Tony Watkins

Tony Watkins was a photographer for the Weatherfield Gazette. He called at the Rovers Return Inn with reporter Sandy Lester for the details on the story of the binmen's boycott of the pub in November 1980. That had been caused when Annie Walker complained about Eddie Yeats and Johnny Webb talking about the contents of her bins and demanded they be replaced. In turn, all the Weatherfield's binmen refused to collect her rubbish and after several weeks the bags began to pile up in the yard creating a stench down the street.

Annie fled to her daughter's in Derby and, tired of the complaints, Bet Lynch gave the Gazette an anonymous tip-off. Tony, flattered by Bet, saw the opportunity for a few glamourous photographs, though he took umbrage with the fledging reporter for describing him as "my photographer". They further bickered in the backyard when Tony was keener for shots of Bet than for getting the rubbish into the shots.

In August 1982 Tony and reporter Frank called at the Corner Shop to see Alf Roberts when a complaint was made about him by the manager of the Luxy Cinema when Alf in his capacity of a councillor banned an X-rated film. Tony thought he recognised Bet and after two mistaken tries of seeing her at the Deathly Dungeon Disco on a Friday night and the Weatherfield Cricket Club correctly remembered her from the previous occasion. This time the paper managed to elicit the fact that Alf had taken Bet in after her flat had been demolished and she lived there rent-free. Tony took several shots of Bet showing a lot of leg and the published story didn't put Bet in the best light.


 * The character was credited as "Photographer" in his second appearance but dialogue confirmed that he was one and the same as the 1980 character.