Tim Metcalfe is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Joe Duttine. He made his first on-screen appearance on 21 January 2013. Duttine had previously appeared in the soap between February and June 2010 as D.S. Carr, the police officer that arrested Gail McIntyre (Helen Worth) for the murder of her husband, Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale). Tim is introduced as Faye Windass' (Ellie Leach) biological father. His storylines initially focused on his relationship with his long-lost daughter Faye and her adoptive family - mother Anna Windass (Debbie Rush) and her partner Owen Armstrong (Ian Puleston-Davies). Tim's storylines have since revolved around his relationship to Sally Webster (Sally Dynevor) - whom he married in 2020, and the birth of his granddaughter Miley (Erin, Eilah and Elsie Halliwell).

The character was revealed to be entering the show in August 2012 by series producer, Phil Collinson. He stated "We know that Faye's mother is dead, but there's a father out there somewhere and he's going to come along and challenge things for Anna." On 13 January 2013, it was announced that Joe Duttine had been cast in the role of Tim. Tom Eames from Digital Spy reported that Anna Windass (Debbie Rush) would become concerned for her adoptive daughter, Faye, when she makes contact with Tim online. A spokeswoman commented that Anna is hurt when she learns that Faye has contacted Tim and warns him to stay away.

In 2013, Tim began a relationship with the snobby Sally Webster, portrayed by Sally Dynevor. Talking about Sally and Tim's new relationship, Dynevor said: "He's a bit of a commitment-phobe so I'm not sure [what will happen], but he's nice and Sally really likes him. She's trying to change him - manipulate him into what she wants! But he's not having it and he wants to go off down the pub, and doesn't want to spend any romantic weekends with her or anything. He's a real bloke - he wants his tea on the table!" Dynevor later spoke out on the relationship, stating she thought the relationship was doomed to fail: "I didn't really want Sally to find someone at first, but I like this relationship because she's not found 'Mr Perfect'. All the other men Sally's been with, I could easily have seen her having long term relationships with them. With Tim, you know there's no way they're going to live happily ever after, they're going to drive each other insane. I like the drama that has to offer." In an interview on ITV chat show, Loose Women, Duttine said that he does not want Tim to change his unreliable ways, but said he thought Tim "does really love" Sally. However, Dynevor was ultimately wrong as Tim and Sally's relationship became popular with viewers and therefore, continued from strength-to-strength. In November 2013, show producer Stuart Blackburn teased that Tim and Sally's relationship could be tested by the return of Sally's ex-husband, Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) the following year: "Kevin left at a point when he really thought he wanted to get back with Sally. Kevin loves Sally and seeing her with another man will be heartbreaking for him, but he’s going to have to man up and deal with it." In January 2014, OK! reported that Tim would become involved in a love triangle with Sally and Kevin following his impending return to the show. In September 2014, as Kevin was set to return, Blackburn told Digital Spy that they would not be reuniting Kevin and Sally, "Kevin will always regret what he did in the past and there'll always be a 'What if?' when it comes to Sally. His love for Sally won't go away, but I think it's time for him to move on and he will do that. Kevin has figured out now that Tim and Sally are for real. If there is going to be any type of affair, it's more likely to be Tim and Kevin heading off for a pint behind Sally's back!"

In May 2014, Tim decided his relationship with Sally should come to an end and dumped her. Discussing Tim's reason behind his actions, Duttine said: "She was getting a bit judgmental about Tim’s opinion of Maddie, and she wasn’t very sympathetic about Maddie’s situation with Ben. Plus, she was being a bit snobby about his window cleaning job. She lost her sense of humour, and I think when Tim tried to lighten the mood, it didn’t go down very well. He just thought she was being too much of a nightmare and bailed out. For Tim, it’s all about having an easy life and not wanting too much conflict or confrontation." They quickly reunited and when Sally spots Tim in a jewellers, she jumps to the conclusion he is going to propose. This makes Tim consider proposing to Sally. Talking to Lynn Connolly of Unreality TV, Duttine said: "He goes in there to buy Faye a watch, but then Sally jumps to the conclusion that he’s going to propose to her. He then goes to buy a ring with the intention of proposing to Sally because he feels it’s what she wants, not because he wants it. So I guess he does love her, and he’s putting her first and trying to please her." Duttine continued to say how after Tim proposes, they discuss their relationship and realise neither of them want to get married, before revealing he "un-proposes" to Sally in the Rovers Return Inn. Duttine said he thought this was "sweet". Duttine also went on to say how he felt Tim and Sally were a "good, fun couple". In May 2015, Duttine and Dynevor discussed Tim and Sally's relationship with Phillip Schofield and Amanda Holden on ITV daytime programme, This Morning, with Dynevor saying how she initially thought Tim and Sally would not go well as a couple: "I was like, 'Tim Metcalfe and Sally Webster – how is that going to work?' but as soon as they put us together and we got the script and starting working together we found things hilariously funny." Duttine commented that Tim is "just pleased to be here and glad somebody will have him." and Dynevor agreed, saying that Sally "feels the same – she’s just glad she has a boyfriend!"

Coronation Street announced their plans for a live episode in September 2015 to mark the sixtieth anniversary of ITV on 19 November 2014. The show's producer, Stuart Blackburn, said: "We’ve a reputation to uphold after the success of the tram crash and I’m going to enjoy working with the storyliners and writers as we plot stories for our live episode in 2015. We’ll be doing all we can to eclipse what’s gone before." In August 2015, a new storyline began airing which saw Sally and Kevin share a small kiss, behind Tim's back and then choose not to tell him. Michael Le Vell (who plays Kevin) told Sophie Dainty of Digital Spy that Kevin would be left "in total shock and disbelief" and is "genuinely shocked" when Sally kisses him. Despite Kevin and Sally agreeing to not tell Tim, Le Vell said he thought the kiss would be revealed to Tim: "I don't think it will stay a secret, no. I'm not sure who will tell who but I do know Sophie is quite suspicious - whether anyone else close to Sally or Kevin will be brought into the loop I don't know. But if Tim finds out, he's not going to be happy." Annie Price of the Daily Express revealed the storylines that would be featured in the live episode as to be: the Platt family's feud with Callum Logan (Sean Ward) reaching its climax; the beginning of Roy Cropper's (David Neilson) relationship with Cathy Matthews (Melanie Hill); and the comedic element to the show, Tim's discovery that Kevin and Sally shared a kiss. Le Vell later revealed that the secret would be exposed in the live episode by a character that is drunk: "I think that someone spills the beans in a very drunken stupor in the live [episode]. I don't know what the consequences are going to be but there's something very exciting."

On 9 September 2015, Coronation Street announced that the live episode would air for an hour on 23 September in a 19.30 timeslot. The cast gathered for their first read through of the live episode script on 8 September. On 13 September, Le Vell and Brooke Vincent (who plays Sally's daughter, Sophie) told STV that the storyline involving Sally, Tim and Kevin would "inject a little bit of humour" into the live episode. Vincent went on to say how viewers will "have to keep watching" to find out if the wedding will commence. Describing the role Sally, Kevin and Tim's storyline plays in the live episode, Le Vell said: "It’s all linked to Tim and Sally’s wedding and I think someone lets the cat out the bag – we don’t know who that is – about the kiss on their wedding day, but we don’t know the full impact of Tim finding out." Duttine spoke to Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy, insisting that Tim should not become aggressive when he discovers Sally and Kevin's kiss: "I don't really want to see Tim become aggressive or become a player either. I just think that he's a decent bloke who likes his creature comforts and a simple life." Duttine continued to talk about the fallout of the revelation: "I think Tim will be heartbroken when he finds out the truth. It's definitely not going to be plain sailing. As for whether Tim will punch Kevin, I don't think Tim's the fighting type." Duttine and Dynevor later discussed their thoughts on going live with Katie Fitzpatrick from the Manchester Evening News, with Duttine admitting that going live is one of "the scariest thing you’ve ever done because you don’t want to be the first one to mess up Coronation Street after years and years." Dynevor admitted she was worried she would break into uncontrollable laughter, "My fear, working with Joe, is corpsing for me. Once you start laughing you can’t stop."

In the build-up to the live episode, Anna overheard Sally discussing her kiss with Kevin to Sophie, leaving her intrigued. The episode aired on 23 September and featured a drunk Anna telling Tim that Sally had kissed Kevin a matter of weeks before. Despite Sally's best efforts to convince Tim that Anna was lying, he realised Anna was not lying and left the pub in shock and upset. Tim then packed his bags and stayed with Anna and Faye, leaving Sally crying into the arms of Sophie. The episode was met with positive reviews with many Twitter users tweeting their views on the live episode and Duttine's acting.

In May 2014, Dianne Bourne, reporting for the Manchester Evening News, said producers were looking to cast a disabled actor in his 40s. The character, named Howie, was branded a "cheeky chappy" by Bourne. Later, in September, it was revealed that Howie would be the cousin of Tim, with show producer Stuart Blackburn teasing Tim and Howie's relationship: "There is also going to be a new character called Howie arriving. He is Tim's cousin and will be providing much more fun for the Websters. In the past, Tim's relationship with Howie has been incredibly fragile. They never see eye to eye, and Howie loves winding up Tim." Despite Blackburn also mentioning that the show were in the final stages of auditioning and that Howie would begin appearing in early 2015, Howie never appeared.