Who Attacked Ken?
"Who Attacked Ken?" is a storyline from the ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The story began on 27 March 2017, during an episode in which the show's longest-serving character, Ken Barlow (William Roache), is pushed down the stairs by an unknown assailant.[1] The planning of the storyline and filming the episodes remained a secret until the after the first episode was broadcast.
ITV released a poll to the Coronation Street website so fans could share their thoughts of who pushed Ken. Fans and viewers used the poll, with the majority believing the attacker to be Ken's grandson Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson), with other suspects being Ken's two son's Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) and Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard), local builder Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre), Daniel's girlfriend Sinead Tinker (Katie McGlynn) and Ken's adoptive daughter Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford). The attacker was revealed to be Daniel on 26 May 2017 and the storyline climaxed on 9 June 2017.
Suspects
- Adam Barlow, played by Sam Robertson. Earlier in March, Ken is disgusted with Adam when he realises that he is involved in selling drugs, so he exiles Adam from the family and sends him back to Canada. Ken finds money Adam was using to purchase drugs, which he immediately throws into a fire in his back garden. This results in Adam been badly assaulted by thugs. Adam has always been paranoid that Ken does not see him as his grandson and solely as the son of his arch-enemy Mike Baldwin, who had a highly publicised affair with Ken's late wife, Deirdre in 1983, marrying Ken's daughter Susan in 1986, which led to Adam in 1988. When the attack takes place, Adam is seen lurking around Weatherfield and catches a bus out of town after Ken is pushed.
- Amy Barlow, played by Elle Mulvaney. Amy is due to perform at a violin concert on the night of the attack, but goes missing after she refuses to take part. Her mother Tracy and her boyfriend, Luke, look for Amy, unknown that someone is spying on them. On 19 April 2017, Amy calls DS MacKinnon to inform her of new evidence. Amy becomes a suspect in the investigation after calling DS MacKinnon.
- Peter Barlow, played by Chris Gascoyne. After seeing Peter arguing with Chloe Tipton in the ginnel, Ken invites her back to his house, where she lies that she and Peter are having an affair, when really she is infatuated with him. Ken is disgusted by his son and informs his current girlfriend Toyah, who moves out. After nearly turning to alcohol, Peter summarises that Ken is always at the heart of his problems, and tells Ken that he is dead to him before the attack. His son, Simon, finds a voicemail on his phone of Peter apologising for something, which was found 10 days after the attack.
- Tracy Barlow, played by Kate Ford. Ken's adoptive daughter Tracy has always felt that Ken favours the rest of the family over her and her daughter, Amy. When Ken is having a discussion with Sinead, Tracy and Amy are furious to hear Ken state that marrying Tracy's mother Deirdre is one of his biggest regrets in life. After continuously refusing to help Tracy out financially, Ken apparently confirms Tracy's paranoia by not attending Amy's violin concert.
- Daniel Osbourne, played by Rob Mallard. Ken's youngest son who returns to Weatherfield following Ken's stroke in October 2016. Daniel and Ken share a good relationship. However, Daniel was not impressed by Ken's pushy attitude for him to attend Oxford University. After his girlfriend Sinead aborts his baby, Daniel realises that Ken has manipulated her into doing so, in order for him to go to Oxford. Daniel has an aggressive side, and is very secretive about what really happened to his mother, Denise. When Ken is pushed down the stairs, Daniel arrives at the household to find Pat Phelan standing over Ken.
- Pat Phelan, played by Connor McIntyre. Phelan was doing a conversion job in Ken's kitchen for some time. After informing Ken that he would have to extend the job, Ken snaps with mounting pressure from his family, raging that Phelan is untrustworthy following the incident with the Calcutta Street scam. On the night of the attack, Phelan is caught by Ken's son Daniel standing over Ken when he is pushed down the stairs.
- Sinead Tinker, played by Katie McGlynn. Ken is unhappy with his son Daniel's fast relationship with Sinead and is concerned when he learns that Daniel has declined a place at Oxford University. After confronting Sinead, she reveals that she is pregnant with Daniel's baby. Ken coldly manipulates Sinead into aborting the baby to help Daniel. When Sinead is forced to tell Daniel the truth, he breaks up with her. She gets excessively drunk and is seen banging on Ken's door to angrily confront him before Ken is attacked.[2]
Storyline
Events leading up to the attack
Ken Barlow (William Roache) has recently been interfering in his family's lives. Firstly, after discovering that his grandson Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) has been dealing drugs and was addicted to prescription pills when he was looking after him in 2013. Ken torches money, which results in Adam being badly beaten by thugs. Ken orders Adam to return to Canada,[3] and subsequently disowns him. Also, his adoptive daughter, Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford), is upset that Ken refuses to help her financially, especially when Ken's son Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) threatens to buy her florist shop from her. However, Ken considers helping Peter purchase The Rovers Return Inn,[4] which infuriates Tracy. However, after witnessing Peter arguing with a woman named Chloe Tipton (Jo-Anne Knowles) in the ginnel, Ken invites her inside to find out what is going on. She lies to Ken that she and Peter are having an affair, which is untrue and Chloe simply has an unhealthy infatuation with Peter. Ken then decides to tell Peter's girlfriend, Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor), with Toyah throwing Peter out as a result.
Elsewhere, Ken's youngest son Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard) is happy after his new girlfriend, Sinead Tinker (Katie McGlynn), falls pregnant with his baby, and considers turning down his placement at Oxford University to remain in Weatherfield and look after them. However, when Ken discovers this, he is terrified that Daniel will make the same mistakes that he did, and has a conversation with Sinead. He coldly manipulates Sinead into thinking that aborting the baby will help Daniel, and states that he regrets marrying his late wife, Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), which her daughter Tracy and granddaughter Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) overhear, and upsets them deeply, but truly loved her more than his two former wives Valerie Tatlock (Anne Reid) and Janet Reid (Judith Barker), despite Deirdre's affair with Adam's father Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) in 1983. As a result, Sinead terminates her pregnancy, however, lies to Daniel that she has suffered a miscarriage. Additionally, with mounting stress from his family, Ken snaps at builder Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre), who is renovating the family kitchen, and refuses to pay him - leaving Phelan furious.
The night of the attack
On 27 March 2017, Amy has a violin recital which Tracy and her boyfriend Luke Britton (Dean Fagan) attend, however, Ken refuses to after Amy accuses him of favouring his grandson Simon Barlow (Alex Bain) over her. Amy later goes missing after answering a mysterious phone call, with Tracy also vanishing when the residents are searching for Amy. Elsewhere, Sinead confesses to Daniel that she lied about having a miscarriage and actually had an abortion, with her blaming Ken for the whole situation. Meanwhile, after his relationship with Toyah is seemingly over, Peter summarises that Ken is always at the heart of his problems, and vanishes after nearly turning to alcohol. Sinead becomes intoxicated and is seen banging on Ken's door, shortly before Ken goes upstairs to fill the kettle, however, the back door is heard opening. Also, Adam has supposedly returned from Canada and is seen lurking around the street at the time of the attack.
Later that night, Ken is seen lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs. Daniel later arrives to find Phelan standing over his body, and Daniel phones for an ambulance. Ken is then rushed the hospital, and the residents all summarise that he suffered a major stroke, having collapsed from one in October 2016. However, the Barlows are all called to the hospital, where DS MacKinnon (Sandra Huggett) and DC Hough (Philip Hill-Pearson) inform the family that Ken's accident was actually a result of an attempted murder, after a lesion was found on the back of Ken's head, indicating that he was struck by a blunt instrument which caused him to fall down the stairs. They then reveal that they are opening an investigation into Ken's attack, panicking Peter, Tracy, Daniel, Adam, Amy and Sinead.
Police investigations
The following day, Peter, Tracy and Daniel are all questioned by the police. Tracy convinces Luke to give her a false alibi. Adam is also interviewed, however, he refuses to co-operate with inquiries and answer any questions with his Law background. Both Daniel and Tracy inform the police of Ken's fraught relationship with Phelan, who is thereupon taken for questioning. Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley) has CCTV footage proving that Phelan could not have attacked Ken, and hands this into the police, and he is therefore eliminated from inquiries. When Ken regains consciousness, the police inform him that a family member could have potentially attacked him after he is suffering from memory loss, and therefore refuses to see his relatives. Tracy begins to suspect Adam after seeing him discretely talking to Amy, while the police close in on Daniel after he did not report his mother, Denise Osbourne (Denise Black), missing for six years, believing him to be hiding something.
Tracy finds Ken's final will, and finds that she has been completely cut out of it, with only Adam, Daniel and Peter inheriting Ken's assets. Confused, she confronts Adam and threatens to take it to the police, however, he states that it gives her a motive to have attacked Ken. Peter's son, Simon, finds a voicemail on his mobile phone from Peter, sounding very frantic and apologetic, and suspects that it is linked to Ken's attack. Peter tells Simon, Toyah and the rest of his family that he was visiting Chloe, and an altercation led to her face being cut. Peter later visits her to ask her to be his alibi, however, Chloe lies to the police that Peter assaulted her and that this occurred on a separate night to when Ken was pushed down the stairs, so the police begin to suspect Peter.
Amy calls Adam to inform him she has money for him and will hide it behind the clock at the Barlow household. Just as she tries to move the clock, Luke arrives to take her to violin rehearsals. Ken returns home, however, moves in with his friends Roy Cropper (David Neilson) and Brian Packham (Peter Gunn) as he is too frightened to be with his family. In Roy's café, Adam makes a public appeal to Ken, revealing he did not attack him and he would never want to hurt him. Adam then accuses Tracy forcing Luke to give her a false alibi, however, Tracy accuses Adam of trying to direct suspicion to another suspect. Adam later blackmails Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan) to give him a false alibi, stating that they were having sex the night of the attack, which she reluctantly agrees to. After finding out that Adam is closing in on Tracy, Amy calls the police, giving fresh evidence that a new kitchen worktop was fitted on the night of the attack, which puts Adam as prime suspect. After an investigation into the worktops, Adam is arrested for attempted murder. During an interview with the police, it is revealed that Adam's fingerprints were found in the household on the night of the attack, and they find that his alibi with Rosie was a lie. However, the police want to question Amy over how she knew that Adam's fingerprints were on the worktop, but Tracy becomes on edge and asks them to leave.
Rob Donovan's escape from prison
Tracy later goes to the abandoned gym on Victoria Street, where she comes face-to-face with her ex-fiancé, Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis). It becomes apparent that Rob was being transferred to a different prison, however the police van crashed into a lake as a result of thugs who wanted Rob to suffer caused the accident. Rob was presumed dead, however has been in hiding at the gym since before Ken was attacked, and it is revealed that Tracy was visiting Rob at the time of the attack. Tracy becomes suspicious of Amy after finding money belonging to Ken in her teddy bear, which she originally stated that Adam stole, and so confides in Rob, who is desperate for Tracy to help him flee the area. However, Tracy creates the idea of Rob, herself and Amy fleeing Weatherfield together, which Rob reluctantly agrees to.
Tracy takes Amy to a cottage in the Peak District without her knowing that Rob is hiding upstairs. After discovering that Rob is actually alive, the police publicise the disappearance of Tracy and Amy on television, in the hope that they will lead them to Rob. However, Amy contacts her father, Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) from a nearby telephone box, which the police trace and head to the Peak District. Upon returning to the cottage, Amy is mortified to find Tracy kissing Rob, and refuses to co-operate with their plans of escaping. Upon hearing the police sirens, Tracy bundles Amy into the back of Rob's car and orders him to take her back to Weatherfield. Police search the cottage for Rob but there is no sign of him. Tracy lies that she sent Amy on a bus to Manchester and falsely confesses to attacking Ken. Tracy is questioned by DS MacKinnon, where she claims that she tried to save Ken from falling after pushing him in an argument. Ken refuses to believe that Tracy is to blame, while Adam is delighted at her arrest. Elsewhere, Rob confesses to Amy that Tracy only told that police that she attacked Ken because she believes that Amy was responsible, however, Rob realises that Amy is also innocent.
As Tracy stands in court to give her plea, Rob bursts into the room and orders the judge to observe CCTV footage in the florist shop on the night of the attack, which shows Rob and Tracy together. DS MacKinnon remands Tracy in custody for wasting police time and perverting the course of justice, while Rob is sent to solitary confinement in another prison. However, Ken discusses with Steve's mother Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard) that he knew Tracy did not attack him, but is still unaware of the real assailant.
The reveal
Tracy is released on bail, while the investigation into Ken's attack continues. Toyah and her stepsister Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) later threaten Chloe to drop the assault charges against Peter, and reveal that this occurred on the night of the attack, which she does so reluctantly. Adam becomes convinced that Daniel is involved, and so kidnaps him on the day of an important exam. He takes him to an abandoned area, where he forces him to confess to pushing Ken, while Daniel believes that this is Adam's way of covering his own back. Daniel accidentally mentions that Ken pressured Sinead into an abortion, before escaping and leaving Adam behind. Upon returning to Weatherfield, Adam notices Sinead being aggressive and rude towards Ken publicly, leading him to believe that she is involved in the attack. The police later question Sinead again, where she is forced to reveal all about her termination and what Ken said, giving her a motive. Later that night, Daniel threatens to kill Adam if he upsets him or Sinead again.
DS MacKinnon later questions Daniel, stating that there is a problem with his alibi on the night of Ken's attack. Daniel reveals that he threw his tram ticket away, stating that he did not know that Ken was going to be assaulted, and so did not keep it as evidence. He later returns and tells Sinead that he is returning to his old flat, with Sinead throwing Daniel's clothes around the room following another argument with Ken. However, Ken notices Daniel's red shoes, and informs Roy that he believes that Daniel was the culprit who attacked him that night. Ken is adamant that he is going to confront Daniel, however after Peter and Tracy convince him to leave Weatherfield, Adam leaves his bags in the living room, where Ken notices a pair of red shoes in one of his bags. The police are then called and Adam is subsequently arrested and charged with the attempted murder of Ken. Ken is deeply upset, and Peter and Tracy propose that Ken goes to stay with Daniel in his old flat while he comes to terms with the revelation. Daniel then hurries home, and retrieves a bloodstained poetry book hidden underneath the floorboards, which Ken had asked back. He purchases an identical copy, and forges the handwriting written at the beginning of the book.
In an online exclusive on Coronation Street's website and YouTube channel, a deleted scene is posted with the aftermath of Ken's fall. Daniel is seen walking down the stairs holding a poetry book that is covered in Ken's blood. He immediately leaves the house through the back door.
Denise Osbourne's return
Ken and Daniel discuss Adam being arrested while Daniel redecorates his old flat, with Daniel becoming uncomfortable with the conversation. Ken is confused when Daniel asks him to tell the police that he simply lost his balance and fell down the stairs, and when the conversation moves to Denise, Daniel becomes furious. Daniel is later shown to be self-harming with a small knife. Ken goes for a walk, and finds Denise's belongings buried in the garden, making him believe that Daniel has murdered Denise. He returns indoors, where Daniel coldly reveals that he was the culprit who attacked him, and holds Ken hostage in the flat. Ken tries to find out what happened to Denise, but Daniel sticks to his story that she walked out on him six years previously. Daniel reveals that he blames Ken for Denise's disappearance, and for Sinead's abortion, and that these were his motives for attacking him. Just as Ken and Daniel's confrontation turns physical, Denise returns, shocking both Daniel and Ken. Daniel then locks himself in the bathroom with a knife, with Ken and Denise desperately trying to talk him out. Daniel self-harms again with boiling hot bathwater, while Ken berates Denise for walking out on Daniel at such a young age. Back in Weatherfield, Sinead's ex-boyfriend, Chesney Brown (Sam Aston), reveals that there is something suspicious about Daniel, so he and Sinead investigate the flat. Sinead spills a cup of tea on the floor, where she finds the poetry book hidden underneath the floorboards. She convinces Chesney not to tell the police, however she decides to ring them herself. DS MacKinnon then arrives at Daniel's old flat, where Daniel confesses to the attack and is arrested and charged, much to Ken and Denise's horror.
Ken then informs DS MacKinnon that he remembers tripping and falling down the stairs, however Daniel, after being medically examined as he was believed to be psychologically ill, gives a full detailed confession about the attack and his motives behind it. DS MacKinnon, not knowing whom to believe, releases Daniel and believes Ken's version of events, before Denise tells DS MacKinnon that she knows that her walking out on Daniel has caused his problems. DS MacKinnon then informs her colleague that they will release Adam the following week, before stating that this is better than being made a fool of in court. Ken, Daniel and Denise return to Weatherfield, where Daniel is stunned to find Sinead has moved back in with Chesney, who reveals that he knows that he attacked Ken.
The storyline comes to an end on 9 June 2017, with Denise returning to Canada and Daniel being disowned by his family even though Ken begged for Peter, Tracy and Adam to forgive him for his wrongdoings.
References
- "Who pushed Ken Barlow mystery for Coronation Street fans". The Belfast Telegraph. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- Brown, David (24 March 2017). "Coronation Street's Sinead has a secret abortion". Radio Times. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- "Coronation Street: Ken sends Adam back to Canada". Radio Times. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- Lindsay, Duncan (10 May 2017). "Coronation Street spoilers: The new owner of the Rovers revealed?". Metro. Retrieved 28 June 2017.