Ray Langton

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Ray Langton
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Neville Buswell as Ray Langton in 2005.
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Neville Buswell
Duration 1966, 1968–78, 2005
First appearance 21 February 1966
Last appearance 10 April 2005
Introduced by Peter Eckersley (1966)
Michael Cox (1968)
Tony Wood (2005)
Spin-off
appearances		 Viva Las Vegas! (1997)
Classification Former; regular
Profile
Occupation Wine Bar Owner
Pub landlord
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Ray as depicted in 1978.

Raymond Anthony "Ray" Langton was a character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. He was played by Neville Buswell.

Character history

Ray Langton was born at Number 2 Gas Street. Throughout his childhood, he was in trouble with the police most of the time. An ex-borstal boy, Ray built up a reputation as a troublemaker. He first appeared in the Street in 1966 but was forced out by Len Fairclough after he threatened Lucille Hewitt.

Nevertheless, Ray turned up again two years later and Len gave him a job at his building firm, and invited him to move into his bachelor pad at No.9. Ray hoped to go into business for himself but eventually settled for a partnership with Len and Jerry Booth. Ray's younger sister, Janice (Paula Wilcox), briefly came to stay in 1969.

Ray was a womaniser becoming involved with many women while living in the Street, including Sandra Butler, Audrey Fleming, Vicki Bright and Sue Silcock. In 1975 he married the yard's secretary Deirdre Hunt and they moved into No.5; their daughter Tracy was born in 1977. His roving eye soon led him into another affair however, with waitress Janice Stubbs. He ended the relationship before Deirdre found out, but the marriage ended anyway as Deirdre backed out of plans for the family's fresh start in the Netherlands, and Ray emigrated alone.

Ray absented himself for all of Tracy's early life, and divorced Deirdre. In 2005, he found out he had stomach cancer and decided to return to Weatherfield and make amends with Tracy before he died. After getting to know Tracy and her daughter Amy, Ray died at Deirdre and Ken Barlow's wedding reception at the Rovers.

In 1978, Ray began an affair with waitress Janice Strubbs and was found out by Deirdre so ended the affair. He then made plans to move to the Netherlands for a new life and wanted Deirdre and Tracy to come with him and she initially agreed but changed her mind at the last minute so Ray left the street alone for a new life, leaving Deirdre behind to raise Tracy. However, Ray did keep in contact most of the time and even sent Tracy presents, but this died down over the years. He later contacted Deirdre as he wanted a divorce as he had a new partner and she was pregnant with his child. Ray divorced from his second wife sometime around 2000.

When he discovered he had stomach cancer in 2005, he returned to Weatherfield to look for Tracy so he could make amends, arriving on the day of Ken and Deirdre's second wedding and hit baby Amy Barlow's pram. He met Deirdre, Blanche and Ken, at the hospital and realised that Amy was his granddaughter and that Tracy was her mother. Ray told everyone that he had stomach cancer and was dying plus he and his second wife had been divorced for 5 years. He began lodging with Emily Bishop who took him in to help him out. Tracy eventually softened towards her dad, and Ray later attended Ken and Deirdre's wedding and wished the couple well. During the reception in the Rovers Return, Ray had died of his illness, much to the distress of Tracy.

Real world history

Ray Langton's departure in 1978 came due to Neville Buswell qutting acting and later leaving to work in Las Vegas. However, he returned in 2005 for a brief stint, 27 years since he portrayed the character.

Neville Buswell is the third cast member to have the longest break in Coronation Street, which is a 27 Year absence from 1978 to 2005. The actor in the show who currently has the record for the longest break is Philip Lowrie who played Dennis Tanner and was absent for 43 years.

Other appearances

  • Ray made a brief cameo appearance in Viva Las Vegas!, a VHS spin-off released in 1998, as Buswell was living in Las Vegas at the time. In the storyline Ray is working as a barman and unexpectedly meets Vera Duckworth (Elizabeth Dawn), who is holidaying there. When Vera brings him up to date on some of the things that have happened in Weatherfield since his departure, Ray assumes she must be joking, and responds by telling her he's now married to a man and is hiding from his evil twin.

References

External links

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