Coronation Street Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Sebastian "Seb" Franklin is the late son of Abi Franklin.

Seb arrived in Coronation Street as Faye Windass's tearaway boyfriend in 2016. Much to the chagrin of Faye's adoptive mother Anna, their relationship survived Seb going to a young offenders facility for assaulting Jackson Hodge, the father of Faye's daughter Miley. When he was released, he started working for Pat Phelan, becoming an unwitting pawn in the serial killer's crimes which included framing Anna for knocking Seb off his ladder. Although he ultimately tried to help clear Anna's name, Seb's initial doubts over her innocence caused Faye to finish with him.

When he began dating Faye, Seb hid a troubled home life, including the physical abuse he suffered at the hands of Abi's partner Darren and the neglect his younger siblings Charlie and Lexi endured due to Abi's drug habit. When the twins were taken into care, Seb did everything he could to get them back, including applying for custody himself. Abi, clean and trying to better herself, allowed the twins to be adopted instead, causing a rift between her and Seb.

Across his years in the street, Seb discovered he was HIV positive, saved Alina Pop from a human trafficking ring, and found new happiness with goth girlfriend Nina Lucas. In 2021, the couple were the victims of an unprovoked attack by a gang led by Corey Brent. Seb died from his injuries the next day.

Biography

2001-2016: Birth and upbringing

Seb was born to Abi Franklin and Tez Wyatt on 6th March 2001. His young parents separated when he was a baby, and Seb was brought up by Abi alone, descending into a miasma of drink and drugs as she did so. Ten years later, Abi became pregnant by a man called Darren and gave birth to twins Charlie and Lexi Franklin. Seb became a guardian and protector to his younger siblings, keeping the family together through Abi's substance issues and shielding them from Darren's abuse.

At some point, Abi became aware that Seb may have contracted HIV from his ex-girlfriend Lacey who was killed in an accident, but chose not to tell him.

2016-2017: Relationship with Faye Windass

Seb Faye

2016: Seb begins dating Faye Windass

In 2016, when Seb was fifteen years old, he began dating Faye Windass. On one night in October, Faye invited him round to 28 Grayling Street as she was babysitting Jake Windass. The couple were kissing when Faye's mother Anna caught them together and ripped into Faye, fearful of having to go through another teenage pregnancy; at thirteen, Faye had given birth to Miley Windass, who was presently being raised by her father Jackson and his parents in Canada.

Seb and Faye continued their relationship, but Anna was constantly on their backs. Her mistrust of Seb was further fuelled when he was excluded from school and began working for builder Pat Phelan, who had previously raped Anna. His labour came free of charge, as Phelan caught Seb stealing a drill from 11 Coronation Street's yard and got him to help refurbish No.1's kitchen as a punishment.

In March, Seb and Faye went to get tattoos done but Seb chickened out at the last moment leaving Faye to face Anna with her andornment. Faye’s tattoo becomes infected, and at the hospital she bumped into Jackson Hodge, who was over his family as his father needed a hip replacement. Seb couldn't help but be jealous of Jackson, and thumped him as a warning to stay away from Faye. Charged with assault, he was sentenced to four months at Larchfield Young Offenders Institute. Anna then banned Faye from seeing Seb, but Phelan took her in secret to visit him, taking the opportunity to sow division between Faye and Anna.

Upon his release, Seb was secured an apprenticeship with Phelan by his case worker Nicola Rubinstein. Anna was furious to see him and Faye hugging upon his return, fetched from the centre by Phelan. When they found a condom packet in the bin, Faye's father Tim Metcalfe threatened to report Seb to the police for sleeping with an underage girl unless he kept away from her. The two youngsters decided to keep their romance a secret.

In September, Seb sported a bruised face after a vicious attack at Darren's hands and claimed he’d been in a fight. Faye lured Seb onto a train to Chester with the intention of fleeing with him to Dublin, thinking they'd both be better off away from their families, but Seb stole a car to get back, not willing to let Abi, Charlie and Lexi take Darren's punches. The latest attack led Abi to finally put her foot down and kick Darren out, but she still could not be relied upon to support her children. Taking an interest in Seb's family, Anna saw his impoverished home environment and offered her assistance, but Abi thought she was being a busybody and sent her packing. Anna pushed Seb to ask Phelan for a pay rise to help with his bills but he was sacked when the builder found out from the lad who put him up to the request. Anna made reparations with Seb by getting Tim to employ him on his window cleaning round.

2017-2018: Entanglement with Pat Phelan and HIV diagnosis

Episode9282

2017: Seb protests when Charlie and Lexi are taken into care

Seb's troubling home life did not improve, and in October Abi overdosed on heroin after a visit from social services. The twins were taken into care and Seb blamed Anna for reporting them, although she swore that she didn’t. When Seb fell off a ladder cleaning a window at Barlow Legal Services, Phelan set Anna up for deliberately pushing the ladder by planting one of her earrings in the solictor's office. His machinations fooled investigators and Anna was charged with GBH, with Seb also believing in her guilt. Meanwhile, doctors revealed Seb's white blood cell count was low, and Abi disclosed the fact that her son may be HIV positive. Both he and Faye were tested, with Seb's tests coming back positive and Faye's negative.

After his diagnosis, Seb found it hard to cope and refused to have sex with Faye. Sally and Tim took him in at No.4, with Sally confessing with regret that she was the one who reported his family to social services. Meanwhile, Phelan took Seb back on at the builder's yard, allowing himself to drip further poison into Seb’s ear about the accident, saying he saw Anna entering the office just before the fall, and also convincing Faye that Anna was guilty. When Eileen Grimshaw invited Seb to move into No.11 with her and Pat, Faye went with him. To stop ehr, Anna finally told Faye about the rape, and terrified Faye moved back to No.4, finishing with Seb when he refused to come with her.

In January 2018, Phelan as good as admitted to Seb that he murdered Luke Britton, and revealed that Seb's fingerprints were on the handgun he used. The terrified lad realised that Anna was right about Phelan all along and fled the area after telling Eileen everything, including his suspicions that Phelan framed Anna, though Eileen wasn't convinced. On the eve of Anna's trial, Tim and Gary Windass forced Seb into a cab, desperate to get the lad to testify on her behalf. Seb gave truthful evidence at the trial, adding to Eileen’s growing doubts about her husband. However, Seb's testimony was discredited when Eileen handed over Street Cars' CCTV footage of him being grabbed outside the cab office, and Anna ended up being found guilty.

After the trial, Seb feared becoming Phelan's next target and went into hiding with Nicola at 5 Viola Court, with the pair plotting to bring Phelan down. Fortunately for Seb, Phelan's attention was mainly focused elsewhere, with the bodies of his other victims Harvey McArdle and Andy Carver being unearthed at the Legacy Reach Paper Mill in March 2018. Seb had inadvertently led Tim and Gary to the burial site by suggesting that Phelan had hid the gun that killed Luke inside a set of concrete pillars at the mill, having noticed that they were of particular concern to the builder. When Phelan confessed to Eileen that he had murdered the three men, in addition to leaving Michael Rodwell for dead and setting Anna up, they had an argument which ended with Phelan falling into Whitehaven harbour. Anna was acquitted of pushing Seb off the ladder, and stabbed Phelan to death to protect Michelle Connor in a final confrontation with the killer.

2018-2020: Emma and Alina

With Pat gone, Seb could come out of hiding and get on with his life. Gary Windass took him on at the yard, and he moved back into No.11, house-sitting for Eileen when she moved to Bristol with Nicola. As soon as they were gone, Abi dumped herself on her son, and he let her stay in order to aid her efforts to get Charlie and Lexi returned to her by social services. When Eileen returned in July, Seb convinced her to let Abi stay on at No.11. During this period, Seb had a brief relationship with Emma Brooker, a local hairdresser at Audrey's salon. They never slept together, as Seb couldn't bring himself to tell Emma about his HIV, but Emma assumed it was because he still had feelings for Faye and finished with him.

In October, Abi suffered a setback in her mission to get the twins back when she was arrested for stealing Webster's Autocentre's CCTV laptop, removing evidence of Ronan Truman's car being tampered with. When Seb learned that Abi had been framed by Tracy McDonald, he trashed Tracy's shop Preston's Petals in revenge, but Abi took the rap to protect her son and was given a 16-week custodial sentence.

In desperation, Seb applied to adopt Charlie and Lexi himself. Abi opposed the application, feeling that the twins would have better lives with their new adoptive parents, but Seb carried on without her support. In January 2019 a cash-strapped Gary cut Seb's hours at the yard, and when Gary lost work after an important customer, Mr Crossley, heard Seb rowing Eileen and Abi at the yard, he fired Seb who subsequently lost the custody hearing due to him being unable to provide for his siblings. Abi and Seb had a last emotional meeting with the twins before they were taken away. In a rage at the development, Seb took his temper out on everyone around him, revealing to Gary that his partner Sarah Platt had been with Adam Barlow at his flat.

Steve McDonald agrees to Seb valeting cabs at Street Cars, but when he arrived for work he found that his mother has already been given the job by Tim. Sarah was grateful when Seb helped her trace a missing Max Turner, and interceded with Gary to give him his job back. She also helped Eileen plan a surprise 18th birthday party for him. Seb mistook her friendliness and tried it on with her, causing a livid Gary to announce what he'd done at the party to ruin his friendship with Faye. After making his life at work difficult, Gary sacked Seb, and Jan Lozinski was taken on in his place.

Episode9834

2019: Seb investigates the people trafficking ring at Nail Sparkle

In April 2019, Seb started up his own repair business and while doing a job at Rachel Healy's salon Nail Sparkle he took a fancy to Romanian stylist Alina Pop. Seb took Alina to a St George’s Day party at the Rovers and then out for a meal, but she appeared scared when she saw Jan and Eileen at a nearby table. Alina was circumspect about where she was living, telling Seb that Rachel was her landlord as well as her employer and she didn't want to upset her. Later, a frightened Alina asked Seb to keep away from her and Rachel told him that she had quit her job. However, Sally and Abi spotted her still working at the salon and told Seb. Seb investigated and discovered that Alina was the victim of a modern slavery people-trafficking ring, run by Rachel and her husband Nikolai Frankowicz. He also suspected Jan was involved, having seen him at the salon multiple times. Seb confronted Jan who claimed he was too scared of the organisers’ threats to do anything and tried to get Eileen and Seb to let the matter rest.

Seb tried to get a note to Alina, but it was intercepted by Nikolai and Rachel who lured him to the salon, attacking him with the intention of killing him. Jan smuggled him out and left him outside the hospital. Following a tip-off from Seb, the police raided the salon, and the trafficking ring was smashed. When Jan snuck back to the street, telling Eileen he was an informant and asking her to come with him when he went into hiding under witness protection, Seb saw that Rachel was watching their movements and warned Eileen, but she paid no heed and she and Jan were ambused by at a truck shop by Rachel, who shot Jan before being arrested. Seb was heartbroken when Alina, upon regaining her freedom, returned to Romania.

In July, Seb returned to the yard, now under the ownership of Ed Bailey. By the end of the year, he and Emma were seeing each other again. The couple spent their first date at a Rovers’ quiz night. Thinking she was a fan of Iron Maiden, Seb obtained tickets to a tribute act. She was thrilled at the effort he went to, and didn't have the heart to tell him that it was actually her late father John who liked the band.

In January 2020, Alina returned to the area hoping to re-connect with Seb. Emma offered to step aside in her favour, but Seb wouldn't hear of it, moving into the salon flat with Emma to show that they were rock solid. Emma continued to wonder where Seb's heart lay, especially when he offered Alina their spare room and reacted jealously when he interrupted Alina having sex with David Platt, informing Alina that David was married with children. When David riled Seb in the Rovers to the point where he punched him, Emma had enough of being humiliated and broke it off, but the three continued to live together at the flat until Seb made other arrangements. In June, Seb and Alina admitted they had feelings for each other, but Alina didn't want to upset Emma by taking up with him again.

2020-2021: Nina Lucas, hate crime and death

In July, Seb learned that Charlie and Lexi were about to emigrate to Australia with their adoptive parents and told Abi. He was disgusted with her when she declined the offer to meet with them one last time, and guilted her into changing her mind. Abi missed seeing the twins as she injured herself when working alone in the garage, trapped beneath a collapsed engine.

Episode10417

2021: Seb tells Nina he loves her before losing consciousness, never to wake up again

Seb and Nina Lucas started to grow close in April 2021 after her split from Asha Alahan. He was intimidated by her confidence and coolness, and tried out a goth look to go to a gig with her. With Roy Cropper’s agreement, Seb started to spend nights with Nina in the cafe flat and the two grew ever more in love. With Abi getting married to Kevin Webster, things were looking up for the family and Seb had a necklace specially made for his mum as a wedding present, agreeing to give her away on the day. On the eve of the wedding, Seb and Nina were walking home along the canal when a group of drunken teenagers including Corey Brent, Kelly Neelan, Eli Higginson and Jay Dowling started making nasty jibes about Nina's goth appearance. The gang chased the pair down Oldroyd Street before pushing them to the ground and subjecting them to a brutal kicking. Both were hospitalised but while Nina made a slow recovery, Seb dies from his injuries.

Kelly was charged with and convicted of Seb's murder, despite testimony from Nina that Corey was the aggressor and Kelly had been trying to stop him; as Corey had disposed of the clothes he was wearing, the only blood evidence was on Kelly's shoes. Corey was also charged, but walked free from court four months after murdering Seb. Following his acuittal, Abi planned to shoot Corey dead, obtaining the justice for Seb that the courts had denied her, but Roy had convinced that it wasn't what Seb would have wanted. He was finally brought to justice when Stu Carpenter found the rucksack containing Corey's blood-stained clothes and passed them onto the police via Nina and Asha, with Kelly being acquitted at the same time.

Following Seb's death, Nina created a memorial garden for him on a space next to the builder’s yard donated by Ed. At the end of the year, Abi discovered that Seb had secretly made contact with the twins' adoptive parents to see them on a visit to England, and completed the arrangements, considering it a final Christmas present from her son.

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

Introduction

Seb was introduced as the boyfriend of established character Faye Windass (Ellie Leach) in 2016. Harry Visinoni's only previous television credit was a part in Doctors. The following year, Seb became the first character in Coronation Street history to be diagnosed with HIV.

Exit

Seb's exit storyline came in the form of a hard-hitting hate crime storyline inspired by the real-life case of Sophie Lancaster, a 20-year-old Goth woman who was murdered in 2007. In Coronation Street, Seb and his girlfriend Nina Lucas (Mollie Gallagher), also a Goth, were brutally attacked by a gang led by Corey Brent (Maximus Evans), with Seb later dying from his injuries in hospital. Sophie's mother Sylvia said: "Coronation Street covering this issue means such a huge amount to me." Producer Iain MacLeod said "This incredibly hard-hitting storyline, which centres on a senseless act of violence, will draw in characters from all corners of our narrative universe and will, we hope, leave the audience with a clear message." [1] The storyline was nominated for British Soap Award for Best Storyline at the 2022 ceremony, but lost out to Hollyoaks.

When the scenes of Seb and Nina's attack were originally aired (in Episode 10317, broadcast on 5th May 2021) their attackers' identities were left unclarified via precise camerawork, although four characters including Corey and Kelly Neelan (Millie Gibson) were seen following and harassing the couple immediately before. The following August, the events of that episode were revisited via a series of flashback scenes in Episodes 10416 and 10417, in which Harry Visinoni reprised his role. These two episodes "filled in the blanks" of Seb and Nina's attack and the aftermath, revealing that Corey was the main aggressor on Seb while Kelly attempted to stop him.

In the following episode, the 999 call Seb made as he lay dying was played to the court at his murder trial. This was Visinoni's final contribution to the series.

First and last lines

"Alright?" (First line to Faye Windass)

---

"It's gonna be OK. It's gonna be OK. You're alright, you, Nina Lucas. You're alright. I love you." (Final line to a badly injured Nina, shortly before falling unconscious himself)

Appendices

(To be completed)

List of addresses

Address Duration
11 Coronation Street 18th April 2018 to 7th February 2020
2a Coronation Street 7th February 2020 to January 2021
13 Coronation Street January 2021 to February 2021
2a Coronation Street February 2021 to April 2021
16a Victoria Street April 2021 to 7th May 2021


Employment history

Role Institution Duration
Labourer Gary Windass Construction 18th April 2018 to 7th March 2019
Handyman Self employed 19th April 2019 to 7th May 2021

See also

References

Advertisement