Top 25 Favourite Corrie Females - No. 19

(This post was originally posted by Llifon on the Coronation Street Blog in March 2016, reposted with permission.)

19. KAREN MCDONALD (162 VOTES)

Duration: 2000-2004

Played by: Suranne Jones

2012 character poll position (women): Not included

Introduced as a friend of Linda Sykes’ and who was taken on as a machinist at Underworld. Popular with men, she soon had flings with Vikram Desai and Peter Barlow.

By 2001 she was in a relationship with Steve McDonald. Janice Battersby made a bet that Karen wouldn’t get engaged. Karen persuaded Steve to propose in the Rovers and they married – much to the surprise of both of them!

In 2003 Karen fell for the charms of Joe Carter and agreed to steal the factory from Mike Baldwin with Joe. Karen realised that Joe was just using her and temporarily left Weatherfield. Steve tracked her down and the McDonalds reconciled. 

In 2004 Karen decided that she wanted a lavish wedding and so called a divorce so that she could re-marry Steve in a church rather than a register office. But the wedding was spoilt somewhat by Tracy Barlow’s revelation that Steve was the father of her daughter Amy. After some persuasion from Steve, Karen eventually remarried him. 

Karen’s wrath for both Tracy and Amy escalated so much that it led to the breakdown of her marriage. She left the cobbles on Christmas Day 2004. Steve received his divorce papers on Valentine’s Day 2005.

Were you a fan of Karen? Should she pay Steve a visit?

Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


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Corrie fans vote for Karen McDonald return

(This post was originally posted on the Coronation Street Blog August 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)

A fortnight ago, There was a poll on the Coronation Street Blog about who'd folk would like to return to the cobbles.

550 Corrie fans voted and an astounding 173 voted for Karen McDonald (last seen in 2004) to make a comeback. No doubt with ex Steve and rival Tracy still there it would make interesting viewing!

In second place was Curly Watts (last seen in 2003)  with 97 votes.

Hilda Ogden (last seen in 1987) came third with 59 votes.

Tied in fourth place were Bet Lynch (last seen in 2003) and Mavis Wilton (last seen in 1997) with 47 votes.

And finishing the top five off was Becky McDonald (despite only leaving early this year!) with 26 votes. Becky was voted for under the 'other' option in the poll.

Other characters you wished to return were Linda Cheveski, Sian Powers, Billy Walker, Danny Baldwin, Sarah Platt, Toyah Battersby, Cilla Battersby-Brown, Rosie Webster, Spider Nugent, Graeme Proctor, Eddie Windass, Liz McDonald, Raquel Watts, Les Battersby-Brown, Candice Stowe, Maya Sharma, Dawn Prescott, Debbie Webster, Natasha Blakeman, Suzie Birchall, Jamie Baldwin, Frankie Baldwin, Shelley Unwin and Craig Harris.

Two people wished for Bill Ward to make a return as Charlie Stubbs' twin brother while others wished Richard Hillman, Elsie Tanner, Mike Baldwin and Derek Wilton would make a return from the dead.

Happy with the results? Or shocked? 

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Hugo award for Doctor Who with a Corrie connection

(This post was originally posted on the Coronation Street Blog September 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Earlier this month the Sci-Fi Hugo awards were given out and an episode of Doctor Who called The Doctor's Wife won an award. That's relevant to Coronation Street because the episode featured ex-Corrie star Suranne Jones as the human embodiment of the TARDIS. It was a wonderful episode, written by the acclaimed Neil Gaiman. Suranne was fabulous in the part. Watch below for the scene where the Doctor realizes who she is.

If you have the DVD for Season 6, it's episode 4.
On YouTube you can find the "behind the scenes" Doctor Who Confidential for this episode with part 1 here with the rest of the parts linked down the right.



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McDonald Family goes to Blackpool circa 2003

I thought you might enjoy this photo from the Wayback machine. It's November 2003. Steve and Karen have just got divorced and re-engaged because she wants to remarry in a big splashy ceremony (be careful what you wish for!) Tracy Barlow is pregnant but nobody yet knows that Steve is the father and has married Roy so that he has legal claim on the baby he thinks is his.

Meanwhile, Jim McDonald is still in prison for the manslaughter charge stemming from when he confessed to beating Jez Quigley who later died from his inuries. Liz had remarried Jim in prison and she's now working in a pub in Blackpool. Jim suspects that she's seeing another man and sends Steve up there to check on her. Karen goes along for the ride, anticipating having a bit of a lark on the promenade. Alas, Jim is impatient and breaks out of prison and most of the McDonalds are reunited.

You can read more about the Blackpool Shenanigans, which also include a return by Bet Lynch and a sub plot with Ashley and then-nanny Claire on holiday, and falling in love over here on Corrie.net (starting at November 17)


Photo: Mark Campbell/Rex Features