John Arnley was Toyah Battersby's lecherous tutor at Granston Technical College when she was studying an arts course and the cause of her eventual departure from Weatherfield. She started a hesitant relationship with John in early December 2002 although she was shy and reticent in giving any details about him to her flat-mates Fiz Brown and Maria Sutherland. After a week or so she invited him to join her for a Sunday lunchtime drink in the Rovers where Fiz and Maria met him for the first time and were surprised that, at thirty-five years of age, he was considerably older than Toyah. A week or so later, on Christmas Day, John turned up briefly to tell Toyah that they had a chance of a week away in a friend's farmhouse in Bordeaux.
This break away went well and they came back at New Year, supposedly closer than ever, but there were dark clouds looming as it became obvious that there was an underlying attraction between Maria and John. Knowing that Toyah and Fiz were out, John called on Maria alone at the flat and they began their own secret passionate fling. Almost immediately afterwards, Maria was disgusted with herself and became panic-stricken when Fiz caught them out. She insisted that Maria tell Toyah what had happened and reveal to her the true nature of her boyfriend but a scared Maria was more than reluctant to comply. John himself remained cool about the situation, telling Fiz to her face that she wouldn't reveal all to Toyah as she wouldn't warn to be the one to hurt her friend. He then tried it on with Maria again but this time was firmly rebuffed.
Things went badly wrong though a few weeks later when Maria discovered that she was pregnant. Without telling Toyah who the father was, she confessed her condition. When John was told the news, he told Maria that he'd heard she'd slept about a bit (which earned him a slapped face) and also offered to pay for a termination. Toyah, still blissfully ignorant of her tutor's true nature, accompanied Maria when she went for her abortion and couldn't understand why Fiz wasn't being as supportive. John confessed to Toyah that, for reasons he couldn't understand, he felt her flatmates didn't like him and suggested that they move in together. After a few days thought, she accepted this offer, appalling Fiz and Maria. Toyah lost her temper with Fiz, berating her soundly for her lack of support for Maria and her continuous rudeness to John, provoking the upset girl into revealing the truth about her boyfriend. Toyah stormed round to the Rovers to confront Maria at work where she gave the impression that John had forced himself on her. With her own history of being a rape victim, Toyah then interrupted one of John's tutor groups with the accusation and attacked him. He calmed her down but the incident showed Toyah that her own rape attack at the hands of Phil Simmonds would always hang over her. She finished with John, telling him that she pitied the next student who ended up with him. Her old lover, Spider Nugent, had returned for a short while to Weatherfield to stay with his aunt Emily Bishop and he invited Toyah to join him for a fresh start in London. She accepted and left the street for good.
List of appearances[]
2002
2003