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Original cast member Philip Lowrie is due to return to the cobbles to play Dennis Tanner, the character he played in the very first episode of Coronation Street.

Philip will begin filming in March and will appear on screen in May.

Dennis Tanner was the original Corrie bad lad. He moved in with his mum Elsie Tanner after being released from prison and lived at 11 Coronation Street on and off between 1942 and 1968, when he married Jenny Sutton and moved to Bristol.

The black sheep of the Tanner family, Dennis found it difficult to stay on the right side of the law. Now much older, will Dennis be wiser?

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Some of his graffiti has been in the show since episode 1, on Eileen's window sill

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For those who watched the Historic First Episode last month, he was the one who said "You'd rather I be like like Kenneth Barlow from No.3"

It'll be weird to have a Tanner back on the street

[Smithy]

Originally Posted by Chewy

Some of his graffiti has been in the show since episode 1, on Eileen's window sill

looks like it says pennis tanner :L

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lmao

I wonder if this will lead to a full scale return of the Tanner family?

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

he looks peng (in the black and white pic not the new one obvz : l)

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xD

[flamingGalah!]

I bet it's just for a short stint & a bit pointless really as only very old viewers will even know who he is & his links to the Street... Plus no one who lives on the Street now would even recognise him as he looks nothing like he did back then

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He's back initially for six months, he's returning for good it seems

He has links to Ken, Emily, Betty, and Rita

Plus Jed Stone Tommo 'Ed' Jackson and Ray Langton seemed to fit in perfectly

[dannyboy]

This is awesome. Just the other day I was checking out who of the original cast could theoretically return, cos now either the actor or the character for most the original cast have died. His sister Linda could theoretically return too.

And I don't think it matters if younger viewers 'don't know who he is'. To them he'll just be a new rather than returning character.

[dannyboy]

P.s. in ref to chewy's post. He won't really know Betty will he? She came into it a year after he was last in it.

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Originally Posted by dannyboy

This is awesome. Just the other day I was checking out who of the original cast could theoretically return, cos now either the actor or the character for most the original cast have died. His sister Linda could theoretically return too.

And I don't think it matters if younger viewers 'don't know who he is'. To them he'll just be a new rather than returning character.

Ah right about Betty, but still, you're right, he also was apparently friends with Jed Stone who still has a window open for a return. I never saw Dennis Tanner, apart from the first episodes, but I know this is a good thing for the show

[flamingGalah!]

Originally Posted by Chewy

He's back initially for six months, he's returning for good it seems

He has links to Ken, Emily, Betty, and Rita

Plus Jed Stone Tommo 'Ed' Jackson and Ray Langton seemed to fit in perfectly

He doesn't really have links to them though, they were just around when he was in Corrie years ago... It seems like having an old cast member return just for the sake of it, he has no relatives/friends that are still on the Street...

Jed Stone, fair enough, though again his link was rather tenuous...

Tommo 'Ed' Jackson wasn't even played by the same actor when he returned & the character was only in one scene originally!

And Ray Langton had an ex wife, daughter & grand daughter living on the Street...

[dannyboy]

Imagine if Ken leaves after Dennis returns, and Dennis claims the title of 'last surviving cast member.' It'd be a tad cheeky when he was absent for almost half a century lol!

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Originally Posted by flamingGalah!

He doesn't really have links to them though, they were just around when he was in Corrie years ago... It seems like having an old cast member return just for the sake of it, he has no relatives/friends that are still on the Street...

Jed Stone, fair enough, though again his link was rather tenuous...

Tommo 'Ed' Jackson wasn't even played by the same actor when he returned & the character was only in one scene originally!

And Ray Langton had an ex wife, daughter & grand daughter living on the Street...

There could be plenty of things to bring him back, for example, maybe Ken decides to look up some old friends for a reunion?

[bbfan1991]

Not a clue who he is so I hope I like him.

If Corrie continue to bring back previous characters, I know they've brought in a few new characters/cast too to balance it then they'll get people moaning like what EE did bringing Bianca/Ricky/Carol back etc.

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Corrie doesnt really bring people back as often as EE, Jed only stuck around for a year and Ray did for a few months, I hope Dennis stays though lol, it'd have been wrong for them to just shut the door on the Tanner's

[bbfan1991]

Why do I get the feeling Jim will turn up again for Liz's exit?.

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I hope he does lol

[bbfan1991]

Originally Posted by Chewy

I hope he does lol

Me too, they've had their ups and downs but wouldn't it be nice to see them finally ride into the sunset?.

Although i'm torn because I think Jim still has lots of potential as a character and Steve/his mates on the Street are still there...

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It might be time to close the door on Jim, he can only return so many times lol

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Here's Dennis in Rita's first ever scene

[Kerry]

Wonder why he'd come back though?

[joeysteele]

I think it will work, also Chris Fountain is coming into Corrie too as Tommy Duckworth, I think its a good idea to bring back some old characters if they can, some of the very early Corrie episodes I have seen recently on TV and DVD are really good.

[dannyboy]

Originally Posted by Chewy

Here's Dennis in Rita's first ever scene

God is that Rita? She looks better now! Lol.