Coronation Street Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Michael Marlon Rodwell was Gail Rodwell's fifth husband, who met her while burgling No.8 in 2014.

Michael was a divorced father-of-one who lost his business and home during the recession. Sentenced to twelve months at Highfield Prison for robbing the Platts', Michael befriended Gail through a Restorative Justice Scheme, and they began a romantic relationship upon his release with Gail helping Michael get back on his feet. They were married in 2015.

Michael decided to contact his son Gavin, who he hadn't seen since he was three years old. He'd built a close relationship with Gavin before he discovered that "Gavin" was actually his son's former flatmate Andy Carver, who took his identity to scam Michael. Despite his initial intent, a remorseful Andy hadn't gone through with the scam and they remained close thereafter. However, Michael left Gail when it emerged that she'd known the truth and been in contact with the real Gavin - now deceased - and not told him.

After Gail, Michael had a short romance with Eileen Grimshaw, but his jealousy caused her to leave him for Pat Phelan. Michael and Phelan developed a feud, with Michael attempting to expose Phelan's Calcutta Street property scam. It was while arguing with Phelan at the building site that Michael suffered a heart attack and was left to die.

Biography

Episode 8349

2014: Michael bumps into Gail when attempting to steal from No.8

Michael broke into 8 Coronation Street in March 2014. He was startled when Gail McIntyre caught him, and tried to claim he was looking for a gas leak. Realising that Gail had seen through him, he made a quick getaway and was chased by Gail's daughter-in-law Kylie Platt but he managed to escape in his van. He was later arrested and Gail picked out a mugshot to PC Stanlow. Michael appeared in court the following month and was sentenced to twelve months in prison.

Gail was hit hard by the incident to the point that she found it difficult being in her own home. In June, she decided to meet Michael in prison and put her mind at rest. The pair had a face-to-face meeting, with Gail speaking candidly about how she had been affected. Full of guilt, Michael apologised for his actions. He also revealed that he had a son, and had a business; but had lost everything due to the recession and was made homeless. At the end of the meeting the pair shook hands, both feeling an amount of comfort. Michael was released from prison two weeks later, and was given a job at Weatherfield Garden Centre.

Kylie and David were fed up with Michael's pleas, so they visited him at his work. Max Turner accidentally locked himself in a shed, so Kylie broke the door down and framed Michael, who lost his job over the incident. Feeling sorry for him, Gail got him a job on the switch at Street Cars, but when David and his older brother Nick Tilsley called round to Michael's bedsit to warn him off, he didn't turn up for work. Concerned, Gail visited Michael and was shocked to learn what Nick and David had done to him and assured him she would deal with the "bully boys" and that Michael should explain himself to Steve, the owner of Street Cars. Michael got his job back, Gail sorted out her family and started growing closer to Michael, eventually forming a romantic relationship. The likes of David and Kylie began to accept Michael.

In September, Michael decided to try and trace his long lost family. Tracking down his cousin Bob in Swinton through social media, Michael was devastated to learn that his father Keith had died twenty years previously. Michael met up with his aunt Barbara Deakin and learned that his father had always loved him. Michael was unnerved though to learn his father had died from a heart condition at the same age as himself, and the condition was genetic.

Michael "reunited" with his "son" Gavin at Just Nick's in November. Although the first meeting hadn't gone well, "Gavin" showed that he was keen to give his dad a chance. Michael and others around him however, were unaware that he was actually an impostor named Andy Carver posing as the real Gavin Rodwell, who was actually Gavin's flatmate.

In January 2015, Michael proposed to Gail, however she was taken aback by the proposal and Michael was scared that he had rushed into things and that she would leave him. However that evening at the Bistro, Gail turned the tables and proposed to Michael. The celebrations were cut short when Michael collapsed and was rushed to Weatherfield General. He later discovered he would require open heart surgery and underwent a successful operation the following month. After being discharged from hospital, Michael was eager to marry Gail as soon as possible so they booked their wedding for March at Weatherfield Register Office.

Michael was stood up by Gail on their wedding day, unaware that she had been confronted by the real Gavin who'd returned to the UK from Thailand and blackmailed her, Andy and his girlfriend Steph Britton over Andy's deceit. Gail was unable to tell Michael the truth fearing the stress would affect his heart and kill him, and Michael was devastated and angry at her for being unable to open up to him. Unbeknown to Michael, the real Gavin died in a car crash soon afterwards and Gail and Andy went to great lengths to keep it a secret from him, with Gail even telling his Aunt Barbara and ex-wife Susan Meldrum that Michael was still in hospital and not up to receiving visitors.

Michael and Gail decided to go through with a second attempt at their marriage in April. Although both arrived at the altar, the guilt of lying to Michael caused Gail to tell him she couldn't marry him. Michael got upset and left, but Gail fetched him back and the pair finally tied the knot.

Michael finds out the truth

2015: Michael discovers the truth about Gavin

In June, Susan sent Michael a photo album so that he could look back over their son's pictures as he was growing up. Despite Gail and Andy's attempts to seize the album it fell into Michael's hands and as Michael scanned through the photographs he got to the pictures of when he was aged about 12 or 13, and noticed that the real Gavin looked different to the impostor in the room. After Andy confessed that he wasn't Michael's son, Michael started to drink heavily despite his condition. Distraught and angry over his wife's deceit, Michael left Gail.

Michael moved in with Eileen Grimshaw at No.11 and she offered support and a shoulder to cry on. However they began to develop feelings and the pair of them started to make out on her sofa, but Michael suffered complications with his heart and was rushed to hospital. After he made a full recovery he confessed his love for Eileen, which resulted in a fight breaking out between Eileen and Gail out on the street. Michael continued to live on at No.11 as Eileen's new partner, although Gail had hopes of a reconciliation.

Near the beginning of 2016, Michael began a feud with builder Pat Phelan who Eileen's son Jason employed at Jason's Construction. Michael had suspicions that Phelan was wanting to take Eileen away from him, and Phelan wasted no time stirring up tension. When Michael went to confront Phelan at the builder's yard, he suffered yet more heart complications and fell down the stairs. He survived, however was required to use crutches. Trying to get in on what Phelan was up to, he hid in Phelan's van, however he was spotted and ordered by an angered and humiliated Eileen to get out. Having had enough of Michael's "jealousy", she broke up with him. Phelan wasted no time making his move on Eileen, and the pair ended up together.

Michael planned to get back with Gail, but when she pretended she wasn't interested - due to advice from Mary Taylor to play "hard to get" - a disappointed Michael bought a new ice-cream van, and after saying goodbye to Andy and Steph left for Brighton in March.

A few months later in July, Michael made an unexpected return when he visited the Rovers during a confrontation between Andy, Steph and Phelan over Phelan deciding to raise the cost of Andy and Steph's rent, as Phelan had taken over management of the builder's yard due to Jason leaving for Thailand the previous month. Detecting that Phelan was simply doing it out of maliciousness rather than thought for Jason, Michael offered to move back in with Andy and Steph to help them pay the rent.

Michael and Gail began to work at their marriage, and the pair of them eventually reconciled, however Gail was concerned that Michael still held a torch for Eileen due to his continued suspicions over Phelan, especially as Phelan was taking part in a deal involving the development of luxury apartments at Calcutta Street, which Michael suspected was a scam. He began to work with an injured Anna Windass to expose him for his fraud. Anna felt there wasn't enough evidence to use against Phelan so Michael decided to break into the office at the building site where the flats were supposed to be built, while Anna unsuccessfully tried to distract Phelan at her flat. Michael found a fake passport belonging to Phelan using an alias, but his success was cut short when Phelan unexpectedly arrived branding a crowbar.

As Michael got closer to the truth, Phelan hinted that he was intending to murder Michael. Michael attempted to make a run for it, but suffered a heart attack and collapsed. Despite him begging Phelan to get help, Phelan used the situation to his advantage and planned to leave Michael to die, and even told him a story of when Phelan himself had shot a hare with an air rifle when he was a boy, and couldn't bring himself to put the animal out of its misery, and left it to die in pain. He then said that he wouldn't feel the same guilt for Michael, and subsequently returned to the office to clean up.

Michael dies

2016: Michael succumbs to his heart attack, as Pat Phelan watches on

Shortly after, Gary Windass arrived on the scene, having been sent by Anna to find out what had happened to Michael. Michael attempted to call from help, but was unable to due to being in a state of pain and weakness. Gary left after Phelan denied knowing what happened to Michael. With no hope for help, Michael ended up succumbing to his heart attack, and Phelan later investigated the body to assure Michael was dead, before subsequently leaving the scene.

Personality

Duckworths 1983
"If you've owt to say, spit it out before it flamin' well chokes yer"
This article or section is unfinished.
Please edit this article to fill in the missing parts and remove this message when done.

Relationships

Duckworths 1983
"If you've owt to say, spit it out before it flamin' well chokes yer"
This article or section is unfinished.
Please edit this article to fill in the missing parts and remove this message when done.

Background information

Les Dennis and Michael Rodwell

Promo photo of Les Dennis as Michael Rodwell

Michael Rodwell, played by Les Dennis, originally made a two-episode appearance in March 2014 in which he was credited as "Intruder". Upon his return in June that year, he was credited with his full name, which was originally going to be "Michael Rogers" before a last-minute change after the press release went out. The character became a permanent fixture from then on, becoming a new love interest for Gail McIntyre (Helen Worth), and Les Dennis signed a new six-month contract in April 2015.[1]

Michael departed temporarily in March 2016 as Les Dennis took a break in order to appear in the Alan Bleasdale play Down the Dock Road.[2] He returned on-screen in July that year.

The same month Michael returned after his hiatus it was revealed that Les Dennis was again leaving later in the year, for good, and that it would be a "dramatic exit". Although Dennis had hoped the door would be left open for a return, the character was killed off later that year in November as part of a storyline involving Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre), a character whom Michael had been having a feud with for the past year.

First and last lines

"Erm... afternoon." (First line, to Gail McIntyre)

---

"Gary... Gary." (Final line)

Appendices

Duckworths 1983
"If you've owt to say, spit it out before it flamin' well chokes yer"
This article or section is unfinished.
Please edit this article to fill in the missing parts and remove this message when done.

See also

References

Advertisement