Tyrone Dobbs
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Alan Halsall
Introduced by	Brian Park
Duration	1998–
First appearance	30 November 1998
Classification	Present; regular
Book appearances	Coronation Street: The Complete Saga
Profile
Date of birth	15 December 1982
Home	9 Coronation Street
Occupation	Mechanic (1999–) Garage co-owner (2010–)
Family Wife Molly Compton (2009–10) Father Darren Dobbs Mother Jackie Dobbs Daughters Ruby Dobbs Stepsons Jack Webster (2010)

Tyrone Sylvester Dobbs is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Alan Halsall, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 30 November 1998 and is still a cast member 14 years later.^[1]

Contents 1 Development 1.1 Casting 2 Storylines 2.1 1998–2008 2.2 2009– 3 Reception 4 References 5 External links

Development

Casting

During an interview with Alan Halsall, the actor revealed that he likes characters to develop in different ways. Halsall stated he enjoys the experience of the character's various relationships, especially as it differs with each one, notably his character's partnership with Molly's auntie Pam. The actor confirmed that he was pleased to see Tyrone involved in more storylines, feeling that his character was underused for a long period of time. He also claimed interest in the aspect of a wedding.^[2] Alan Halsall contradicted statements that Tyrone and Molly were the new Jack and Vera, claiming it impossible for him to fill.^[3] The actor revealed that he would be pleased to see Margi Clarke as Tyrone's on-screen mother full-time on the show.^[4]

Storylines

1998–2008

The character arrives on Coronation Street with his mother, Jackie (Margi Clarke), in 1998. Upon his arrival, it becomes clear that Tyrone has been in minor trouble with the police. He is employed by Curly Watts (Kevin Kennedy) collecting trolleys at a supermarket but loses his job when he accidentally pushes a trolley into the area manager's new car. Following this, Tyrone trains as an apprentice mechanic at the local garage, Webster's Auto Centre, owned by Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell). After his mother abandons him, Tyrone moves into Jack (William Tarmey) and Vera Duckworth's (Elizabeth Dawn) bed and breakfast establishment and adopts a greyhound, Monica.

Whilst seeking a partner for Monica, Tyrone meets and began dating Maria Sutherland (Samia Smith), a kennel maid, and they became engaged in 2002. Fiz Brown (Jennie McAlpine), however, tries coming between them. Having ended his relationship with Maria, Tyrone finds himself better suited to kennel maid Molly Compton (Vicky Binns). Whilst they live with Jack and Vera at number 9, they plan to move out but buy the property when Jack and Vera decide to move to Blackpool. Vera, however, dies of heart failure in January 2008. Jack stays with Tyrone and Molly at Number 9 and the family atmosphere is soon enhanced with the arrival of Molly's aunt, Pam Hobsworth (Kate Anthony).

Jack, in an attempt to encourage Tyrone to propose to Molly, gives him Vera's engagement ring. Tyrone books a table at a fancy restaurant but is upstaged by a much flashier proposal before he can pop the question. Several days later, Pam suggests that Tyrone put a ring in a decorative egg with a voice recorder. When Tyrone opens the egg at Rovers, instead of a recording asking Molly to marry him, Kirk Sutherland (Andrew Whyment) is heard, asking how it works. Tyrone runs out in shame. Jack and Kirk follow and Jack tells him that the moments that don't go as planned are often happier than the moments which do. Tyrone decides to try again and returns to find a burger van decorated in Christmas lights and with a table in front. When Tyrone opens the egg to propose, Molly opens an egg of her own, with a recording of her saying, "Of course, you great nana." The following month, Tyrone decides to visit his estranged mother. They discover that Jackie is £1,000 in debt and owes his father's friend money. Tyrone and Molly decide to help, much to their despair, as they'd planned to use it for Molly's wedding dress. On discovering that Jackie has scammed them, Tyrone tells her that she isn't welcome at the wedding.

Tyrone's job is later in jeopardy with Tony Gordon's (Gray O'Brien) attempts to sabotage Kevin's business. As a result of this Tyrone decides to earn some extra cash by volunteering to test out products for a medical research company until Kevin asks him to buy half the business, Tyrone agrees and they are now co-owners so the garage can stay open for business. Tyrone begins selling knock-off merchandise with Pam, in order to afford to give Molly her preferred wedding.

2009–

On his stag night, Tyrone is roped into selling merchandise for Pam but almost misses the ceremony, due to being arrested and handcuffed by Dave in a pub, en route to the wedding. He arrives, albeit late, at the church but faints soon after exchanging vows. He later finds out that the policeman who has "arrested" him was in fact Pam's ex-boyfriend, who fooled Jack, Kirk and Tyrone that he was a policeman. Nonetheless, the trio pay up to "release" Tyrone under the pretext that Tyrone would have to hand himself in at a police station after the wedding ceremony. Soon after, Kevin decided to offer Tyrone a half-share in the garage as an incentive to continue working there despite the fact the business has begun failing due to Tony Gordon sabotaging it in order to force Kevin to sell. Tyrone agrees, and the garage's business soon recovers.

Following their wedding, Jackie forces the couple to allow her to stay, offering to help Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard) with the reception in the Rovers, and steals the couple's honeymoon tickets. Pam then suggests that they go to Blackpool instead, much to Tyrone's enthusiasm, but Molly's dismay. In summer 2009, Molly becomes impatient with Tyrone when Jack makes friends with a woman called Connie. Tyrone, feeling that Jack is trying to replace Vera, is hostile to Connie and believes she is a gold-digger after Jack's money until Connie invites Jack, Tyrone and Molly to her house. The size of the house proves that Connie doesn't need Jack's money as she has more than enough of her own. During this time, Kevin and Molly start training for a fun run together, and Kevin develops feelings for Molly and persuades her to start an affair with him. At one point, Tyrone becomes suspicious of Molly's changes in behaviour but Kevin persuades him that Molly would "never" cheat on him. Trying to cover her tracks, Molly accuses Tyrone on cheating on her with Minnie Chandra (Poppy Jhakra).

In January 2010, after just a year of marriage, Molly tells Tyrone that their marriage is over, leaving him confused and inconsolable. He mistakenly believes that Molly has been having an affair with her boss, Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin), after she moves into the corner shop flat and attacks him on the Street. However, in March, Molly faints at work and learns that she is four months pregnant. Unaware of her affair with Kevin, Tyrone assumes that he is the baby's father and he persuades Molly to give their marriage another go. In April, Molly and Tyrone discover, after a 4D scan, that Molly is expecting a baby boy. The couple are subsequently involved in a car crash on their way to visit Molly's father, Diggory (Eric Potts). Tyrone loses control of the car as they drive through the country. Luckily, they survive but are worried about the baby until a scan shows that he is also fine. In September, Molly gives birth to a baby boy, whom they name Jack, with Tyrone unaware that Kevin is the baby's father. Tyrone's joy at being a father is dashed when a month later Jack Duckworth reveals that he has an incurable form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and only has weeks to live. Tyrone is devastated as Jack has been a father figure to him. When Jack dies peacefully on 8 November, it leaves Tyrone devastated. At Jack's funeral, Tyrone gives a moving eulogy and later scatters his ashes.

On 6 December 2010, Molly finally tells Tyrone that she had an affair and he is not Jack's father after Kevin stole one of Jack's dummies and used it to get a DNA test done. Tyrone is shocked and turns to Sally Webster (Sally Dynevor) for help. He is concerned when Molly and Jack are trapped in the Corner Shop when a tram crashes into it and Jack emerges first from the wreckage and Tyrone goes with him to the hospital. Whilst there, Kevin sends Tyrone back to check on Molly and is inconsolable to discover that Molly died. When Tyrone visits Jack in hospital, he sees Kevin and tells him that he will kill whoever tore his family apart. At Molly's funeral, Tyrone breaks down while giving the eulogy and asks for support. Sophie prompts Kevin to finish the eulogy but a furious Sally cannot listen and walks out of the church, leaving Tyrone puzzled. After overhearing Sally and Kevin arguing, he realises that Kevin is Jack's father and attacks him at the graveside, knocking him into Molly's grave.

When Tyrone comes home, he asks to be alone but Sally later returns baby Jack to him, persuading him that he is the only father Jack knows and that he should raise him regardless. Eventually, he agrees and takes Jack however finds himself totally unable to accept the baby feeling that he is a living reminder of Molly and Kevin's betrayal and hands him over to Kevin permanently. On Christmas Eve, he decides to make a fresh start by "getting drunk and going sober". Kevin tries to persuade him to keep Jack but Tyrone insists he doesn't want anything to do with either of them. Tyrone spends Christmas Day with Maria, Kirk and Liam. On New Year's Eve 2010, he sees in the new year with Sally, both feeling that 2011 has to be better than 2010. Despite his utter hatred of Kevin at this point, Tyrone is unwilling to walk away from his investment at the garage and continues working there.

However, 2011 is anything but better: in early January, Kevin learns they spent two nights in a row together. Kevin begins to suspect something happened between then and, when Sally doesn't correct him, he attacks Tyrone, cracking his lip. Then, in February, Tyrone and Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) date briefly but break up as they feel they don't love each other. In March, Tyrone is absolutely incensed when Kevin wins £200,000 on a scratchcard, feeling he has no right to it, luck or not, and eager to make Kevin's life difficult deliberately tells Sally just before she signs the divorce papers. In return, she buys him a drink in gratitude.

His year improves when Jack's grandson, Tommy Duckworth (Chris Fountain), comes looking for Jack: Tyrone has to reveal that Jack died a few months before and the two bond, as Tommy moves in. However, his life goes downhill in mid-May: on the 19th, Kevin orders a new hydraulic car ramp for the garage and won't let Tyrone use it. The next day, when Tyrone sees Kevin sack Tommy (Tyrone gave him a job at the garage), and head off on a call-out, Tyrone loses it and whacks the ramp with a 32-inch spanner eight times, before storming to the Rovers. However, Tyrone is unaware that he has broken the hydraulic pipe and it collapses on Kev, crushing him. He calls for help and Tyrone and Tommy pull him out, just as the ambulance arrives. Tyrone, in shock, gets drunk in the Rovers and realises that he nearly killed Kevin but Kevin assumes Tommy damaged the hydraulic ramp because he was angry at being sacked so Tyrone confesses. Kevin is angry but understands why Tyrone did it and they call a truce so they can work together. Tyrone, while he won't forgive or forget, agrees as the garage and the house are all he has left. The truce holds but it doesn't stop Tyrone winding up Kevin at every opportunity.

In September 2011, Tyrone and Tommy go to a bar in town and Tommy pays an attractive girl to flirt with Tyrone to boost his self-esteem. The young woman, Kirsty Soames (Natalie Gumede), actually enjoys Tyrone's company and they swap numbers. Tyrone is euphoric after this but Tommy feels guilty, fearing that Kirsty was only nice because he'd paid her. Tommy wants to come clean when she phones Tyrone and they arrange a date and Kirsty feels that they could build a relationship and soon, they fall in love. However, the first time Kirsty suggests spending the night together, Tyrone panics over Molly's death and Kirsty reassures him that they can wait until he is ready. Tyrone is grateful and buys her a new mobile phone as a way of saying thank you.

Although he decides he loves Kirsty, he is stunned when she reveals she is a policewoman. Tyrone is both proud but nervous, worrying about everything he says in front of Kirsty. However, Kirsty soon shows her jealous streak when she warns him off Fiz Stape (Jenny McAlpine) because she has spent time in prison on remand for her husband's crimes. Kirsty tells Tyrone that because she is a policewoman, she can't be around people who have been in trouble with the law or she could lose her job. Tyrone agrees to keep his distance from Fiz but is shocked because he didn't think Kirsty minded. The situation with Kirsty and Tyrone's friends worsens. Kirsty has several run-ins with Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) and Tyrone overhears Kirsty threatening her. Forced to choose, Tyrone picks Tina. Later, Kirsty comes to see Tyrone but Tina won't let her into the house and she storms off in a huff but waits in her police car. Later, Tina insists Tyrone go with her for a curry. Kirsty follows them and Tina, furious, decides to confront her at the police station. Just as they are about to arrive at the station, Tina brakes sharply at a red light and Kirsty, unable to stop in time, smashes into the back of Tyrone's car and is knocked unconscious. At the hospital, Tyrone is stunned to learn that Kirsty is pregnant. Torn between his anger at Kirsty's lies and his desire to have a family, he invites her to move back in with him and Tina moves out to share with Jason and Tommy.

Kirsty later helps Tyrone expose a crooked local councillor but loses her job with the police so Tyrone gets her a job at the factory but rather than being pleased with her boyfriend's initiative, she hits him and Tyrone storms out. He later tells her that his mother used to hit him. Tommy persuades Tyrone to lend him £9,000 to get his father, Terry, out of a loan shark's clutches but Terry leaves with the money, leaving his son to face the music.

Tyrone organises a party for Kirsty's 30th birthday, despite knowing that she does not want a fuss. He secretly invites her parents, unaware that she and her father do not get on. Kirsty is polite to her parents until her father learns that she is six months' pregnant, engaged to be married and has lost her job in the police force. He storms out, shouting at his wife to go with him, ruining the party and causing Kirsty to lose her temper and attack Tyrone, pinning him up against a wall when he tries to leave the room. Horrified that she has hurt him again, he leaves and Kirsty packs her bags, feeling that she is turning into her father. Tyrone asks her to stay and she opens up to him about her past, telling him about the abuse she suffered at her father's hands and swears she will never hurt him again, Tyrone warns her this is her last chance. Fiz and the factory girls throw a baby shower for Kirsty but Kirsty believes that Tyrone still has feelings for Fiz and orders him to never speak to her again. He then finds her having packed her bags without telling him. She leaves him saying she cannot stay with him any longer. Tyrone is distraught and his friend Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) tries to support him but says that he is better off without her. Angry about everyone speculating about Kirsty's whereabouts, Tyrone eventually publicises that she has left him and will never return. Kirsty's colleague Beth Tinker (Lisa George) speculates that Tyrone and Tina had been having an affair explaining the reason why Kirsty has left him. Tyrone takes his anger out on everyone who gets in his way, like Fiz's brother, Chesney Brown (Sam Aston), who is unhappy that Tyrone is refusing to fix his van as it is written off, however they reconcile.

Whilst Tyrone was teaching a Nikki, that was on a double date with her friend Sam who was on a date with Dev, to play darts, Kirsty walks in and wrongly assumes that he's having an affair. She storms out, but Tyrone tells her straight that she's never in the wrong. Kirsty accepts that he deserves an explanation. She said that she thought he would be better off without her, but came back when Tommy convinced her to. After Tina begged him not to get back with Kirsty, she threatens to leave, but Tyrone convinces that he doesn't care what people think of her and they stay together. Tina tells Tommy of Kirsty's abuse to Tyrone.

The next day, Tyrone scalded his hand in hot water and Kirsty bandaged it. Tina assumed that Kirsty has beaten him up again, but Tyrone convinces her it was the truth. When Kirsty accuses Tyrone and Tina of having an affair, Tommy intervened and told her that he knew what she had done. Tyrone was furious at Tina for telling him. Kirsty, angry and upset, threatened to leave again unless Tyrone explains everything. After Kirsty gave him an ultimatum between her and Tommy and Tina, he chose Kirsty and she stays. When Tina and Tommy tried to talk to him again, Tyrone fires Tommy from his job, telling him he only wants to see him when he's paying out his loan repayments to him. Tommy told the whole pub about it, but it backfired when Tyrone told everyone about him selling drugs in the garage.

After Tommy's accident with the van, he makes up with Tommy, saying that there's no rush of paying back the money. However, the peace was short-lived when he found out that Tina had pushed Kirsty, causing her to go into labour. They have a daughter, named Ruby. Tommy and Tina tried to make up, but to no avail.

When he found out that Kirsty was smashing the house up, he assumed that he had hurt Ruby, even though Kirsty convinces him that she didn't. He told Fiz about the abuse, who convinces him to leave her and talk to her counsellor about it. However, when he rang her, she hadn't been to see her counsellor at all. He confronts Kirsty about it, saying that he has given up on her.

When he took Ruby for a walk, he saw Alison, Kirsty's mother, who has left her abusive husband, Ed, and convinces her to stay at their house as he believes it's the solution to their problem. Kirsty was against it, as she knew what her father would do. Ed, Kirsty's father, came storming into the house, looking for Alison (who was hiding in the back garden). Both Tyrone and Kirsty kicked him out. However, the next day, Ruby was missing. After they looked everywhere, they saw Ed with Ruby. After Kirsty convinces him to give back Ruby, he told Alison to come back home with him. Kirsty tries to talk her out of it, but she said it was for the best. Tyrone physically threw Ed out, which led to a fight out on the street. Kirsty threw a candlestick at Tyrone that night for allowing her parents in their happy family.

The next day, Tyrone wants Kirsty out of his house and Ruby to stay. However, Kirsty fires back, saying that Ruby isn't his daughter. When registering Ruby's birth, she left his name off the certificate meaning he has no rights and Kirsty can leave with her if she wants. Tyrone was furious and consulted Fiz about it. She spoke to her solicitor, saying that he needs to claim parental rights which will need a DNA test and Kirsty's permission, which Tyrone declines, as he knows Kirsty will not allow it. Feeling that he is now trapped in the relationship, he tells Kirsty that the only solution now is for her to go back to work and Tyrone staying at home looking after Ruby, to which Kirsty agrees to. Tyrone then goes to Kevin and asks for a year off work to care for Ruby. Kevin is very unhappy with the request, but agrees nonetheless.

When Kirsty goes back to work, Tyrone starts taking Ruby to a play group where he befriends a mother named Angela. When Kirsty finds a text on Tyrone's phone from Angela, asking him to come to her daughter's birthday party, she gets jealous and asks Tyrone to stop going to the playgroup. Fiz finds out and confronts Kirsty about it. Angry that Fiz is meddling in her business, Kirsty tampers with Fiz's sewing machine, causing the sewing needle to severely puncture Fiz's fingers. Kirsty alludes to Fiz that she was the one who tampered with the machine, but when Fiz tells Tyrone, he doesn't believe her. Fiz reports the physical assault to the police and they question Kirsty at work. Furious, Kirsty storms into Fiz's house and physically assaults her, not realizing that Tyrone is hiding in Fiz's kitchen.

Realising she can't trust Tyrone because of numerous texts from Fiz, she takes his keys and phone with her the next day at work. After Tyrone finds out, Kirsty beats him up again, kicking him in the stomach. This time, she shows no remorse and demands an apology from Tyrone, who eventually did. He couldn't take any more of it, and plans to flee with Ruby, however, Fiz and Tommy stopped him and told him that the only way to get parental rights is to marry Kirsty. Tyrone strongly disagreed with the idea, but after some persuasion from Fiz, he agrees to go along with it. Kirsty overhears Fiz and Tommy talking about Tyrone and starts to feel jealous once again, accusing her of interfering with Tyrone. Fiz, angry at Kirsty, fought her, which had to restrained by Michelle and Rob. Fiz admits to fancying Tyrone, which leads her to get sacked from Underworld.

Things got settled for Kirsty and Tyrone again. At Tyrone's birthday, Fiz and Tyrone sneaked in the house and they started an affair. However, when Kirsty came back with Emily to babysit Ruby, Fiz was forced to hide. Whilst Kirsty and Tyrone went to the Rovers, Fiz quietly walked out whilst Emily was asleep, not realising that she dropped her birthday card from Tyrone, in which Emily picked up and put it near the other cards. Kirsty saw this and was furious again, realising that Tyrone was seeing Fiz. She slammed the door on Tyrone's arm repeatedly, bruising him. Kirsty feels guilty for her actions, and wants to call off the wedding because of it, however Tyrone assures her that the wedding will go on.

On the day of Kirsty and Tyrone's stag-do/hen party, Kirsty had a look through Fiz and Tyrone's conversation and was angry and upset that they were having an affair. She hatches a plan and invited Fiz to the wedding, despite all the aggro caused between them both. On the day of the wedding, everything went well up until their vows. Kirsty stops the wedding and reveals the affair of Fiz in front of everyone. Fiz convinced Tyrone to tell everyone what she was like, but Tyrone refuses to and still insists on marrying Kirsty. Kirsty, refusing to believe it, snatches Ruby and walked out of the altar. Tyrone went back home and immediately thought that Kirsty and Ruby have ran away. However, Kirsty came back home later on and demands an explanation from Tyrone. At last, Tyrone stands up for himself and rallies her about all the time that she's been hitting him. Kirsty then admits that the relationship isn't working and offers to leave, but Tyrone said that he'll go but wants to take Ruby with him of which she angrily refuses. After another row, Kirsty was about to hit Tyrone, but she lost her footing and fell down the stairs. Eileen and Paul assume that Tyrone pushed her and she was sent to hospital. Fiz stayed with Tyrone and convinced him to fight for Ruby. However, their happiness was short-lived when the police came knocking for him and arrested him for domestic abuse (after Kirsty told them that Tyrone had been hitting her). A social worker took Ruby and a devastated Tyrone was loaded into the police van, while a distraught Fiz looks on. Afterwards, he is released on bail and he is trying to see Ruby, but Kirsty threatens to stop him from doing so after he rejects her begs for forgiveness. In desperation, he kidnaps Ruby with Fiz and Hope to Wales. However, after Fiz calls the police, Tyrone is arrested for child abduction and charged with the assault on Kirsty.

On 29 March 2013, during Tyrone's trial, Kirsty walks into court with Ruby and confesses that she is the real abuser, not Tyrone. After this revelation, Tyrone is freed and Kirsty is sent to prison.

Reception

For his portrayal of Tyrone, Halsall was nominated in the category of "Most Popular Newcomer" at the 1999 National Television Awards.^[5] On Digital Spy's 2012 end of year reader poll, Halsall was nominated for "Best Male Soap Actor" and came second with 18.2% of the vote.^[6] Tyrone's domestic abuse storyline with Kirsty won Best Storyline with 28.3% of votes.^[6] In 2013, Halsall won the award for "Best Dramatic Male Performance" for his portrayal of Tyrone.

References

External links

• Tyrone Dobbs at itv.com