Coronation Street is going to kill off a legendary character, 36 years after their debut on the series.
It’s been revealed that Jim McDonald, the father of long-running character Steve (Simon Gregson) and husband of Liz (Beverley Callard), will die off-screen in scenes set to air on ITV in March.
Charles Lawson, who played one of the soap’s most memorable bad boys, confirmed the news on Tuesday (3 February).
In a post on X/Twitter, the actor told a fan who enquired about Jim’s fate: “I’ve known since early September, but I’ve always respected the confidentiality of the programme.”
He added: “It wasn’t a surprise when I was informed last year.”
Lawson first appeared in Coronation Street in October 1989, remaining a full-time cast member until 2000. He was at the centre of many memorable storylines in the 1990s, typically centred on his volatile marriage to Liz and his regular brushes with the law, which landed him in prison.
His status as a beloved member of the soap saw him return for sporadic appearances in the past 25 years, including for the show’s 50th anniversary in 2010. He remained on the cobbles for a further four months and returned three years later for another three months. Lawson next returned to the soap in September 2018.
According to Radio Times, Steve will be informed that his estranged dad is unwell in March.
In 2024, Lawson criticised the direction of the soap, and suggested that former writer John Stevenson would no longer “recognise the show” if he were alive today.
“We felt it was a completely different animal, so fundamentally different from our day and the viewing figures have plummeted,” he told The Sun.
Coronation Street, which began in 1960, was hit with a wave of cast departures in recent years, spearheaded by the exit of Gail Platt actor Helen Worth and Luca Toolan, who played Mason Radcliffe.
Other stars who left the cobbles included Charlotte Jordan, who played popular Rovers Return barmaid Daisy Midgeley, PC Craig Tinker provided by Colson Smith, and Sue Cleaver, who played Eileen Grimshaw.
Cleaver opted to leave the show after 25 years to look “for new adventures”, but she assured fans that “the door is still firmly open” for a potential return one day in the future.
It was reported by The Sun that cast members were in danger of being dropped from the soap due to an alleged cash crisis occurring behind the scenes, with bosses opting to shine a light on the show’s younger actors because they are cheaper to retain. ITV denied the claims.
However, budget cuts at the channel led to Corrie and fellow soap Emmerdale’s episode counts being reduced from six to five a week, a decision that came into effect in January 2026.
The exodus from the soap wasn’t just exclusive to the cast, either. It was reported in 2025 that up to 75 staff members working on the soap, including writers, would depart the production due to a behind-the-scenes restructuring caused by the financial cuts.
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