Harry (1989/91 character)

Harry was the foreman at the building site of Maurice Jones's new Coronation Street development in 1989.

The builders got to work on 20th September, when Baldwin's Casuals and the Community Centre were bulldozed. The demolition having gone like clockwork, the Welshman was optimistic about the job, and joked with the locals, including Vera Duckworth, that they were thinking about starting on the terraced side of the street but may grant a reprieve if the beer in the Rovers Return was good.

A few days later, Vera and a contingent of girls from the factory descended onto the building site demanding to see Maurice Jones, as they'd found out from the Department of Employment that Jones was the man responsible for their redundancy payments. Harry managed to fob them off, but Vera was none to impressed with his comment that they might get run over by a ten tonne truck if they didn't clear off, which Vera called intimidation.

As the girls waged war with Jones, Harry did his best to ensure the work carried on but the girls brought the project to a halt by sitting in front of a cement lorry, preventing it from entering the site. When Harry called the lorry forwards regardless, the driver refused and drove the vehicle to the depot instead. A few days later, Jones backed down and agreed to pay the girls compensation.

When Alan Bradley was released from Risley, he saw Jones about working on the site, and Harry agreed to take him on as a general labourer. Alan was forthcoming about the fact that he'd been in prison but Harry said that he didn't care, as long as he didn't skive. New to the job, Alan made a lot of rookie mistakes and had to be put straight by Harry a few times. Harry was willing to overlook this, but his patience wore thin when Alan was taken in for police questioning over the robbery at the Kabin and kept in a cell overnight, leaving Harry with no idea when to expect him back at work. This was a recurring problem with Alan, who was taken off the site by the police twice to be questioned about Rita Fairclough's disappearance. Alan was innocent of foul play, but Harry had had enough and sacked him.


 * The character was credited as "Building Site Foreman" but was named several times in dialogue.