Jerry Morton
Encyclopedia
Jerry Morton, played by Michael Starke
, is a fictional character
on the ITV
soap opera
Coronation Street
. He was introduced in March 2007. It was announced in April 2008 that Jerry and the rest of the Mortons would leave the show later in 2008.
soap Brookside
, would be joining the cast of Coronation Street as part of a new family, the Mortons. Jerry Morton — the single father of four children — was being introduced as the owner of a fast food takeaway restaurant. The family has been described as "a brash bunch" and it was reported that a "lot of thought [went] into making them a hit family with the viewers...Everyone is always excited when a new character comes into the show but a whole family gives the writers opportunities and we're sure viewers will love the Mortons.... There’ll be some explosive episodes as the Mortons work their way into the hearts, minds and pockets of Weatherfield’s finest. They’re loud, brash and fun and will bring madness and mayhem to the cobbles." The rest of the Mortons are Jerry's eldest daughter Jodie (Samantha Seager
); his teenage twins Darryl and Mel (Jonathan Dixon
and Emma Edmondson
); youngest Kayleigh (Jessica Barden
); and Grandad Morton (Rodney Litchfield
).
Commenting on the role, actor Michael Starke said, "There are going to be parallels between them and other families but the show is so unique I'm hoping we'll create our own niche". He has revealed that getting the part on Coronation Street at this stage in his career was "a dream... I pinch myself every morning. I think how many people would like to be playing my character? I'm the luckiest actor I know".
Jerry Morton has been described as "a hard-working man who dotes on his family and has no qualms on dodging the taxman." In an interview, actor Michael Starke has said that Jerry is very outgoing, pushy and totally in charge of his family, "what he says goes." He goes on to say "His kids are the be-all-and-end-all and he'll do anything to support them and keep them going. He has his own set of morals in that respect.... He's not a put upon character... he's a go-getter. He thinks he's a lot younger than he is and he's got an idea of himself that no one else has - that's his talent, he uses it to the best of his ability."
with his family in March 2007, moving in and opening a new takeaway shop on the street. He immediately clashed with next door neighbour Gail Platt
as he was constantly playing his music and full volume. He relied heavily upon his eldest daughter Jodie to care for his younger children - Darryl
, Mel
, Kayleigh
and Finlay - and to run his kebab shop for him, leading to her departure in November that year. He began a romance with Eileen Grimshaw
, which ended after several months when she told him she felt she was becoming a surrogate mother to his children, and had no desire to assume that role.
Jerry suffered a heart attack in May 2008, prompting daughter Kayleigh to contact his estranged wife Teresa Bryant
. At first Jerry was horrified to see her but eventually conceded that he needed her help. Teresa moved in with the family, much to Mel's displeasure, though swiftly began to outstay her welcome. In a bid to ensure Jerry would not force her to leave, she took control of his medication and began keeping him deliberately ill, forcing him to rely on her. By August 2008, Teresa's tampering had taken its toll and Jerry collapsed, banging his head on the coffee table as he fell and rendering himself unconscious. He was transported to hospital, where his family were informed there was a possibility he may die, though Jerry soon came round at the beginning of September and Teresa later confessed to Jerry. He was horrified by her betrayal. Jerry now refuses to see his divorced wife Teresa, this eventually led to Mel arresting Teresa for attempted murder.
On 26 September 2008 Jerry told his family that he would like it for them all to move to Spain
. After the scandal with Teresa he yearned for a new start for the sake of his kids and his health. Mel turned down the chance due to her recent qualification as a police officer and Darryl did not want to leave his friends and wanted to run the chip/kebab shop. Disappointed about their decisions but fully understanding, he left Coronation Street on 29 September 2008 with his younger children Kayleigh and Finlay bound for a new life.
On November 14, Dev Alahan
phoned Jerry in Spain and made him an offer on the Kebab shop and within a week their transaction was completed. On the day the sale of Kebab shop went through, it was revealed Jerry had rented Number 6 to Eddie
, Anna
and Gary Windass
much to the chagrin of Darryl and Teresa.
Michael Starke (actor)
Michael Starke , is a British actor best known for his role as Thomas 'Sinbad' Sweeney which he played for 16 years in the soap opera Brookside...
, is a fictional character
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...
on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
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 introduced in March 2007. It was announced in April 2008 that Jerry and the rest of the Mortons would leave the show later in 2008.
Character creation and development
In February 2007, it was announced in various British media, that actor Michael Starke, best known for playing Thomas "Sinbad" Sweeney in the Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
, would be joining the cast of Coronation Street as part of a new family, the Mortons. Jerry Morton — the single father of four children — was being introduced as the owner of a fast food takeaway restaurant. The family has been described as "a brash bunch" and it was reported that a "lot of thought [went] into making them a hit family with the viewers...Everyone is always excited when a new character comes into the show but a whole family gives the writers opportunities and we're sure viewers will love the Mortons.... There’ll be some explosive episodes as the Mortons work their way into the hearts, minds and pockets of Weatherfield’s finest. They’re loud, brash and fun and will bring madness and mayhem to the cobbles." The rest of the Mortons are Jerry's eldest daughter Jodie (Samantha Seager
Samantha Seager
Samantha Seager is a British born actress from Atherton, near Wigan, England who played the role of Jodie Morton in the soap opera Coronation Street....
); his teenage twins Darryl and Mel (Jonathan Dixon
Jonathan Dixon (actor)
Jonathan Dixon is a British television actor, best known for playing playground bully Matthew "Mooey" Humphries in long-running CBBC show Grange Hill....
and Emma Edmondson
Emma Edmondson
Emma Edmondson is a British television actress, best known for playing Mel Morton in Coronation Street.She is currently appearing in Manchester-based soap opera Coronation Street playing one of the members of the Morton family, Mel Morton. She joined the soap in March 2007...
); youngest Kayleigh (Jessica Barden
Jessica Barden
Jessica Barden is an English actress who was a regular cast member on Coronation Street.In 2007 it was announced that she would play the part of Kayleigh Morton on the ITV Soap Opera Coronation Street...
); and Grandad Morton (Rodney Litchfield
Rodney Litchfield
Rodney Litchfield is an English actor born in Wigan, Lancashire.Litchfield's first TV appearances were in the 1980's, the first of which was the episode "First Leg" of the British drama Travelling Man....
).
Commenting on the role, actor Michael Starke said, "There are going to be parallels between them and other families but the show is so unique I'm hoping we'll create our own niche". He has revealed that getting the part on Coronation Street at this stage in his career was "a dream... I pinch myself every morning. I think how many people would like to be playing my character? I'm the luckiest actor I know".
Jerry Morton has been described as "a hard-working man who dotes on his family and has no qualms on dodging the taxman." In an interview, actor Michael Starke has said that Jerry is very outgoing, pushy and totally in charge of his family, "what he says goes." He goes on to say "His kids are the be-all-and-end-all and he'll do anything to support them and keep them going. He has his own set of morals in that respect.... He's not a put upon character... he's a go-getter. He thinks he's a lot younger than he is and he's got an idea of himself that no one else has - that's his talent, he uses it to the best of his ability."
2007–2008
Jerry arrived in Coronation StreetCoronation 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...
with his family in March 2007, moving in and opening a new takeaway shop on the street. He immediately clashed with next door neighbour Gail Platt
Gail Platt
Gail McIntyre is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Helen Worth, the character first appeared on screen on 12 July 1974...
as he was constantly playing his music and full volume. He relied heavily upon his eldest daughter Jodie to care for his younger children - Darryl
Darryl Morton
Darryl Morton is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by former Grange Hill actor Jonathan Dixon, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 18 March 2007.-Background:...
, Mel
Mel Morton
Melanie "Mel" Jade Morton is a fictional character from the long-running UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character was portrayed by Emma Edmondson from the character's inception into the episode airing on 18 March 2007 until her departure on 3 October 2008.-Casting:During the...
, Kayleigh
Kayleigh Morton
Kayleigh Morton is a fictional character on the British soap-opera Coronation Street. She is a member of the Morton family and lived at No. 6 with the rest of her family, until her father Jerry moved the family to Spain...
and Finlay - and to run his kebab shop for him, leading to her departure in November that year. He began a romance with Eileen Grimshaw
Eileen Grimshaw
Eileen Grimshaw, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by Sue Cleaver, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 3 May 2000....
, which ended after several months when she told him she felt she was becoming a surrogate mother to his children, and had no desire to assume that role.
Jerry suffered a heart attack in May 2008, prompting daughter Kayleigh to contact his estranged wife Teresa Bryant
Teresa Bryant
Teresa Bryant , is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Karen Henthorn. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 28 March 2007...
. At first Jerry was horrified to see her but eventually conceded that he needed her help. Teresa moved in with the family, much to Mel's displeasure, though swiftly began to outstay her welcome. In a bid to ensure Jerry would not force her to leave, she took control of his medication and began keeping him deliberately ill, forcing him to rely on her. By August 2008, Teresa's tampering had taken its toll and Jerry collapsed, banging his head on the coffee table as he fell and rendering himself unconscious. He was transported to hospital, where his family were informed there was a possibility he may die, though Jerry soon came round at the beginning of September and Teresa later confessed to Jerry. He was horrified by her betrayal. Jerry now refuses to see his divorced wife Teresa, this eventually led to Mel arresting Teresa for attempted murder.
On 26 September 2008 Jerry told his family that he would like it for them all to move to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. After the scandal with Teresa he yearned for a new start for the sake of his kids and his health. Mel turned down the chance due to her recent qualification as a police officer and Darryl did not want to leave his friends and wanted to run the chip/kebab shop. Disappointed about their decisions but fully understanding, he left Coronation Street on 29 September 2008 with his younger children Kayleigh and Finlay bound for a new life.
On November 14, Dev Alahan
Dev Alahan
Devendra 'Dev' Alahan is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Jimmi Harkishin, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 10 November 1999.-Character development:...
phoned Jerry in Spain and made him an offer on the Kebab shop and within a week their transaction was completed. On the day the sale of Kebab shop went through, it was revealed Jerry had rented Number 6 to Eddie
Eddie Windass
Edward "Eddie" Windass is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Steve Huison, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 14 November 2008. On 5 December 2010, it was announced that Eddie is to leave Coronation Street...
, Anna
Anna Windass
Anna Windass is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Debbie Rush, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 14 November 2008.-Creation and casting:...
and Gary Windass
Gary Windass
Gary Windass is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Mikey North, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 14 November 2008.-Background:...
much to the chagrin of Darryl and Teresa.