Marcus Rothwell

Marcus Rothwell was a polite and knowledgeable young boy who participated in Ken Barlow's modern retelling of the Gunpowder Plot at the Community Centre in 1975. The show - the first one organised by Ken in his role of Community Development Officer - was a total failure due to it being held on Guy Fawkes Night at the same time most of the local children were watching the bonfires at the Red Rec.

Ken and his deputy Emily Bishop were ready to call it a day when Marcus, the only child who'd turned up, pointed out that there were enough of them to mount the play. Demonstrating a good knowledge of the source material, Marcus dashed Emily's hopes of playing Fawkes's wife, informing her that Fawkes was unmarried and so she'd have to play a man.