossomed, only to be brought to halt by the arrival of Dirk van der Stek , a work collegue of Ray's from Holland. He had called with a birthday present for Tracy from her father, but Dirk and Deirdre were obviously attracted to each other. After they had been out on a few dates and Deirdre had agreed to visit Dirk in Amsterdam and stay in his flat, Ken realised that he would have to fight very hard for the woman he would like to love.

However, it was Deirdre who, once Dirk had left, hinted to Ken that she was still available. They both went out for a meal and agreed to see more of each other without getting tied down. The next month a seemingly innocuous event was to have profound consequences for the rest of Ken's life. Returning from a conference in Huddersfield, his Volkswagen Beetle broke down on the moors and Deirdre was left standing alone in the Rovers, waiting for Ken. Mike Baldwin took pity on her and took her out for a meal. A romance soon blossomed. Ken confronted Deirdre, but she reminded him of their "no strings" agreement. He admitted to her he was jealous and offered her marriage, but she turned him down. Just a couple of weeks later beautician Sonia Price started teaching at the Community Centre and Ken wasted no time in asking her out. A fortnight later she accompanied Ken to Mike Baldwin's flatwarming party, where Deirdre was hostess. However, it was Sonia that Mike took to a nightclub at the end of the evening, leaving Ken and Deirdre to clear up.

Deirdre realised she wouldn't be contented with Mike's casual, fast-paced lifestyle and her romance with Ken was re-kindled. They went away to Glasgow together at Easter 1981 to see Ken's twins, and after a couple of weeks of thought agreed to marry, and on 27 July 1981 Deirdre finally became the third Mrs Kenneth Barlow. Although they planned to buy a house elsewhere, the state of Albert Tatlock's health meant that Deirdre and her four-year-old daughter Tracy moved into No1 with Ken and Uncle Albert. On their return from honeymoon in Corfu, Ken had his first major run-in with Mike Baldwin after Mike got Susan Barlow a job in a friend's London wine bar. Ken virtually accused Mike of selling Susuan to the white slave trade; Mike retorted that she was old enough to make up her own mind. Settled in a mudane relationship, in February 1982 Deirdre broached the possibilty of them having a child - which Ken very firmly refused, saying he didn't want the responsibility of another child.

In the following May there was a spate of muggings and DS Bell asked youth club organiser Ken if he had seen anything suspicious. Deirdre was immediately suspicious of local lad Ray Attwood, sporting his new expensive Walkman. Ken refused to contact the police, priggishly citing his position with the youth club and lack of firm evidence. After Betty Turpin was mugged, Deirdre went behind Ken's back and reported Ray, who was indeed responsible for the muggings. Ken felt Deirdre had betrayed him, and also had to awkwardly apologise to Betty, realising if he had reported the matter earlier, she would not have been mugged. In the same month Ken relented and agreed that they should try for a child. By the start of 1983, Deirdre had become bored of Ken, and started an affair with Mike Baldwin . After two months and a doorstep row with all three of them, Ken and Deirdre kissed and made up. In August 1983, faced with the possible closure of the youth club, Ken gave a confidential council document to Weatherfield Recorder reporter Pam Mitchell .

Ken was disciplined over the matter, but refused to give assurances it wouldn't happen again, and so he was sacked. The next month Pam Mitchell left the Recorder to work as Assistant editor on a Nottingham paper, and Ken took the chance to buy a 33% share in the Recorder and land himself a new job. He ploughed all his redundancy and all his and Deirdre's savings into the purchase. In November 1983 Ken was faced with the realities of running a free newspaper. There had been a series of incidents around Mike Baldwin's Graffiti Club and Ken proposed to write a damning article about it, but as the Graffiti Club was a major advertiser, especially around Christmas time, Ken was forced to eat humble pie and write a grovelling article about the club, much to the annoyance of local residents. 1984 was another traumatic year for Ken - Albert Tatlock died on 14 May 1984, but the Barlows continued to live in No1. Ken gave up his Community Centre job and became editor of his own paper, the Weatherfield Recorder.

Here he was tempted, but didn't have an affair with secretary Sally Waterman - who was also having an affair with Billy Walker at the time. In November 1985, Ken's daughter Susan came to live with them at No1. To Ken's great annoyance, Susan became infatuated with Mike Baldwin. Ken refused to give his blessing to their marriage, and even went as far as thumping Mike in his factory. On the actual morning of their wedding - 14 May 1986, Ken came to his senses and gave Susan away. Ken still retained a daughter though, for in the same year he adopted Tracy. Ken now has the quietest period of his life. It isn't until October 1989 that he starts an affair with his secretary, Wendy Crozier . When Deirdre found out, she shocked Ken by saying she wanted a divorce (Ken had planned to use the Baldwin affair as an excuse), and early on New Year's Day 1990, Ken found himself kicked out of Coronation Street. He went to live with Wendy, but things didn't work out, and worse, he had to sell the newspaper to pay off No1's mortgage.

He ended up living in a little bedsit at 6 Chepstow Road. By August he returned to the Street, living in the shop flat (much to Deirdre's consternation) and teaching again, this time at Weatherfield Comprehensive. Ken was devastated when Deirdre went to Paris with Phil Jennings to see in 1991, as he hoped for a reconciliation, and New Year's Eve saw a replay of 1977, with Ken letting himself into No1, arranging some pills into a large triangle and preparing to take an overdose - only the timely intervention of Bet Gilroy saved him. In 1991, two lost souls met up. Alma Sedgewick had been dumped by Mike Baldwin in favour of future wife Jackie Ingram , and Alma started an affair with Ken. However, Mike's marriage only lasted a week, and on Christmas Day, Mike lured Alma back into his bed - but only to get back at Ken. Sadly, honesty got the better of Alma, and she confessed to Ken on New Year's Eve at a posh hotel they were staying at. Instead of sympathising, Ken walked out and saw in his second consecutive New Year alone.

1992 saw Ken fall for another of his pupil's mothers - Maggie Redman . The Baldwin/Barlow fued erupted again, as unbeknown to Ken, the father of Maggie's son, Mark was Mike (are you still following ?). Mike hated the thought of Ken spending Christmas Day with his son, but in the end Ken found his pride got the better of him, he could not handle the situation and he and Maggie split up. By late 1993, Ken and Deirdre had again become close, but Deirdre had to leave and nurse her mother who had had a stroke, leaving Ken unsure of his feelings. Ken then took up with hairdresser Denise Osbourne in a rather on-off relationship. When Deirdre returned in late spring 1994, she was keen to try and rebuild a relationship with Ken, but instead was stunned to hear that Denise was pregnant with twins and Ken was the father ! Denise would not let Ken move in with her at No2, so in July 1994, he moved to Reg Holdsworth 's flat across the street at No12 Coronation Street.

Baby Daniel was born on 4 January 1995, but Denise found the situation too much and fled to her sister's in Macclesfield. In April 1995, Ken let Deirdre and Samir stay in No12 whilst Tracy was in hospital, and he temporarily lodged at The Rovers. Denise returned in May 1995, more sure of her and Ken, and they moved back into No1, which Ken had improbably bought from Mike Baldwin (who else !) in July 1995. Things went well for a time, until Brian Dunkley , Denise's accountant brother-in-law turned up. It transpired that Brian had been doing more than Denise's books, and they had been conducting a 2-year long affair. In January 1996, guilt-stricken, Denise asked Ken if he still wanted to get married (he had offered to marry her when she was pregnant, but she refused). He agreed, but then found out about the affair, and rejected Denise. In February 1996 she left for a new life "down south" with Brian, but left baby Daniel with his father.

Ken's happiness of being a single dad was shortlived when in November 1996, Denise came back to snatch Daniel - rather complicated by the fact that Ken had become friendly with Deirdre again, and they were in bed together when she called ! Ken had been hoping that he, Deirdre and Daniel could play happy families together, but Deirdre wasn`t having none of it. It was a double blow for Ken when Kelly Thomson , Daniel's nanny, decided to move in with Denise and Brian. Kelly felt she was doing the best for daniel, but Ken saw it as a betrayal. Poor Ken's hopes of keeping Daniel were dashed again when he was forced into early retirement from his job as teacher at Weatherfield comprehensive. Ken soon bounced back and helped Deirdre when she was imprisoned for fraud after becoming involved with con man Jon Lindsay in February 1998. He put aside his past differences with old enemy Mike Baldwin and togther, they were successful in getting Deirdre freed from prison. Ken was hoping for a(nother) reconciliation with Deirdre, but it didn`t materialise. So Ken was once again on his own.

Christmas 1998 took an unexpected turn when Deirdre's mother Blanche Hunt came to visit. Blanche decided she didn`t want to see Deirdre on her own so she tried to manipulate Ken into telling him that Deirdre still had feelings for him. She said the same thing to Deirdre about Ken. At the Valentine's dance in February, Ken took the opportunity to have a few dances with Deirdre, much to the amusement of the party goers. As they were dancing, Ken realised he still had strong feelings for his ex-wife, and admitted to her he still loved her. Deirdre was unsure, and Ken backed off for a little while. In March, Ken and Deirdre had a visit from their Tracy on Mothers' Day. Deirdre and Ken were dismayed to find that Tracy had left her husband Robert Preston after a misunderstanding. Ken and Deirdre joined forces into helping Tracy and Robert reconcile. They told Tracy they did't want her to make the same mistakes they did with their marriage. At last they both convinced Tracy and Robert to get back together, and they both left Weatherfield happily reconciled again.

Seing how happy Tracy and Robert were, Ken persuaded Deirdre to give their relationship another try, and Deirdre finally relented much to Ken's joy... In autumn 2002, Ken's teaching career is ruined by pupil-from-hell character Aidan Critchley (Dean Ashton), who mocks and terrorises Ken, resulting in the class being disrespectful to him. Aidan had also seriously injured his girlfriend Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) in a car crash while joyriding, and it is only shortly before being charged with this offence that he goads a furious Ken into punching him, and he promptly resigns. On the day of his court appearance a spiteful Tracy (Kate Ford) reveals to him that Deirdre had slept with her boss Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) little over a year previously. Ken is devastated but in the end, decides to stay with Deirdre. In the meantime, he pleads guilty to assaulting Aidan and receives a conditional discharge in court. In January 2003, Aidan is accused of murdering resident Maxine Peacock (Tracy Shaw).

Ken does not believe Aidan has committed the crime as he had seen him heavily drunk on the same night. When Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) claims that her own son in law Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) has committed the crime, Ken is the only person who believes her. Ken even goes to talk to Aidan's father who eventually reconciles with Aidan after Richard Hillman is discovered to be the real killer. Ken and Deirdre eventually remarry on 8 April 2005. However, their wedding day is overshadowed by the death of Deirdre's first husband Ray Langton (Neville Bushwell), who has returned, wanting to develop a relationship with his estranged daughter Tracy. He dies in the Rovers during the wedding reception. Early 2006 sees Deirdre become a lot closer to old flame Mike Baldwin when it transpires that he was suffering from Alzheimer's. On 7 April 2006, Mike dies in Ken's arms outside Underworld. Ken and Deirdre's marriage suffers a little when Ken becomes annoyed by what he considers excessive grief on Deirdre's part.

Their marriage suffers further when Tracy is convicted of murdering her boyfriend Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward) in April 2007. After a blazing row, Ken leaves and begins rebuilding a relationship with his son Daniel (Dominic Holmes), and the boy's mother Denise Osbourne. Ken and Denise grow closer during his separation from Deirdre. Convinced that Ken wants to rekindle their passion, Denise makes a blatant attempt to win him over but when she leans in for a kiss, he rejects her advances. After this embarrassing encounter, Ken decides to return to Coronation Street. He and Deirdre apologise for their treatment of one another. The couple forgive each other and reconcile. Deirdre realises that Ken wants to keep in touch with Daniel and suggests he continue his contact with the boy. We have never seen that happen on screen. Ken worked part-time in Roy's Rolls for a time. We met Gail's biological father, Ted Paige (Michael Byrne) who found he had a lot in common with Ken and the two men struck up a friendship. As Ted is gay, this gives Blanche plenty of ammunition to tease Ken. Ken's son Peter returns with his son Simon in tow, Simon's mother Lucy having died of cancer.

Peter developed a drinking problem which caused more contention between father and son but Ken has always tried to support Peter in his sobriety. On 26 January 2009, Ken meets Martha Fraser (Stephanie Beacham) who was living on a canal boat. They first meet when Eccles (the Border Terrier) falls into the canal, and Martha deftly scoops her out with a net. Ken doesn't tell her about his marriage to Deirdre, and likewise doesn't mention Martha to Deirdre. Martha would seem to be Ken's intellectual soul mate and he finds peace and contentment aboart her boat. He confesses to Ted Page that he has fallen for Martha and the pair finally kiss in March 2009 and one thing leads to another. However, following a fire at Peter's flat when he and Simon are almost killed, Ken realises his priorities have been very wrong and he finally admits to Martha that he is married and she angrily orders him to leave. He keeps begging her to take him back, telling her that he loves her, but she doesn't believe this and thinks he is lying.

Their secret is also opened to Ted's former girlfriend Audrey Roberts, who tells Peter that Ken is having an affair. On 1 May 2009, Ken plans to leave with Martha; however, he bottles it and returns home, finding that the goodbye letter he had left fo Deirdre has been removed by Peter, who had anticipated Ken's change of heart. Even though he got away with the affair, Ken still feels guilty and eventually he admits to the infidelity. Although Deirdre is very angry with him, she agrees to forgive him as he had forgiven her fling with Dev. In late 2009, Peter wants to set up a wine bar at the end of the Street with girlfriend Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), but Ken is against it, as Peter is a recovering alcoholic. Things aren't helped with the arrival of Simon's other grandfather, George Wilson (Anthony Valentine), whom Ken doesn't trust, believing that he has been trying to buy Simon's affection with expensive gifts. Ken resorts to drastic measures to stop the bar from happening, getting a journalist to investigate it and also selling the story of the Barlow family's chequered history, to the indignation of Peter and Deirdre.

After feuding over the bar for a number of months, Ken and Peter finally settle their differences for Simon's sake in January 2010. However, Ken and his family are left reeling when Peter destroys the grand opening of Leanne's bar when he starts drinking again. After Peter realises that he needs help with his problem, Ken, George and Leanne agree that he should spend sometime in rehab so that he can stop his addiction. The bar is closed and given up as a lost cause. Just as Peter gets sober again, George decides he is going to take Simon away but Simon runs off during a day in Blackpool with George and Eve. Ken and Deirdre race to Blackpool to help look for the lad who makes his way back to Weatherfield all on his own, safely. George is banished from the Barlows' lives. Deirdre cheats on Ken once again when she succumbs to the charms of gigolo Lewis Archer (Nigel Havers) and is seen kissing him in the betting shop on CCTV.

Peter discovers that Lewis has swindled money out of the shop, using Deirdre as a pawn in his deception and plays the recording for the family and the Platt/Roberts clan, humiliating Audrey who thought she would be running away to Greece with Lewis. Relations are once again strained between Ken and Deirdre, with Ken's tryst with Martha still fresh in Deirdre's mind. The couple acknowledge their mutual unhappiness with their marriage but remain together. In late August 2010, Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) discovers an unopened letter behind the skirting board at No. 3, addressed to Ken, dating back to the Sixties. The letter is written by Ken's first girlfriend Susan Cunningham. He then discovers that Susan has a son named Lawrence (played by William Roache's real-life son Linus Roache). Ken gets in contact with Lawrence and immediately gets on well with him, as they have similar literary interests, with Lawrence being an English lecturer. Deirdre is stunned by the uncanny resemblance between the two men and is adament that Lawrence must be Ken's son, as he has never known his father.

When Lawrence tells Ken that he was born in August 1961, Ken instinctively knows that he is his father. Wanting to get to know his new-found family members, Ken invites Lawrence's son James (played by Roache's real-life youngest son James Roache) to the Rovers. It is clear that animousity lies between father and son as Lawrence and James bicker in front of Ken. He is stunned to discover that James is gay and Lawrence is not supportive of his sexuality. Coronation Street dog owner leads Schmeichel to bow out - BBC News BBC News Coronation Street dog owner leads Schmeichel to bow out 28 October 2011 Close share panel Image caption The present Schmeichel is the fourth dog to play the role In mid-November, the television series Coronation Street will say farewell to one of its biggest characters - Schmeichel the Great Dane. For seven years, the huge dog has been a constant companion to Chesney Battersby-Brown and has become a favourite with the soap's fans. His on-screen death will mean a change in routine for the dog which has played the role and his owner, Anne Lunt.

Mrs Lunt has supplied Schmeichel since he first appeared on the Street - although, as she says, while the character has always been the same, the dog playing him has not. "There have been four Schmeichels," she said. You can do a good couple of hours' hard work or it could just be a walk down the street Anne Lunt, Animal Capers "The first one was called Schmeichel and then Magnum came in when he was poorly. "Then there was Spike, who took over when Magnum died - he was very old when he came in. "But unfortunately Spike took a turn for the worse so we brought in his grandson, who has done all the acting since and is also called Schmeichel." Mrs Lunt, who also owns Ken and Deirdre Barlow's border terrier Eccles and Maria Connor's Labrador Ozzy, said that, unlike the human actors, it was easier to have the animals called the same thing off-set as they were on. "You can't call them something else, because otherwise, they just look elsewhere when you call them and it looks a bit silly," she said.

Unusual situations Mrs Lunt and her husband's company Animal Capers have been supplying animals for TV and film production from their kennels for a number of years, beginning with the dog in the ITV production of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1988. Schmeichel Named after Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who is Danish Had life-saving surgery in 2005 after being knocked down Taken by RSPCA in 2008, when owner Chesney was taken into care, but the pair were later reunited Understandably, she said, it is not just a case of dropping the animals off on set and leaving them to it. Having Schmeichel in Coronation Street, in particular, has led her to some unusual situations. "When Schmeichel did the run-over (in 2005), I had to go under the bus to hold him, just so that he knew I was there," she said. "He was laid at the side of the bus, but I was right underneath it, holding his collar and stroking him. "Nobody saw that, of course, as I was out of view of the camera." Stubborn or clever?

Mrs Lunt said she could not disagree more with the old adage that in television, it was not a good idea to work with animals, but she admitted there were times when the four Schmeichels have not followed their scripts. "Great Danes will do so many things but then all of a sudden it's 'no, I'm not doing that'," she said. "We don't know whether it's that they're stubborn or they're clever. "Labradors like Ozzy and border terriers like Eccles are good workers, but they like working. "Danes don't like working - though I must admit I got the best out of the Schmeichels." In fact, to ensure the dogs do as they are required in the more stressful scenes, Mrs Lunt's daughter has been pressed into service in on-screen roles, including one as his nurse after the bus accident. Hard worker or not, Mrs Lunt said she had liked having Schmeichel in the show and would continue to enjoy her time on the Street with the other dogs. After all, she said, it was not the most difficult of jobs for either her or the animals. "They don't really work that hard," she said.

"You can do a good couple of hours' hard work or it could just be a walk down the street. "It's easy - I take the good with the bad." Our Dogs Newspaper - News, breeders, showdogs, dog breeds, pedigree show dogs, canine clubs, web design, website uk Adverts : 0161 709 4576 - Editorial : 0161 709 4571 Mail Order : 0161 709 4578 - Subs : 0161 709 4575 - Webteam : 0161 709 4567 ‘Corrie’ Border Terrier storyline causes outrage BORDER TERRIER enthusiasts are in uproar over a Coronation Street storyline which sees the introduction of a bad-tempered Border Terrier which takes chunks out of long-time Street stalwart Ken Barlow.

They fear that the dog’s antics on the long-running Granada TV soap will either alienate people against the breed by portraying it in a bad light, or may even cause it to surge in popularity, with people trying to acquire Border Terriers without any idea of their correct care and needs. The storyline, which is due to be screened in the New Year sees Ken Barlow tormented by a dog that won't stop biting him. The long-serving character, played by Bill Roache, will be driven ‘barking mad’ by the dog after his mother-in-law Blanche Hunt, played by 69-year-old Maggie Jones, inherits the wayward animal, called Eccles, in her friend's will. Viewers will see the dog bite Ken every time he enters the same room as the dog, prompting the long-suffering character to get down on all fours and growl at his four-legged tormentor to try and make it stop. A soap insider was quoted in the Daily Star newspaper as saying: ‘It is fantastically funny TV. To have someone as staid as Ken down on all fours barking in the face of a dog is hilarious.

‘Ken's life goes from bad to worse when Eccles starts tearing up his newspapers and adopts his favourite chair!’ Bev Jackson, Border Terrier breed correspondent for OUR DOGS commented: ‘As you can imagine this is causing total uproar in the breed –we are not impressed! Countless numbers of disgusted breed supporters have contacted Granada TV to voice their disgust and have received the same, standard, patronising reply, which is disgusting in itself.’ The standard reply sent to Bev, along with other correspondents, was signed by David Nugent on behalf of the show and reads: ‘Thank you for your e-mail regarding Coronation Street and the arrival of Eccles; Blanche’s inheritance. I will of course ensure your comments reach both our Producer and Script Editor. As we shoot Coronation Street about eight weeks in advance of transmission we cannot ‘re-cast’ Eccles as another breed. ‘This story line is one of a light-hearted nature and IÅfm sure our many viewers will see it and treat it as such. ‘Once again many thanks for your e-mail and interest in Coronation Street and may I take this opportunity to wish you a Very Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year. ‘Yours with Best Wishes

Question: What is the name of the Barlow’s border terrier in Coronation Street?
Answer: Eccles