Alan Bradley
Encyclopedia
Alan Bradley is a fictional character
from the British
soap opera
Coronation Street
. He was played by Mark Eden
.
Alan is one of the most famous villain
s in the history of the Street. He made his first appearance in 1986 when his wife Pat was killed in a road accident. Because of his absence, working away from home, his daughter, Jenny Bradley, had to be temporarily fostered by Rita Fairclough. Alan soon began a relationship with Rita, and tried unsuccessfully to persuade her to marry him. He was aware that Rita had inherited money and owned a business, but at first he appeared to be genuinely in love with her.
Later, Alan left Rita for another woman, but she coaxed him back to live with her. The woman in question warned Rita that Alan was only interested in her money. Rita did not know that Alan had stolen the deed
s to Rita's house, and had impersonated her dead husband Len Fairclough in order to obtain a mortgage to support his small business.
In 1989, when Rita discovered Alan's deception, he tried to kill her. At the conclusion of his trial, his plea bargain
resulted in his walking free that very day. He proceeded to conduct a campaign of harassment against Rita, who had a breakdown and left the Street for Blackpool, having lost her memory. Many of the residents believed that Alan had murdered her, and he became the object of widespread hatred and suspicion.
Alan famously met his end after being hit and killed by a Blackpool tram
while chasing a distressed Rita across the tracks. 26.93 million viewers watched the character meet his untimely demise in 1989. As of 2010, it is the 9th most-watched UK broadcast of all time.
The first episode of series 2 of Phoenix Nights
contains a visual reference to the death of Alan Bradley, where flowers with a sign 'In Memory of Alan' are tied to a lamp-post beside the tram line.
On 8 December 2009, Mark Eden unveiled a blue plaque to mark the 20 year anniversary of the screening of the famous Coronation Street episode. The plaque is located outside The Strand Hotel, North Promenade, Blackpool which was the venue chosen for the filming of much of the footage.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. He was played by Mark Eden
Mark Eden
Mark Eden is a British actor.-Career:Born in London, Eden has appeared in repertory theatre in England and Wales and at the Royal Court Theatre. His many television and film roles include the Doctor Who serial Marco Polo in which he played Marco Polo...
.
Alan is one of the most famous villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s in the history of the Street. He made his first appearance in 1986 when his wife Pat was killed in a road accident. Because of his absence, working away from home, his daughter, Jenny Bradley, had to be temporarily fostered by Rita Fairclough. Alan soon began a relationship with Rita, and tried unsuccessfully to persuade her to marry him. He was aware that Rita had inherited money and owned a business, but at first he appeared to be genuinely in love with her.
Later, Alan left Rita for another woman, but she coaxed him back to live with her. The woman in question warned Rita that Alan was only interested in her money. Rita did not know that Alan had stolen the deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
s to Rita's house, and had impersonated her dead husband Len Fairclough in order to obtain a mortgage to support his small business.
In 1989, when Rita discovered Alan's deception, he tried to kill her. At the conclusion of his trial, his plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
resulted in his walking free that very day. He proceeded to conduct a campaign of harassment against Rita, who had a breakdown and left the Street for Blackpool, having lost her memory. Many of the residents believed that Alan had murdered her, and he became the object of widespread hatred and suspicion.
Alan famously met his end after being hit and killed by a Blackpool tram
Blackpool tramway
The Blackpool tramway runs from Blackpool to Fleetwood on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, England, and is the only surviving first-generation tramway in the United Kingdom. The tramway dates back to 1885 and is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world. It is run by Blackpool Transport as...
while chasing a distressed Rita across the tracks. 26.93 million viewers watched the character meet his untimely demise in 1989. As of 2010, it is the 9th most-watched UK broadcast of all time.
The first episode of series 2 of Phoenix Nights
Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights
Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights was a BAFTA-nominated English sitcom about The Phoenix Club, a working men's club in the northern English town of Farnworth, Greater Manchester. The show was written by Neil Fitzmaurice, Peter Kay and Dave Spikey, produced by Goodnight Vienna Productions and Ovation...
contains a visual reference to the death of Alan Bradley, where flowers with a sign 'In Memory of Alan' are tied to a lamp-post beside the tram line.
On 8 December 2009, Mark Eden unveiled a blue plaque to mark the 20 year anniversary of the screening of the famous Coronation Street episode. The plaque is located outside The Strand Hotel, North Promenade, Blackpool which was the venue chosen for the filming of much of the footage.