John Stape is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
from the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
'', played by actor
Graeme Hawley
Graeme Hawley (born 28 November 1975) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as John Stape in the British soap ''Coronation Street''. Career
Hawley graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a degree in Drama, be ...
. He made his first on-screen appearance during the episode airing on 6 May 2007. The character departed on 3 June 2011 after four years on the show. Hawley made a short return to ''Coronation Street'' from 21 October 2011 until 28 October 2011 when he was killed off.
The character has been at the centre of some major storylines such as the kidnap of local teenager
Rosie Webster
Rosie Webster is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 24 December 1990. She was played by Emma Collinge from 1990 until 27 December 1999. Helen Flana ...
(
Helen Flanagan
Helen Flanagan (born 7 August 1990) is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Rosie Webster in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2000 to 2012; she reprised the role in 2017, before going on maternity leave o ...
), stealing the identity and covering up
Colin Fishwick
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 2010, by order of first appearance.
Trevor Dean
Enid Crump
Enid Crump, played by June Broughton, arrives on the Street to confront ...
's (
David Crellin
David Crellin (born 1961) is an English actor.
Crellin, who was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, is known for roles in ''Emmerdale'' as Billy Hopwood, BBC 2's BAFTA award-winning series '' The Cops'' as Alan Wakefield, and ''Coronation Stree ...
) death from a heart attack, the manslaughter of
Joy Fishwick (
Doreen Mantle
Doreen Mantle (born 22 June 1926)["Remarkable Highgate Women"](_blank)
(P ...
) and the murder of
Charlotte Hoyle (
Becky Hindley
Rebecca "Becky" Hindley (born 11 August 1965) is an English television, stage and radio actress based in Lancaster, England. She is best known for her eight-month stint in ''Coronation Street'' as Charlotte Hoyle in 2010; her performance as the ...
). The character was married to
Fiz Brown
Fiona 'Fiz' Dobbs (also Brown and Stape) is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Jennie McAlpine, the character first ap ...
(
Jennie McAlpine
Jennie Elizabeth McAlpine (born 12 February 1984) is an English television actress, comedian and businesswoman. She is known for her role as Fiz Brown in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She also took part in the seventeenth series of ...
) with whom he has a daughter called
Hope
Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.
As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...
. John Stape died in October 2011 after crashing his car into the back of a lorry, during a car chase with
Kevin Webster
Kevin Webster is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Michael Le Vell, the character first appeared on-screen during the ...
(
Michael Le Vell
Michael Robert Turner (born 15 December 1964), known professionally as Michael Le Vell, is an English actor. He is best known for his role as mechanic Kevin Webster in the long-running ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', a ro ...
). In 2019, it was revealed that John has a daughter,
Jade Rowan (Lottie Henshall).
Graeme Hawley
Graeme Hawley (born 28 November 1975) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as John Stape in the British soap ''Coronation Street''. Career
Hawley graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a degree in Drama, be ...
reprised the role after eleven years in December 2022, although in the form of a recording made by John Stape prior to his death.
Storylines
John is organising a school play rehearsal when he encounters his former girlfriend,
Fiz Brown
Fiona 'Fiz' Dobbs (also Brown and Stape) is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Jennie McAlpine, the character first ap ...
(
Jennie McAlpine
Jennie Elizabeth McAlpine (born 12 February 1984) is an English television actress, comedian and businesswoman. She is known for her role as Fiz Brown in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She also took part in the seventeenth series of ...
). John and Fiz begin dating. John starts tutoring
Sally Webster
Sally Metcalfe (also Seddon and Webster) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Sally Dynevor. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 27 January 1986, when Kev ...
(
Sally Dynevor
Sally Jane Dynevor (née Whittaker; born 30 May 1963) is a British actress, she is best known for her role as Sally Metcalfe
Sally Metcalfe (also Seddon and Webster) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation St ...
) in English Literature. He meets her teenage daughter,
Rosie (
Helen Flanagan
Helen Flanagan (born 7 August 1990) is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Rosie Webster in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2000 to 2012; she reprised the role in 2017, before going on maternity leave o ...
), and they begin a secret affair. The pair are almost caught together on several occasions and Fiz realises something is up with John. She wrongly accuses John and Sally of having an affair. John and Rosie's relationship is revealed on Christmas Day, after John mixes up Fiz and Rosie's presents. John is then attacked by
Kevin Webster
Kevin Webster is a Character (arts), fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Michael Le Vell, the character first appeared on-screen during the ...
(
Michael Le Vell
Michael Robert Turner (born 15 December 1964), known professionally as Michael Le Vell, is an English actor. He is best known for his role as mechanic Kevin Webster in the long-running ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', a ro ...
). John is fired from his teaching job due to his relationship with Rosie. John gets a job at Street Cars and Fiz forgives him for cheating on her. John notices Rosie outside a nightclub one night and, blaming her for his misfortune, he kidnaps her. John locks Rosie in his grandmother's house for five weeks. Fiz comes to the house and finds Rosie, John is then arrested. He is sentenced to two years in prison.
Fiz learns John has been put on suicide watch, after being diagnosed with depression and she goes to visit him. John decides to give Rosie £150,000 from his inheritance as a form of compensation. Fiz asks John to marry her and he accepts. They are married in the prison with
Chesney Brown
Chesney Brown (also Battersby-Brown) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Sam Aston. He made his first on-screen appearance on 10 November 2003. The character is named after the singer, Ches ...
(
Sam Aston
Samuel David Aston (born 7 June 1993) is an English actor, who has portrayed the role of Chesney Brown on the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since 2003.
Career
Aston made his television debut at the age of five, as an extra in ''Eddie ...
) and
Hayley Cropper
Hayley Cropper (also Hayley Patterson) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Julie Hesmondhalgh. The character first appeared in the episode first broadcast on 26 January 1998. Hayley was the ...
(
Julie Hesmondhalgh
Julie Claire Hesmondhalgh (born 25 February 1970) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her role as Hayley Cropper in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' between 1998 and 2014. For this role, she won Best Serial Drama Perfor ...
) as witnesses. John is later released from prison and moves in with Fiz. John is invited to his ex-colleague,
Colin Fishwick
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 2010, by order of first appearance.
Trevor Dean
Enid Crump
Enid Crump, played by June Broughton, arrives on the Street to confront ...
's (
David Crellin
David Crellin (born 1961) is an English actor.
Crellin, who was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, is known for roles in ''Emmerdale'' as Billy Hopwood, BBC 2's BAFTA award-winning series '' The Cops'' as Alan Wakefield, and ''Coronation Stree ...
), leaving party. Colin explains that he is emigrating to Canada and is leaving the teaching profession. After being sacked from his job at an adult education centre, John decides to take Colin's identity and use it to start teaching again. Fiz agrees to go along with his plan and they keep it a secret from Chesney.
Charlotte Hoyle (
Becky Hindley
Rebecca "Becky" Hindley (born 11 August 1965) is an English television, stage and radio actress based in Lancaster, England. She is best known for her eight-month stint in ''Coronation Street'' as Charlotte Hoyle in 2010; her performance as the ...
) discovers what John is doing and she starts emotionally blackmailing him. John learns Colin is moving to Canada because he was having an affair with a married woman. The woman's husband tracks down John, thinking he is Colin and punches him. Fiz asks John to quit teaching and he agrees but decides to continue with the deception in secret.
Colin returns unexpectedly and confronts John and Charlotte. During an argument, Colin collapses and dies of a brain hemorrhage. John and Charlotte dispose of Colin's body in a hole in the floor of the Underworld factory. Fiz learns John is still teaching and threatens to leave him. She later tells John she is pregnant and John promises never to lie to her again. John is pursued by a stalker, who turns out to be Charlotte. She continues to blackmail him and John worries when she introduces him as her fiancé to her parents,
Dorothy
Dorothy may refer to:
*Dorothy (given name), a list of people with that name.
Arts and entertainment
Characters
*Dorothy Gale, protagonist of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum
* Ace (''Doctor Who'') or Dorothy, a character playe ...
(
Jean Fergusson
Jean Fergusson (30 December 1944 – 14 November 2019) was a British television and theatre actress, who was best known for playing the part of Marina on the British situation comedy ''Last of the Summer Wine'' from 1985 until it was cancelled i ...
) and
Alan
Alan may refer to:
People
*Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname
* Alan (given name), an English given name
**List of people with given name Alan
''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.''
*A ...
(Michael McStay). Colin's elderly mother,
Joy
The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.
Dictionary definitions
Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
(
Doreen Mantle
Doreen Mantle (born 22 June 1926)["Remarkable Highgate Women"](_blank)
(P ...
) comes looking for her son, but John tells her Colin has gone to Canada. John tells Charlotte that he has no intention of leaving Fiz for her. Charlotte gets angry and reaches for a hammer and swings it at John. He manages to wrestle it from her hands and as Charlotte goes to leave intent on finding Fiz and telling her about what she perceives as their relationship, John hits her. Believing her to be dead, John starts to call an ambulance but is distracted by the sound of an explosion. He leaves the house and discovers
a tram has crashed onto the street. Fiz goes into labour early and John goes to the hospital with her. She gives birth to a girl, who John and Fiz name Hope.
John moves Charlotte's body out of the house and pretends to have found her in the wreckage of the tram. The paramedics find Charlotte's pulse and she is placed on a ventilator to help her breathe. However, John and her parents are told she will not regain consciousness due to heavy brain damage. They all decide to switch off the life support machine. John and Fiz worry for Hope when they learn she has a hole in her heart, which can be treated with medication. John begins visiting Joy and helping her with her shopping. John eventually confesses everything to Joy, who has an angina attack from the shock. Someone comes to the door and John panics and puts his hand over Joy's mouth to stop her screaming. Joy then dies and John leaves her house. John suffers a breakdown and is hospitalised. On his return, he holds his daughter for the first time and gets a job at the local betting shop. John stops taking his medication, but after learning Fiz has claimed Joy's inheritance fraudulently, he freaks out and barricades himself in his office. John disappears, but later returns and tells Fiz about how Charlotte was blackmailing him.
Chesney learns the truth about John's link to the Hoyle family and Dorothy realises John is not Colin. John takes all three of them hostage at the Hoyle's house. John tells Chesney's girlfriend
Katy Armstrong
Katy Armstrong is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Georgia May Foote. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 30 July 2010. Foote had previously appeared in the soap in ...
(
Georgia May Foote
Georgia May Foote (born 11 February 1991) is an English actress and model. She is best known for playing Alison Simmons in the BBC school drama series ''Grange Hill'' from 2005 to 2008 and Katy Armstrong in the ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ...
) that he has run away. John learns the factory floor is being dug up and he gets a job working for the local builder,
Owen Armstrong
Owen Armstrong is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Ian Puleston-Davies. He made his first on-screen appearance on 9 June 2010 and left the show on 15 April 2015.
During his time on the sh ...
(
Ian Puleston-Davies
Ian Puleston-Davies (born 6 September 1958) is a Welsh actor and writer. He is best known for his role as builder Owen Armstrong in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2010 to 2015.
In November 2014, ITV announced that Puleston-Davi ...
). One night, John returns to the factory and digs up Colin's body. However, Fiz follows him and is horrified when John confesses that the body is Colin. Fiz reluctantly agrees to help dispose of the body in the canal. Fiz follows John to the Hoyle's house and finds Chesney, Dorothy and Alan tied up in the basement. The police are called and John flees. When Fiz refuses to run away with him, John takes Hope. John discovers Fiz was run over while she was chasing after him. He visits her in hospital and returns Hope to her. The police arrive and John jumps off the hospital roof and disappears.
A few months later, John returns to Weatherfield and kidnaps Rosie. John tells her he wants her to go to court and help Fiz, who has been arrested for the crimes he committed. John explains his version of events to Rosie and makes her recite them to him. Kevin and
Jason Grimshaw
Jason Grimshaw is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Ryan Thomas, the character first appeared on screen on 25 December 2000. It was announced in October 2015 that Thomas had quit the role ...
(
Ryan Thomas
Ryan may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
*Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
Places Australia
* Division of Ryan, an elector ...
) eventually find John and Rosie and John takes off in his car. Kevin follows and John crashes his car. He is taken to the hospital and Fiz and Hope come to visit him. Fiz forgives John and tells him she loves him. John makes a statement to the police and then dies from his injuries.
Development
The character of John was created as a new love interest for established character Fiz Brown who was to split from her long term love interest
Kirk Sutherland
Kirk Sutherland is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 22 May 2000, played by an uncredited actor and originally referred to as Mark. ...
around whom most of her romance storylines were centred. It was shortly revealed thereafter that the character would feature in an affair plot with the character Rosie Webster, who was just over the legal age for sexual intercourse. The characteristics of John are a caring nature and the tendency to be charming to females. The actor said his character's personality and success with the female characters of the show is because of his charm: "He's a bit of a charmer and finds it easy to relax with them and be in their company. He has this disarming charm about him. He's a good listener and talks a lot. That's what they like about him, and he has this 'everyman' quality about him."
He has revealed himself to be an atheist.
In March 2011, it was announced that John's storyline would conclude that summer with the character committing suicide, something that ultimately did not occur.
In August 2011, it was announced Hawley would be returning to ''Coronation Street'' in October for a short stint, with John kidnapping Rosie for a second time.
Reception
John was nominated in the category of "Villain of the Year" at the 2009 and 2011
British Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV and has been presented by Phillip Schofield since 2006. The trophies give ...
. Some of the viewing public became annoyed at one of the character's main storylines. Actor
Graeme Hawley
Graeme Hawley (born 28 November 1975) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as John Stape in the British soap ''Coronation Street''. Career
Hawley graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a degree in Drama, be ...
was blasted for his portrayal of the character stating that he gave the teaching profession a bad name. Hawley explained that: "I have bumped into a few teachers who haven't been happy with me," Graeme told the Daily Record. "They say, 'You know, we are not all like that.' And my answer to that is, 'I know at least three teachers who had affairs with their students when I was at school. You might not have done it, but don't tell me it doesn't happen.' "
The actor was asked if he was heckled a lot in real life by the viewing public during an interview with British Entertainment and Media website
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
on which Graeme had to say: "There's been a lot of friendly banter really. It happens a lot in the street wherever I go. It's all good-natured, though. People are very complimentary about the storyline and character and asking when John was returning, so that's been lovely. It was nice to hear that people wanted to see more of John Stape back on the Cobbles."
See also
*
List of soap opera villains
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. In soap operas, the villain, sometimes called a "bad guy", is an antagonist, tending to have a negative effect on other characters. A f ...
References
External links
Character profileat
itv.com
itv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 13 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV brand (or the UTV brand in Northern Ireland). The website offers online streaming, ...
Character profileat
What's on TV
''What's on TV'' is a weekly television listings magazine published by Future PLC.
Overview
''What's on TV'' is a weekly UK television magazine. It publishes features, TV listings, news and gossip from soap operas, as well as puzzles and compe ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stape, John
Coronation Street characters
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Television characters introduced in 2007
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Male characters in television