Steve Fisher was a van driver and later trainee manager at Baldwin's Casuals from 1977 to 1979.
Steve spent most of his time in Coronation Street trying to attract the attentions of Suzie Birchall but later decided to concentrate on his business career and in 1979 he moved to London to take the position of assistant manager at Mike's factory there.
Biography[]
1957-1978: Early life[]
Steve was born on 8th May 1957. He attended Weatherfield Comprehensive and later trained as an electrical engineer at Fraser Electrics, but was made redundant and found his qualifications made employers wary about giving him a job outside his trade. In August 1977, he helped Mike Baldwin change a tyre and the impressed owner of Baldwin's Casuals in Coronation Street offered Steve a job as a delivery van driver for his factories and denim shop, the Western Front. To secure the position, Steve said he had no qualifications but Mike found out and gave him the job anyway.
Through his deliveries, Steve soon met Gail Potter and Suzie Birchall, who worked at the boutique. Eager-to-please Steve fell for Suzie but she thought he was too wet and teased him. The girls persuaded Steve to let them go with him on a delivery to Southport, but their antics delayed him and the van got stuck in the sand on the beach, and the clothes got covered in sand, ruining them. Mike sacked Steve but when Gail and Suzie took responsibility he was reinstated.
1978: Steve and Suzie get ready to compete in a community pram race. They are disqualified when Suzie cheats
Steve continued to look out for Suzie, and tried to deal with her abusive father Bob Birchall when Bob forced Suzie into his car. Steve struggled with Bob and got a punch in the face, but he was victorious anyway as Bob decided that Suzie wasn't worth the trouble and drove away without her. In November, Steve alerted Suzie that Mike's sudden interest in dating her was because he had made a bet, allowing Suzie to use the information to her advantage. While Steve and Suzie never dated, Suzie lured Steve into bed in June 1978, during a party to which he had taken his girlfriend Angie. Much to Suzie's frustration, he didn't renew his pursuit of her, preferring to continue seeing Angie.
Despite spending time with Suzie and Gail while pursuing Suzie, Steve failed to notice that Gail had fallen for him. In 1979, Steve brawled with Gail's fiance Brian Tilsley when Steve accused Brian of being a mummy's boy. There were clearly no hard feelings, as Steve was an usher at Gail and Brian's wedding later that year.
1978-1979: Businessman Steve[]
In 1978, Steve decided he'd had enough of van driving and interviewed for an electrician's job at Bristow's Dairy. Mike found out when he was asked for a reference and decided to undersell him so that he wouldn't get the job. Steve was angry but was elated when Mike offered him a promotion to Assistant Manager (trainee).
Steve enjoyed his new position of authority, hoping that people would finally take him seriously. When he found out that Suzie had been phoning Roger Floriet in France using the boutique's telephone, he tried to sack her, even over Mike's will, but eventually relented. He was capable of making managerial decisions and in April was given the task of conducting interviews for the machinist supervisor position at the factory. When no applicants proved satisfactory, Mike tried to talk Steve into taking the job himself but Steve suggested that they create a senior machinist position and give it to Ivy Tilsley with a pay rise. His first big hurdle was dealing with the factory girls going on strike over Hilda Ogden's sacking. Steve and Mike battled to keep the firm's orders by moving the denim to the London factory but the van was attacked by striking workers when it crossed the picket line. Steve and Mike were so desperate that they even tried to man the machines themselves. Ultimately, Mike decided to reinstate Hilda.
Steve occasionally went against Mike. In November, he found out that Mike was planning to close The Western Front and sack the girls to avoid paying redundancy. Steve warned Suzie and Gail that they had grounds for unfair dismissal, resulting in Mike having to pay them compensation money.
In March 1979, Mike was injured when a lorry crashed into the Rovers Return Inn. While he recovered, Steve took charge of the factory and took full advantage of his authority by doing a time and motion study on the machinists. When he told Vera Duckworth off about her timekeeping, the girls became uncooperative and, on finding out about the study, Ivy phoned Mike, as Mike had asked her to keep an eye on Steve. Steve was angry at Mike undermining his authority and furious when Mike returned to work early, unsatisfied with his management.
Mike's dissatisfaction with Steve continued when he inadvertently dropped the ball about a French exchange, which Mike wanted to keep under wraps. In December, Mike suggested to Steve that he transfer to Mike's smaller London factory, where they needed an assistant manager to work under Eric Williams. Steve accepted the job and left the area, keen to get away from Mike.
Background information[]
- Lawrence Mullin appeared in Coronation Street as an unnamed Van Driver in Episode 1642 on 11th October 1976, nearly a year before first appearing as Steve Fisher. The character is similar to Steve as he works for Mike Baldwin, although they are not the same character as Steve is shown meeting Mike for the first time in Episode 1734 on 29th August 1977.
Personality[]
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Relationships[]
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Background information[]
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First and last lines[]
"Oh well, that's it isn't it?" (First line, to Gail Potter)
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"Why not?" (Final line, when Mike Baldwin offers a handshake)
Appendices[]
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