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Terence Edgar "Terry" Duckworth was the nefarious son of the late Jack and Vera Duckworth.

Terry moved to Coronation Street with his parents in 1983 after finishing a stint in the Parachute Regiment. Like his dad, Terry was a Jack the Lad, always up for a good get-rich-quick scheme. He went into business with Curly Watts selling door-to-door before leaving Weatherfield with a married woman in 1987.

After leaving the street, Terry's roguish streak turned into a sinister, avaricious edge. Jack quickly cottoned on to the fact that Terry was a bad 'un but Vera stood by her son until the bitter end. He typically appeared when he thought he could get money out of Jack and Vera. Among his most despicable acts were selling his son Tommy to his late wife Lisa's parents, forcibly removing him from Jack and Vera's care, selling Vera a dodgy car which resulted in Judy Mallett suffering a fatal embolism, and doing a runner with money Jack paid him to donate a kidney to his son Paul Clayton, leaving Vera to face the dangerous operation herself.

Terry fathered three sons by three different women. Apart from Tommy, Paul Clayton was the result of a brief relationship with Andrea Clayton, while Brad Armstrong was the result of a fling with his mother Tricia. In 2012, Terry began work on Se7enth Hea7en, a lap dancing club on Viaduct Street, and was reunited with his son Tommy. True to form, Terry later ran off leaving Tommy at the mercy of loan shark Rick Neelan.

Biography[]

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

1964-1984: Early years[]

Terry was born to parents Jack and Vera Duckworth on 4th June 1964. When Vera conceived her son it came following an affair with another man, with her not sure about Terry's parentage. Although she assumed Jack wasn't aware of the situation, Jack knew about the circumstances and secretly gave her lover a battering. As Terry grew up Jack came to realise they were father and son due to their similarities, such as Terry adopting Jack's roguish personality traits.

Terry

Terry in January 1984

Terry and his parents were evicted by their landlord from their Inkerman Street house and moved into 9 Coronation Street in September 1983, although Terry was less than enthusiastic about the place. He was annoyed by his parents constantly bickering with one another and grew frustrated with Jack when he always came up short on the mortgage. Later that year Terry briefly dated Sharon Gaskell and took her out to a band as she fancied him, although he didn't share the same feelings and she left to return to her home in Sheffield.

Having had enough of supporting Jack, Terry contemplated in January 1984 to move out and was offered a room by Hilda Ogden who lived at 13 Coronation Street, but Terry decided to remain at home. But in May that year Terry was growing sick of constantly bailing his parents out due to their problems so took Hilda up on her offered and moved in with her and her husband Stan as their lodger. Vera wasn't happy by the arrangement and accused Hilda of 'stealing' Terry away from her, although Hilda pointed out it was Vera that drove her son away because of her actions. Although he was finally away from home Terry found that things weren't so different at No.13 as he was doing bookie errands for Stan (who was bed-bound) and then giving him money. After a couple of weeks Terry decided to return home, much to Vera's delight.

He worked in an abattoir initially, and later went into business doing removals and house clearances with his friend Curly Watts. A year later Terry and Curly needed a new car for the business so Terry decided to buy the car from Jack. Terry tried to get the car cheap by lying about how much it was worth but Jack knew what his son was like and got one over on him by selling the car without telling him the engine was knackered.

1985-1986: Andrea Clayton and baby blues[]

In 1985 Terry began courting Andrea Clayton, who had moved in with her parents Harry and Connie and younger sister Sue into No.11. They grew close over the following months and Harry and Connie didn't approve and didn't get along with Jack and Vera. Terry and Andrea had sexual intercourse and she fell pregnant. Terry was happy when he discovered the pregnancy and was willing to support her and the child, but Andrea wasn't interested and felt stupid for giving her virginity to him. Having had enough of Terry's persistence the Claytons did a moonlight flit from the area. A few days later Harry and Connie returned to collect the rest of their stuff, and accused Terry of them having to leave. This left him hurt due to their hatred, and he decided to start afresh in Weatherfield.

Having got drunk at the 1986 New Year's party hosted by Kevin and Sally Webster at No.13, and when the alcohol ran dry, Terry broke into the corner shop to steal a load of spirits. Proprietor Alf Roberts found one of the shop's empty boxes in Hilda's yard the next morning and took it for evidence. Not wanting Hilda to get in trouble, Terry came forward to Alf and offered to pay for the damage he'd caused. Alf was adamant the police should be involved but ultimately decided otherwise for Jack and Vera's sake.

1987-1992: Path to darkness[]

In 1987 Terry and Linda Jackson, wife of old army mate Pete, began an affair. One night in May, Pete returned home and caught the pair. Soon after, Terry told Linda he was fleeing Weatherfield and persuaded her to come with him.

Terry returned alone a year later. Needing more cash, he pawned a watch to Alec Gilroy, and ended up getting involved in an argument with Don Brennan as he owed him cash for a taxi fare, which Jack later paid.

Upon his return Terry got angry with his friend Kevin Webster for refusing to lend him money and unsuccessfully tried to split Kevin and his wife Sally up, resulting in their friendship ending on a bitter note.

Terry also got a job with Mike Baldwin at the factory but he was sacked after taking out a married woman with him in Mike's Jaguar. Terry realised there was nothing left for him in the street and left once again.

1992-1996: Profiting off baby Tommy[]

Terry returned to the street in 1992 with his new pregnant girlfriend Lisa Horton, who he had met while bouncing in Winkies nightclub in Blackpool, but ended up being banged up in prison after committing GBH and Lisa told his parents about him being sent down. Terry later married Lisa, but used this as an excuse to get out of prison and do a runner, but was eventually recaptured a few days later and was sent back to prison. Lisa had given birth to his son Tommy in September, but was later hit by a car outside the Rovers the following year. Jack and Vera had later started to look after Tommy. Terry blamed Des Barnes for her death, feeling he hadn't looked after her properly.

Terrysellstommy1993

1993: Terry sells his son Tommy to Lisa's parents

When Terry got out of prison in December he took his son Tommy and sold him to Lisa's parents, Jeff and Doreen Horton, stating that Jack and Vera weren't able to take care of Tommy. Terry tried to make up an excuse saying it wasn't about the money, but Jack saw right through Terry and punched him. Terry quickly left the Street once again.

He however returned to the Street a couple of years later with Tommy as Lisa's parents failed to pay the money in order to keep him. Upon his return, he had a one-night stand with Tricia Armstrong which resulted in her becoming pregnant. He tried to play the model son with his parents as he wanted to make easy cash as they were now running the Rovers, however the pub was absorbing a lot of their profits leaving Jack and Vera with little. Terry later re-sold his son back to the Hortons for £10,000 which led to Vera writing Terry out of her will and Jack refusing to even acknowledge his existence. Terry left the Street once again.

1997-2007: Later nefarious incidents[]

In April 1997, he made another brief visit to visit Tricia, who by then had given birth to their son Brad. Tricia was ecstatic, but he couldn't even remember her name. It didn't take her long to realise that Terry would never be a proper father to Brad, after which she left the Street with her boyfriend Ray Thorpe. Terry tried to cheat his parents once again by trying to steal the takings they earned from the Rovers. When Jack gave Terry an envelope full of money to take to the bank, Terry decided to do a runner with the cash, however he later found out that the envelope wasn't full of money, but rather just cut up newspaper. He returned to the pub angry at his father, but Jack revealed that he knew that Terry would make a run with the money, so decided to trick him. Feeling disgraced, Terry left the Street once again.

He turned up once again in 1999 when he sold Vera a posh car, however it turned out to be a "cut and shut" - simply two car wrecks welded together, making it a death trap. A bump in the car which initially seemed minor led passenger and young mother Judy Mallett to suffer an undetected embolism, which a week later killed her. When he turned up again at Christmas that year, Judy's widowed husband Gary was Jack and Vera's guest. Terry tried to explain himself, lying that he had no idea the car was a wreck. When he told Gary nobody was to blame and it was just Judy's time, Gary punched him and the two fought. Jack told his son how much misery he had caused and to never darken their doorstep again, and Vera finally stood up to her son telling him how evil he was and threw him out. Terry hated the fact that Tyrone Dobbs, who had moved into Jack and Vera's, was becoming a second son to them.

Jack tracked Terry down in November 2000 to tell him his son Paul Clayton needed a kidney transplant, and he was a match. Terry at first refused, saying Paul was nothing to him, disgusting Jack. He then changed his mind and agreed to giving the transplant when Jack offered him money, the two settling on £25,000. However when he got the money, Terry took it and fled leaving his mother to donate her kidney instead. The ensuing operation nearly killed her when she had an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic, but in the end both grandmother and grandson survived. Terry later turned up at the hospital unnoticed by his parents to check if his parents were alright, provoking Jack's rage, before disappearing once more.

In October 2001, Terry ended up in prison once again - but for once, he was an innocent man, framed for attempted murder by a policeman for sleeping with his wife. Jack decided to help his son out as he realised he was telling the truth. Terry absconded from court and went on the run, but redeemed himself slightly on Christmas Day 2001 when Jack began suffering severe chest pains. Terry risked his freedom to take him to hospital, and ended up spotted by police and arrested. However, Terry was released from prison for good in January 2002. He made his peace with his parents before leaving again. Sometime later he moved to Wolverhampton and went into mobile phone sales.

2008-2012: Final visits[]

When his mother Vera passed away in January 2008, Terry returned for her funeral. He failed to recognise his son Paul and was mostly there to make sure Jack didn't expect him to move in with him. Terry advised his dad not to sell his house to Tyrone and his fiancée Molly Compton as he should keep it in the family. He also told his son Paul that he wouldn't be back until Jack died and then left. When his father passed away nearly three years later, Terry was contacted by Tyrone. However, he made up an excuse that it was "too far away" to attend the funeral. Although Tyrone was disgusted, he knew that Jack didn't really want Terry at the funeral anyway.

In 2012, he arrived back in Weatherfield to set up Se7enth Hea7en, a lap-dancing club on Viaduct Street. He had thumped Tommy Duckworth who had parked his van outside his premises, not knowing it was his son who he had sold many years previously until Tyrone confirmed it. However, Terry still didn't want anything to do with Tommy, and was set on concentrating on his business. After finding out that Tommy came into money and had inherited £12,000 from his granddad Jeff Horton, Terry made out he wanted to get to know him and won Tommy's trust. He then offered Tommy a job working for him, which Tommy accepted.

When the residents discovered he was setting up a lap-dancing club after a stripper named Cherry performed her audition routine in the Rovers, they were disgusted and didn't want it. Some went into Terry's premises to protest and refused to come out delaying his work, but he later managed to get them removed. Tyrone's policewoman girlfriend Kirsty Soames suspected Terry of buying round Councillor Charles Peake, as Terry couldn't just set up a club without the residents' opinions. She and Tyrone went to Weatherfield Town Hall to try and look through his office and later discovered he had taken a bribe from Terry, and had the councillor arrested for his actions. Terry was angry and distraught.

It later turned out that Terry owed money to loan shark Rick Neelan and planned on fleeing the Street. Tommy gave Rick his inheritance, but Terry still owed him money. Terry then plotted to have Se7enth Hea7en burnt down to claim insurance money, and wanted Tommy to do it while he caused a distraction in the pub. Tommy was close to doing it, but his girlfriend Tina McIntyre stopped him. Tommy left, and when Terry arrived he was angry that Tina had interfered. When he planned to burn the place down himself, Tina threatened to call the police, and when Terry attempted to stop her she fell and hit her head, putting her in hospital. Terry told Tommy that Rick had attacked her, and persuaded him to get Tyrone to lend Jack's money to Tommy to pay off the debt, which Tyrone did. Terry needed a quick escape, and while at the hospital claimed Rick was waiting for him and Tommy handed over the money. Terry headed back to the flat and started to pack, then Tommy turned up after finding out Terry put Tina in hospital after she revealed it after waking up. Tommy then gave Terry a choice, stay to show he wants a relationship with him, or leave with the money. Terry chose the money, and wanted to flee. He told Tommy he was glad he never grew up like him, and left the Street with the money, leaving Tommy to deal with Rick.

Personality[]

Duckworths 1983
"If you've owt to say, spit it out before it flamin' well chokes yer"
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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.

Andrea Clayton[]

Terry fell for new girl on the block Andrea when she arrived with her family in 1985. After falling pregnant with his baby she left the street, as she wasn't keen on the thought of Jack and Vera being grandparents and tired of Terry's neediness for involvement in the child. Her departure left Terry crushed, and over the years he began to take a darker turn in personality and would show lack of care for any other children he would have. When the Claytons came calling 15 years later in 2000 needing a kidney donation for his son Paul, Terry had no care for the boy due to having nothing to do with him, and only agreed to for money. He later fled with the cash and left his mother Vera to donate the kidney. Although Andrea had nothing to do with Terry, she had softened up to the Duckworths and would allow them to see their grandson.

Friendships[]

Friendlytrio

Happier times between Terry, Curly and Kevin in the early 1980s.

Terry was friends with fellow youths Curly Watts and Kevin Webster, the latter two whom moved into Coronation Street not long after Terry. Although they shared a close friendship it began to fall apart, mainly when Terry's more bitter and nastier side began to manifest later into the 1980s. Kevin brought an end to their friendship in 1988 when a jealous Terry attempted to split him and his wife Sally up, and Curly also severed ties with Terry. Curly himself would later become close to Jack and Vera and would offer support to them in Terry's absence. Although Terry would occasionally interact with his former friends during his numerous visits, they still held him in contempt due to his twisted antics.

Hilda Ogden[]

When Terry was having problems with his family in 1984, it was Hilda Ogden who offered him a place to stay. Though Terry decided to leave and return to his family he was still grateful to Hilda and maintained a respect for her despite their rather different personalities.

In April 1985 when Hilda was burgled, it was Terry who helped to cheer her up. When Terry broke into the Corner Shop Hilda was disappointed with him but still asked Alf Roberts not to call the police as she believed Terry to be a good lad despite his mistake.

Jack and Vera Duckworth[]

Terry's relationship with his parents was often strained due to him always being in trouble. This was especially true of Jack who was less blind to his son's faults than Vera, who always stood by Terry no matter what. Terry had more respect for Vera than Jack and was likely to side with his mother in arguments between the two though Vera could get on Terry's nerves at times. Despite this Terry and Jack did sometimes show concern for each other. In 1987 When Terry robbed the Corner Shop Jack helped his son to dispose of the evidence.

As Terry grew older and got nastier his relationship with Jack soured even further as he constantly tried to scam his parents. The only reason Jack tolerated him most of the time was for Vera's sake. In 1993 when Terry sold his son Tommy Jack disowned him and Terry left disgraced. Terry knew his mother would always see the good in him and took advantage of her trust many times, even selling her a deathtrap of a car that caused the death of Judy Mallett.

Despite Terry's behaviour towards his parents he was deeply jealous of how close Tyrone Dobbs became to them and was remorseful in 2000 when Vera almost died, donating a kidney to his son Paul Clayton after he'd refused to, implying he still cared for them on some level.

In 2001 when Terry was framed for attempted murder, Jack decided to help him despite initially being reluctant. In a surprising act of selflessness, Terry risked his freedom to take Jack to hospital when he appeared to suffer a heart attack. Upon being released from prison, he paid his parents a visit and it seemed things would finally improve between them. However Terry again disappointed his parents by not showing up for Christmas in 2002 and didn't visit Jack until 2008 at Vera's funeral though he was only there to persuade Jack not to sell his house to Tyrone. When Jack himself passed on a couple of years later, Terry didn't bother attending the funeral after realising there was nothing left for him.

Background information[]

Nigel Pivaro originally auditioned for the role of Curly Watts, which was given to Kevin Kennedy. However producers invited Pivaro back to audition for Terry. Terry was brought in along with Curly and Kevin Webster to create a new group of young characters and create a young comedy trio.

Nigel played the role regularly for four years, departing in 1987. He returned in 1988 and appeared in the role for a few months. Following his return in 1992, he began appearing as the character intermittently until 2012, appearing for a short while with every return stint. In reality Pivaro moved on from acting and began to work in journalism, although would still make a commitment to the show when he had the time.

Originally more of a Jack-the-Lad like his father Jack, Terry became a villainous character in the show, and his returns normally led to him breaking his parents' hearts and causing trouble for other characters. Despite his misdeeds and immoral behaviour, the writers confirmed during Terry's 2012 stint that they had no intention of killing him off. His first notable villainous act was when he sold his son Tommy Duckworth to his in-laws, a storyline that was revisited twenty years later when he met his grown up son, played by Chris Fountain, in 2012. This was his final stint on the Street, Pivaro's last appearance to date being in Episode 7865 broadcast on 11th May 2012.

During his appearances in late 2000 (as part of the 40th anniversary storyline), Terry showed disregard for his other son Paul Clayton when he needed a kidney transplant, with Terry taking bribe money from his father and doing a runner. However in the live episode, which Pivaro also precipitated in, Terry showed a rare tender moment as he was relieved that his mother had pulled through and showed rare remorse for his actions. Following another return stint from 2001 to 2002 in which Terry was proven innocent for a crime he didn't commit, the character was seen leaving on good terms with his parents. This stint was the final time that Pivaro acted alongside Elizabeth Dawn.

Although it was reported that Terry would return in 2003 and be involved in a villainous partnership with street villain (and long-running character) Tracy Barlow, this did not come to pass. Pivaro eventually returned for two episodes in January 2008 for the funeral of Vera Duckworth, following Dawn's decision to quit the show. This marked the final time Pivaro acted with William Tarmey, who took the decision to quit the role of Jack Duckworth the following year.

Despite Terry's sour relationship with his parents, Pivaro was on friendly terms with the late William Tarmey and Elizabeth Dawn, who portrayed Jack and Vera Duckworth respectively. When both actors passed away in real life, Pivaro paid tribute to them.

First and last lines[]

"Where does he live?" (First line, to mother Vera)

---

"Ain't that the truth? See you, kidda!" (Final line, to son Tommy)

Appendices[]

List of addresses[]

Address Duration
20 Inkerman Street 1960s or 1970s to 5th September 1983
9 Coronation Street 12th September 1983 to 2nd May 1984
13 Coronation Street 2nd May to 16th May 1984
9 Coronation Street 2nd May 1984 to 3rd June 1987
9 Coronation Street 29th August 1988 to 7th December 1988
Bournemouth 7th December 1988 to around 1991
Blackpool 1991 to May 1992
Huddersfield prior November 2000 to mid-2000s
Wolverhampton around mid-2000s to April 2012
12 Coronation Street 4th May to 11th May 2012

Employment history[]

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.
Role Institution Duration
Armed Forces Personnel Parachute Regiment early 1980s
Bouncer Winkies 1991 to 1992
Salesman unknown Mobile Phone store around mid-to-late 2000s
Owner and Manager Se7enth Hea7en (unopened) April 2012

See also[]

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