Coronation Street has a long history of casting real-life family members, and fans were recently 'floored' to learn that two actors who appeared on the show years apart are actually mother and son. The revelation came after a fan posted about Sue Jenkins' stint as Gloria Todd in the 1980s, prompting others to point out that her son, Richard Fleeshman, played Craig Harris in the 2000s.
Real-Life Family Ties on the Cobbles
Isabella Flanagan plays Hope Stape, daughter of Fiz Brown (Jennie McAlpine), while her brother William portrays Joseph Brown, son of Chesney (Sam Aston). Their older sister Amelia Flanagan plays April Windsor on Emmerdale. Cousins Brooke Vincent and Ellie Leach have also had successful runs on the show, and Greg Wood (Rick Neelan) is the real-life brother of Matt Milburn (Tommy Orpington).
Richard Fleeshman's Corrie Journey
Richard Fleeshman first appeared as Craig Harris in 2002, part of the Harris family who arrived under witness protection. The family included father Tommy (Thomas Craig), mother Angela (Kathryn Hunt), and sister Katy (Lucy-Jo Hudson). Craig was central to dramatic storylines, including a romance with Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan) and plans to flee to Berlin. In 2006, Craig left the cobbles alone.
After Corrie, Richard appeared in Call the Midwife, Death in Paradise (as Taylor Fielding in 2024), and stage productions. His mother, Sue Jenkins, joined Corrie in 1985 as Gloria Todd, a regular at the Rovers Return, working alongside Julie Goodyear (Bet Lynch). She also played Jackie Corkhill in Brookside from 1992 to 2001 and appeared in Emmerdale in 2008 as Bonnie Drinkwater.
Fan Reactions to the Revelation
On X (formerly Twitter), fans expressed astonishment. One wrote: 'That's Richard Fleeshman's mum!' Another commented: 'Wow, all this time watching and I never knew that, I can see her son in that photo now.' A third added: 'Her real-life son played Craig Harris, son of Psycho Tommy!'
Richard Credits His Parents
Richard's father, David Fleeshman, appeared in Boys from the Blackstuff. In a 2024 appearance on Loose Women, Richard credited his parents for inspiring his career: 'I grew up with both of them being around the industry fully, so it was just everything I knew.' He also praised his mother's work on Brookside, saying, 'She was amazing in that show. I was allowed to watch certain episodes growing up.'
Coronation Street airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX.
