Becky McDonald

Becky McDonald (also Granger) is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Katherine Kelly. Becky was created by producer Tony Wood, and made her debut in the episode airing on 5 February 2006. Kelly was initially contracted to appear for three months, but became a series regular after impressing the serial's producers. In April 2011, Kelly announced her decision to leave the soap. Producer Phil Collinson created dramatic storylines in the build-up to her exit.

Becky's storylines focused on her friendship with Roy (David Neilson) and Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh), which helped change public opinion of the character, and her relationship with Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) and her marriage with Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), with the latter producing two wedding storylines which were highly publicised by ITV. Other notable storylines have included her drunken rampages, two miscarriages and her desire to adopt a child. Becky was portrayed as a no-nonsense character, whose time on the show has been described as a journey. Viewers saw her change from a "thieving ex-con" into a vulnerable woman. The character was praised by crime-reduction charity Nacro for changing opinions on former prisoners. She has been referred to as a "Coronation Street icon", and one of the serial's most popular characters, with critics often praising her activities. However, her tendency to smoke when under stress and litter the streets with cigarettes were criticised by UK environmental agencies. Kelly garnered various awards and nominations for her portrayal of Becky.

Becky was created as a short-term recurring character, working in the Underworld sewing factory. The character was deemed popular so producers decided to bring her back, with executive producer Steve Frost initially pitching the idea of bringing in her family, stating: "Becky will leave Weatherfield for a short period of time and shock the Street's residents when her relatives return with her." However, this never materialised and Becky returned without any relatives. It was also thought that producers were going to kill the character off, in her early stages.

Auditions were held for the role of Becky which required the auditionee to look deliberately scruffy. Actress Katherine Kelly commented: "I was told to turn up looking as crap as possible, with no make-up. But that morning I'd also been for an audition where I had to look really glamorous. So I sat on the Tube putting grease in my hair and wiping my make-up off with everyone looking at me. By the time I got there I looked a right state!". Kelly was initially only cast for a three-month period when she began filming in 2006, but impressed producers and was offered an extended contract as a regular character. On 17 June 2008, after further impressing the producers, Kelly was signed for an additional 12 months. In February 2009, Kelly again had her contract extended, securing her role in the soap until August 2011. However, in 2010 Kelly was signed to a new 18-month contract by new producer Phil Collinson, a contract which was described as "unprecedented" at the time.

The Daily Mirror's Beth Neil has observed that during her time on Coronation Street, Becky has morphed "from a thieving tearaway into a vulnerable young woman, clearly damaged from a troubled upbringing." Kelly has commented that Becky finds it hard to rely on others, as she is: "Very out of sorts, because she's a very independent, feisty sort of character." She has stated that she loves Becky's "trailer trash" appearance.

Becky is not an aspirational character, and she strives to be normal, satisfied with a "hard up lifestyle". She has changed since her early days, having calmed down a little in terms of her often out of control behaviour. Of this, Kelly comments: "If someone had said to me that in three years' time she'd be Becky McDonald and would be behind the bar in the Rovers, I wouldn't have believed it [...] When Becky first came in she was a totally different character, but she's calmed down a lot and her softer side has come out."

Over the course of the series, elements of Becky's backstory are revealed to the viewer. The character is stated to have been raised by an abusive, alcoholic mother until leaving home at the age of 14 after being raped by her mother's boyfriend. Becky was left to fend for herself until she was taken into care. Becky has mentioned living with numerous foster families, but stated that none of them were willing to adopt her as she was somewhat of a "wild child". Becky had a heavily disrupted education, having attended many schools, several of which she was expelled from.

Becky became the 50th barmaid at the Rovers Return Inn in June 2008. Kelly opined that the character's ex-con personality would give her an advantage behind the bar, explaining: "The previous producer, Steve Frost, loved the idea of a barmaid who could lose her temper and throw a punch. Becky's an ex-con so she can fight dirty like nobody else." The character's chain smoking tendencies often play out onscreen when she is experiencing stress, something which drew off-screen criticism for her disregard of littering the streets with her cigarette butts. ITV publicity has described Becky as having many different levels to her persona, stating that she loves drinking cider, and that she is not bothered by how she looks, though when she dresses up, she "dresses to the nines" with big earrings, gold rings, logo belts and hair pieces. She dislikes anyone ordering her about, as she cannot handle being told what to do.