Andrew Richard "Andy" McDonald is the twin brother of Steve and son of Jim and Liz.
Andy moved to Coronation Street with his family as a fifteen-year-old in 1989. Brainy and conscientious, he nevertheless got into his share of scrapes as a teenager, often acts of rebellion against pressure to be the achiever of the family. In 1993, he dropped out of Sheffield University to marry his girlfriend Amy Nelson, but had his heart broken when she returned to her boyfriend in Trinidad.
Andy worked his way up to assistant manager at Bettabuy supermarket before going back to university in 1994. While studying, he worked part-time as a barman at the Rovers. His other girlfriends included Paula Maxwell and Anne Malone, the latter of whom he lived with for a while until he was driven away by her obsessive tendencies. In 1997, he nearly dropped out of university again due to the trauma of being caught up in Gerry Turner's armed siege at 11 Coronation Street, but went on to graduate with a 2:2 in Combined Studies.
Often embarrassed by the behaviour of the rest of his family, in 1997 he had enough of them and left for a new life in Barcelona, where he became an English teacher. He has made occasional returns to the Street, most recently for Steve's wedding to Becky Granger in 2009.
Biography
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Personality
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Relationships
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Hobbies and interests
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Background information
Andy McDonald, played by Nicholas Cochrane, was introduced as part of the McDonald family in 1989; father Jim, mother Liz and twin brother Steve (played by Simon Gregson, in reality a schoolmate of Cochrane's from the year below). Andy made his first appearance alongside Steve in Episode 3001, broadcast on 6th December.
In 1993, writers intended to marry Andy to his Trinidadian girlfriend Amy Nelson in what would have been Coronation Street's first mixed-race wedding. However, Amy's actress Louise Duprey found the pressures of fame too demanding and suffered a nervous breakdown soon after the recording of Episode 3601 (1st October 1993). After it became clear that she would not return, the storyline was rewritten to have Amy fly out to Trinidad and reconcile with the father of her son, never to return.
Andy was axed in 1997 by then-producer Brian Park as part of his infamous cast cull, designed to shake up the Street. Nicholas Cochrane continued to make infrequent guest appearances for family occasions; namely Jim and Liz's second wedding in November 2000, Steve and Karen McDonald's wedding in February 2004 and, finally, Steve's next marriage to Becky Granger in August 2009. His final on-screen appearance was in Episode 7145, broadcast on the 20th.
First and last lines
"Yeah, but the front bedroom's miles bigger." (First line, to mother Liz)
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"Ah well, try and make this one last, eh Steve? I can't afford all the presents, mate. See you later, pal." (Final line)
Appendices
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List of addresses
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| 11 Coronation Street | 6th December 1989 to 1st November 1993 |
| 12a Rosamund Street | 1st November to late November 1993 |
| 7 Coronation Street | November 1993 to September 1994 |
| 11 Coronation Street | September 1994 to May 1995 |
| 6 Coronation Street | May 1995 to May 1996 |
| 11 Coronation Street | May to September 1996 |
| 16 Orchard Close | September 1996 to January 1997 |
| 11 Coronation Street | January 1997 to 12th November 1997 |
| Barcelona | November 1997 to present |
Employment history
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