Raymond Anthony "Ray" Langton was a building partner of Len Fairclough and Jerry Booth. He was Deirdre Barlow's first husband and biological father of Tracy.
An ex-borstal boy, Ray was a well-known troublemaker. He first showed up in the Street in 1966 but was forced out by Len after he threatened Lucille Hewitt. Two years later, he returned and Len gave him a job at his building firm. Preferring to be his own boss, Ray set up a rival firm in 1969 but was squeezed out of the business by his partner Dave Smith following a spinal injury. Having proved himself, Ray was invited back by Len, now as a partner, and they formed Fairclough and Langton.
Ray was also a womaniser and his many conquests included Sandra Butler, Audrey Fleming, Vicky Bright and Sue Silcock. In 1975 he married the yard's secretary Deirdre Hunt, and their daughter Tracy was born in 1977. In 1978, following a dalliance with waitress Janice Stubbs, Ray planned a fresh start for the family in Holland, but Deirdre declared that their marriage was over and stayed behind with Tracy.
Ray was absent for most of Tracy's life. He married in Holland and he and his wife had a son, who was stillborn. In 2005, Ray found out that he had stomach cancer and returned to Weatherfield to make amends with Tracy before his death. After getting to know Tracy and his granddaughter Amy, Ray passed away at Deirdre and Ken Barlow's wedding reception at the Rovers Return.
Biography
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Ray Langton was born at 2 Gas Street. His mother, Mary, died when he and his sister Janice were young, and their father died shortly afterwards. After their parents' deaths, Ray was in trouble with the police most of the time.
After briefly staying around in the street in 1966, he left but returned two years later and got into the building trade with Len Fairclough. He began a relationship with Deirdre Hunt and they later got married in 1975. Together they had a daughter in 1977 who was named Tracy.
In 1978, Ray began an affair with waitress Janice Stubbs but ended it when Deirdre found out. He then made plans to move to Holland for a new life and wanted Deirdre and Tracy to come with him, but at the last minute, Deirdre decided she didn't want to go with him. Ray then left the street on his own for a new life, leaving Deirdre behind to raise Tracy. Ray kept in contact and sent Tracy presents, but this died down as the years went by. He also initiated divorce proceedings with Deirdre as he had met another woman in Holland and she fell pregnant with his child.
The return of Ray
Ray divorced from his second wife sometime around 2000. When he discovered he had stomach cancer in 2005, he returned to Weatherfield to track Tracy down in order to make amends. Ray arrived on the day of Ken and Deirdre's second wedding and hit baby Amy Barlow's pram. He met up with Deirdre, Blanche and Ken, at the hospital and realised that Amy was his granddaughter and that the mother was his daughter Tracy, who he hadn't seen since she was an infant. Ray revealed to everyone that he had terminal stomach cancer and that he'd been divorced for five years. He lodged at No.3 with Emily Bishop who took him in to help him out. Tracy eventually softened towards her dad. Ray was in attendance at Ken and Deirdre's wedding and wished the couple well, however during the reception in the Rovers, Ray succumbed to his illness and passed away, much to Tracy's distress.
Personality
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Relationships
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Hobbies and interests
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Background information
Ray's departure in 1978 came as Neville Buswell quit acting and eventually went to work in Las Vegas. He returned for a brief stint in 2005, twenty-seven years since his departure.
Ray was also intended to be one of the stars of a proposed comedy spin-off from Coronation Street entitled Rest Assured. A pilot for the programme was recorded in 1972 but to date has not been transmitted.
Ray as he appeared in Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas!
He appeared in Viva Las Vegas!, a VHS spin-off released in 1997. This was a brief cameo appearance. In this video, he claimed he was married to a man and was hiding from his evil twin, however his tone and past character suggests that these were typical tall stories, given out in a tone of incredulity at meeting the Duckworths in the unexpected setting of a swish Las Vegas hotel (where Ray was working as a waiter). None of these supposed events were ever mentioned in the programme itself and upon his return in 2005 Ray implied that he had been living in Holland during this period, contradicting these events.
The name of Ray's second wife has never been disclosed. In March 2005, Ray confirmed that Tracy was his only surviving child as his son with his second wife had been stillborn.
Although Ray's death aired on the 10th April 2005, the character's date of death is the 8th April due to both episodes being set on the latter date.
First and last lines
"Hiya, Jerry." (First line)
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"Aye, me too." (Final line, to Deirdre Barlow)
Appendices
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List of addresses
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| 11 Coronation Street | 15th July to 24th July 1968 |
| 9 Coronation Street | 5th August 1968 to 2nd July 1969 |
| 3 Coronation Street | 7th July to 20th August 1969 |
| 5 Coronation Street | 8th September to October 1969 |
| 3 Coronation Street | 24th November 1969 to April 1970 |
| 9 Coronation Street | April 1970 to July 1975 |
| 20 Victoria Street | July 1975 to March 1977 |
| 5 Coronation Street | March 1977 to 15th November 1978 |
| Holland | November 1978 to 2005 |
| 3 Coronation Street | 7th to 28th March 2005 |
| 1 Coronation Street | 28th March to 10th April 2005 |
See also
External links
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