Coronation Street is a British soap opera first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. This is a list of characters that will make their first appearance in 2026. In January, the first character to appear in 2026 is Shona Platt's (Julia Goulding) estranged half-sister Jodie Ramsey, played by actress and singer, Olivia Frances-Brown. She was followed by surgeon Vincent Harper, and Harper Platt, the newborn daughter of Shona and David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd). Later in January, Lee, a former pupil of Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon) and Mal Roper, who began stalking Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) debuted. In February, Doug Ramsey, the father of Jodie and Shona Platt (Julia Goulding) appeared, followed by Paula, an inmate of Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) and Connie Waring, the baby daughter of Rob Donovan (Mark Bayliss) and Mandy Waring (Rebecca Atkinson), who was temporarily left in the care of Carla Connor (Alison King) and Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers). In April, Melanie Driscoll the ex-wife of Ben Driscoll (Aaron McCusker) and mother of Ollie Driscoll (Raphael Akuwudike) and Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale) first appeared. Damo made his appearance in May, followed by Idris Nazir, the cousin of Alya Nazir (Sair Khan). Ross, the biological father of Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) is set to debut later in the year. Additionally, several other characters appear throughout the year.
Jodie Ramsey
Jodie Ramsey, portrayed by Olivia Frances-Brown, made her first appearance on 5 January 2026 in the special hour-long Corriedale crossover episode, where Coronation Street and fellow ITV1 soap Emmerdale crossover. Her casting was announced on 16 December 2025 when the full cast for the special episode was announced. Her character was listed under the Coronation Street cast of the episode, but few details were revealed about her character, which caused fans to speculate who Jodie could be. When she first appeared in Corriedale, she was seen to be tied up and held hostage in the back of Graham Foster's (Andrew Scarborough) van. She managed to escape and ran into the woods where Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) called out for her, which caused her to turn around and lose her footing under a tree. After Kit inspected the cable ties around her hands, it revealed that she had a matching tattoo to Shona Platt (Julia Goulding). After Shona gave birth to a daughter Harper via caesarean section, Jodie peered through the blinds in the ICU unit. A nurse passing by asked if she was a mother to one of the babies in the ICU, which she responded that she was an aunt.
Maisie Spackman from Metro spoke about Jodie's identity: "Given that she and Shona have matching tattoos, it’s safe to assume that she is her sister – unless Gail [portrayed by Helen Worth] has another secret child no one’s told us about!" She continued: "Fans have already picked up on the resemblance between Jodie and Shona, and the fact that Shona had previously mentioned having a sister."
Vincent Harper
Doctor Vincent Harper, portrayed by John Hollingworth, is a surgeon who performs a caesarean section on Shona Platt (Julia Goulding), who was 28 weeks pregnant. He first appeared on 7 January 2026 after travelling to Weatherfield from Bristol to perform the surgery. During the surgery, Harper had to perform a tracheostomy so the baby could breathe after struggling to fit the original tube. Upon his arrival, he calls into Roy's Rolls where David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) and Bernie Winter-Alahan (Jane Hazlegrove) are discussing Billy Mayhew's (Daniel Brocklebank) death. Harper then mentions Billy's sexuality after reading about his death in the paper, causing Bernie, who was Billy's mother-in-law, to give him the cold shoulder. Afterwards, before performing the surgery, he gets into an argument with David who later regrets it after realising he was the surgeon. After the successful surgery, David and Shona decide to name their daughter Harper after him. At the end of the episode, he calls into Roy's again for a pie and a tea and offers his condolences to Bernie, who lets him have his food for free. Rebecca Sayce from Digital Spy said: "Because of his prominence in the episode, and speaking about Billy, fans think that he is set to play a huge role in an ongoing storyline."
Harper Platt
Harper Platt is the newborn daughter of David (Jack P. Shepherd) and Shona Platt (Julia Goulding). She was born on 7 January 2026 via caesarean section at 28 weeks. In September 2025, Shona reveals to her husband David that she is pregnant, after David finds a positive pregnancy test in the bin and assumes that it belongs to his teenage daughter Lily Platt (Grace Ashcroft-Gardner). During their first scan in November 2025, Shona and David are informed that there is a large mass on the baby's neck, which may be cancerous. A special episode which examines both David's and Shona's perspectives of the pregnancy was broadcast on 12 November 2025, where it is confirmed that their baby has a cervical teratoma, and Shona will need to undergo an EXIT procedure to ensure her and the baby's best chances of survival. David and Shona are also offered the option of a termination, which David encourages Shona to consider, leading to tensions within their marriage when Shona refuses.
In January 2026, David and Shona are involved in a multi-vehicle accident during the special hour-long Corriedale episode, where Coronation Street and fellow ITV1 soap Emmerdale crossover. Shortly after the crash, Shona goes into labour, and David suffers an epileptic seizure. After being transferred from Hotten to Weatherfield, Shona gives birth via caesarean section, and she and David name their baby Harper, after the surgeon who delivered her, Vincent Harper (John Hollingworth). Harper is placed in an incubator with a tracheostomy immediately after her birth due to the mass on her neck. Around the same time as Harper's birth, a mysterious newcomer named Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown), who was also involved in the Corriedale car accident, arrives in Weatherfield, sharing an identical tattoo to Shona, and begins secretly visiting Harper when David and Shona are absent. Jodie is later revealed to be Shona's half-sister.
DI Thompson
DI Thompson, portrayed by Lindsay Bennett-Thompson, is the new Detective Inspector of Weatherfield Police. She is the replacement for DI Costello (Daon Broni). She made her first appearance on 12 January 2026. On 4 May 2026, Brody Michaelis (Ryan Mulvey) is arrested for theft after selling Todd Grimshaw's (Gareth Pierce) missing phone to a pawn shop for easy cash, bringing him into the investigation of the murder of Theo Silverton (James Cartwright). DC Kit Green (Jacob Roberts), who is Brody's father, arrives back from his secondment and insists that Brody isn't dragged into the investigation. Vicky Myers, who plays DS Lisa Swain spoke about her new on-screen boss: "There's a new DI [Thompson] who wants to do everything by the book and is putting pressure on – not just on Lisa but also Kit and everyone who's in the station. It's also important to her, because this is on her watch. So no matter how long it takes, she will get there in the end."
Lee Lee, portrayed by Oscar Aldersley, made an appearance on 23 January 2026. He is a friend of Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale) and former student of Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon). His arrival was announced on 13 January 2026. When Lee arrives, it is revealed he was also groomed by Megan, who has been grooming Will. Aldersley's casting was announced to be a guest appearance as he posted that he had wrapped up filming on the same day his casting was announced. He posted on Instagram: "Wow what an experience! Thank you Coronation Street for this amazing opportunity. It's been a pleasure working with such an incredible team for the past couple of months! I'll hopefully see you all, back on the cobbles again soon!" Walsh, who plays Megan commented with praise: "Ahh had so much fun working with you! Can't wait to watch it on screen."
Mal Roper
Mal Roper, portrayed by Tim Treloar, is the husband of Alice, Roy Cropper's (David Neilson) pen-pal. Treloar's casting was announced on 21 January 2026 and he made his first appearance on 28 January 2026 when he arrives at Roy's Rolls. A Corrie Insider reported to Digital Spy: "Poor Roy is stunned when Mal arrives at the café. Mal wastes no time at all announcing that he's Alice's hubby. As you can imagine, Roy tries to explain himself, but it's yet to be seen whether Mal offers him forgiveness or not. Luckily, Nina is around, so hopefully she can help if it all goes pear-shaped!" After Roy reveals that he didn't know Alice was married, Mal reveals he and Alice have been married for 31 years and have three children together. The following day, Mal returns to the cafe to sort out the electrics. The insider continued: "How awful for Roy. Out of all of the electricians in Greater Manchester, it just has to be Mal, doesn't it? You couldn't make it up!" Mal later meets Bernie Winter-Alahan (Jane Hazlegrove) at the Chariot Square Hotel where they both drown their sorrows after he realises Alice hasn't been faithful and Bernie was grieving the loss of her son-in-law, Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank). Many fans recognised Treloar from other roles he has played previously.
On 11 February 2026, it was confirmed that Mal would be a new villain. Mal is due to show Brian Packham (Peter Gunn) a bag of crystals as he takes an interest to try and impress Bernie, who is interested in them and their properties, which annoys her. Bernie's son-in-law, Chesney Winter-Brown (Sam Aston) quizzes which crystal is his favourite, which he can't answer. A source reported: "Bernie just wants Mal to leave. Their wild night at the Chariot Square Hotel is one that she'd rather forget, but Mal is determined to stick around for as long as possible." The insider continued: "Although Mal claims that he's staying for work reasons – fixing the electrics at Roy's café – he seems to be worming his way into Bernie's life at every opportunity. Should she be worried?"
Doug Ramsey
Doug Ramsey, portrayed by Steve Evets, is the father of Shona Platt (Julia Goulding) and Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown). He appears on 9 February 2026, when Jodie visits him in hospital. Evets' casting was announced on 3 February 2026 with Maisie Spackman from Metro reporting: "Coronation Street fans are soon set to meet Shona Platt's dad, and he will be a familiar face to 90s soap fans." She continued: "Their father is set to be played by none other than Steve Evets, who hardcore soap fans will recognise as Emmerdale Tom Shepherd." Lauren Morris from The Mirror confirmed Evets' role would be a guest, appearing in one episode. ITV teased: "Shona, convinced Jodie is hiding something, follows her to a psychiatric hospital where Jodie tearfully introduced their confused, estranged father. Jodie explains how she was left to care for him after their mother fled. Shona is touched and assures Jodie she's part of the family now."
On 24 July 2026, it was revealed by Goulding that Evets would be returning to Coronation Street as Doug. She described working with Evets to be "fantastic". She added: "Working with Steve Evets is a treat. It’s really interesting to explore the Ramsey family dynamic and piece together why Shona and Jodie are the way they are." She further teased: "He is coming back again soon and we will really find out a lot more about their history."
Paula