JACK DUCKWORTH (322 VOTES)
Duration: 1979, 1981-2010
Played by: Bill Tarmey
2012 character poll position (men): 1
While Jack occupied the top male spot and overall character top spot in 2012, he has been downgraded to third position. I’m sure he feels like David Whitfield felt when Elvis came on the scene in 1957!First introduced at Brian and Gail’s wedding, Jack didn’t become a regular until 1983 when the Duckies moved into No9. A bone idle layabout, Jack gave Vera a lot of grief but they were married for over 50 years. Jack also played away, mainly with bored housewives while on his window round. He was also one of Bet Lynch’s conquests.
He was also behind the Rovers bar for nearly 15 years as cellar-man and barman under Alec and Bet Gilroy and then he got his dream job when he became landlord in 1995, beating the McDonalds. But it was Vera’s name above the door as she had a clean record. The Duckworths failed to keep up with VAT payments and were forced into partnership with Alec Gilroy who later bought them out. They then ran a B&B until they returned to the street in 2000 and bought No9 from Gary Mallett.
Jack had a strained relationship with son Terry. While at first he turned a blind eye to Terry’s dodgy dealings, Jack realised that Terry was only using his parents for his own gain. Jack was sickened when Terry sold his son Tommy to his in-laws and Britain cheered when Jack punched him on Christmas Day and disowned him. Whenever Terry returned, Jack was always wary of his motives.
Known for his stuck-together glasses and his love of pigeons, Jack was left bereft when his ‘little swampduck’ passed away in 2008 when they were on the verge on retiring to Blackpool. After her death, Jack led a quiet life with his surrogate son Tyrone and his wife Molly and found companionship with Connie Rathbone.
In 2010, Jack was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and passed away on his birthday, taking the secret that Molly’s son Jack was Kevin Webster’s and not Tyrone’s to the grave. The secret eventually came out the following month. Vera (ghost) came to collect him and took him to heaven.
Were you a fan of Jack?
Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.
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