Michael Ryan

Michael Ryan was Tommy Deakin's nephew, son of Tommy's sister Kathleen. Michael lived with Tommy and his wife, and was a part of the family scrap business, but despite his similar sporting a similarly scruffy appearance, Michael was very different from his ne'er-do-well uncle. Straight-talking, shy and sensitive, Michael was devoted to his fiancée, Mary, and refused to flirt with other women.

In May 1974, Michael, Tommy and their donkey Dolores were driven out of the Deakin household while Tommy's wife re-decorated. Michael advertised for lodgings, describing himself and Tommy as "commercial travellers". Their advert caught the attention of Stan Ogden, who was planning to take advantage of Hilda's temporary absence by renting out No.13's spare room. Through agents Lucille Hewitt and Deirdre Hunt, Stan took two weeks' rent from the men, before discovering that one of them was Tommy, who had once frequented the area and had a less-than-stellar reputation.

Upon their arrival in Coronation Street, Tommy did all of the talking, with Michael only speaking to reply "yes" whenever Tommy asked him a question. He first showed a glimpse of a deeper personality when he removed Deirdre's glasses and showed her a photograph of Mary, telling her that she wasn't unlike her (although Deirdre couldn't tell if he was right, as she didn't have her glasses on).

Once Michael had settled into the Street - or rather, once he'd cleaned off the muck - Deirdre and Lucille saw the handsome man who lay beneath and fell for him. Michael stymied their attempts to flirt, staying true to Mary.

A week into their stay, Tommy, Michael and Stan went to the races in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, with Tommy paying £100 for the privilege. The trip was Tommy's idea; Michael wasn't interested in horses or racing and would have preferred to see Ireland from the coast or see the boat sailing. The escapade ended with the Rolls being pulled over and Stan (who had taken over the wheel after the chauffeur Sandy Pirie joined in the drinking) breathalysed. Charged with speeding, DUI and driving with an out-of-date licence, Stan blamed his lodgers for leading him astray and told them to leave. As they'd paid upfront, Tommy got compensation from Stan and they left Dolores there. Michael paid a brief return to the Street three weeks later to collect Dolores, by which time Hilda had returned from her working cruise holiday. Having been in the dark until then, Hilda finally discovered what her husband had been up to while she was away...

1972

 * Mon 20th May
 * Wed 22nd May
 * Mon 27th May
 * Wed 29th May
 * Wed 19th Jun