Coronation Street star Dennis Tanner back 43 years on
Actor Philip Lowrie, one of Coronation Street's original cast members, is to return to the show 43 years after his last appearance.
Lowrie played Dennis Tanner, the wayward son of Elsie Tanner, in the soap's first episode in 1960 and remained in the show for eight years.
ITV described Tanner, who was written out when he married and moved away, as "the original Corrie bad lad".
Lowrie, 74, will start filming in March and will be seen on screen from May.
In the first episode, broadcast in December 1960, Tanner had recently been released from prison and was seen arguing with his mother over his reluctance to get a job.
He was also seen in the Rovers Return antagonising Ken Barlow, played by William Roache - the only actor to have remained in the show throughout its history.
After his character was written out, Lowrie became a regular in theatre and had a string of roles on TV, including a number of appearances in Victoria Wood shows.
The soap recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, when it became the world's longest-running TV soap opera.