List of Coronation Street characters introduced in 2018

Coronation Street is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters introduced in 2018, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by series producer Kate Oates or her successor, Iain MacLeod. The first character to be introduced is Josh Tucker (Ryan Clayton), the rapist of David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd), in January. Gail Rodwell's (Helen Worth) clairvoyant Rosemary Piper (Sophie Thompson), Liz McDonald's (Beverley Callard) new love interest Mike Thornberry (Louis Emerick), school bully Tyler Jefferies (Will Barnett) and Geoff Metcalfe (Ian Bartholomew), Tim Metcalfe's (Joe Duttine) father, joined the show in March. April saw Emma Brooker (Alexandra Mardell), a new love interest for David, and Kayla Clifton (Mollie Winnard), a character introduced to continue Bethany Platt's (Lucy Fallon) sexual exploitation storyline, make their first appearances, while the year's first birth, Susie Price, daughter of Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward) and Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley), also took place this month. Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) made his first appearance in May for a guest stint, before returning to the serial regularly in January 2019. Mr Fitzgerald (Adam Weafer) appeared in July. Sally Metcalfe's (Sally Dynevor) lawyer Paula Martin (Stirling Gallacher) joined the cast in August, while Liz and Jim McDonald's (Charles Lawson) fraudulent "daughter" Hannah Gilmore (Hannah Ellis Ryan), Tyrone Dobbs' (Alan Halsall) long-lost grandmother Evelyn Plummer (Maureen Lipman) and Tyler's mother Vicky Jefferies (Kerri Quinn) were introduced in September. Elsa Tilsley (Kelly Harrison), Nick Tilsley's (Ben Price) secret wife, joined the cast in November.

Josh Tucker, played by Ryan Clayton, made his first appearance on 26 January 2018. Details about the character were announced in early December 2017. Clayton's casting was announced on 16 January 2018. In July 2018, Clayton was longlisted for the "Best Bad Boy" award at the Inside Soap Awards. He did not progress to the viewer-voted shortlist. Clayton filmed his final scenes later in the year and Josh departs in episode 9575, first broadcast on 1 October 2018.

In July 2019, it was announced that Clayton had reprised his role as Josh, who would return for a story with David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd). He returns for a guest stint and the character is stabbed as part of the story. David becomes the prime suspect for the stabbing and Shepherd admitted that the scripts were vague as to whether David is responsible, so the outcome is unknown. The character returned in the episode broadcast on 18 October 2019 when David spots him in a prison hospital awaiting treatment. Another prisoner then explains that Josh is in prison for drugging and raping someone, like he had to David.

When a vacancy arises at Webster's Autocentre, following the death of their mechanic Luke Britton (Dean Fagan), Josh approaches co-owner Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) and asks if he needs to fix anything in order to prove he is worthy of the job. After a brief interview, despite querying about the number of different towns and garages he has worked in, Tyrone agrees to give Josh the job. Josh also impresses Tyrone by suggesting that they and other street residents should remember Luke by hosting a charity boxing match in his honour.

Over the following months, Josh befriends David and the pair often hang out and go drinking together. This initially causes problems in David's relationship with his girlfriend, Shona Ramsey (Julia Goulding). However, Shona eventually accepts their friendship. When Shona, David and Josh are drinking in the pub with some of their neighbours, Shona comments on the chemistry between Josh and Alya Nazir (Sair Khan). David dismisses this idea leading Shona to tease him about wanting Josh all to himself. Josh overhears this and becomes more flirtatious with David.

In March, Josh spikes David's drink with GHB during a night out. He takes David back to his flat and rapes him. David awakens in Josh's bed and realises with horror what happened to him. When Josh turns up at his house the next day, David confronts him but Josh manipulates David by claiming that they got drunk and had a consensual one-night stand. David's relationship with Shona suffers as a result of his secret rape trauma and he breaks up with her. Josh asks David if he ended his relationship because of their "one night stand" but an angry David tells Josh he is delusional and sick in the head if he thinks David ended his relationship because he wants to get together with him.

When Tyrone pulls out of the charity boxing match, David volunteers to fight his sister Sarah Platt's (Tina O'Brien) boyfriend Gary Windass (Mikey North) in his place despite his epilepsy ruling him out. Josh is refereeing the fight and taunts David during the break. David snaps and brutally beats up Gary in front of the shocked crowd. Josh does not bother to stop the fight. Gary is rushed to hospital where he recovers. Gary thinks David is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of witnessing his wife Kylie's murder two years previously.

David is arrested for ABH but released on bail. David has a one-night stand with new trainee hairdresser, Emma Brooker (Alexandra Mardell) and moves her into his house. However, after his neighbour Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward) commits suicide, David admits to Shona that Josh raped him. David is arrested for failing to turn up at court and Shona confronts Josh who continues to pretend he and David had a consensual one night stand. Josh arrives at Alya's house with flowers and charms her into bed to give himself a cover story in case David and Shona report him to the police.