Tracy Barlow (also Langton, Preston and McDonald) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 24 January 1977. She was played by Christabel Finch until 21 November 1983. Holly Chamarette played the role from 8 July 1985 until 23 March 1988. Dawn Acton played the role from 12 December 1988 to 10 July 1995. Acton reprised the role for two short stints in November 1996 and December 1997. She reprised the role once again on 14 March 1999 and made her final appearance as Tracy on 10 October 1999. Kate Ford took over the role from 25 December 2002 to 8 April 2007. Ford reprised the role for a brief stint from late May to early June 2010, returning full-time from 24 December 2010. In April 2024, Ford took a break from the show and returned on 16 August 2024.
Tracy is the daughter of Ray Langton (Neville Buswell) and Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride). Tracy never had much to do with Ray and was later adopted by Deirdre's new husband Ken Barlow (William Roache). Early storylines featuring Tracy concentrated on her childhood. She went on to feature in storylines about drugs, various family crises, relationships with Roy Cropper (David Neilson) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), a feud with Steve's ex-wife Karen McDonald (Suranne Jones) and a short-lived marriage to Robert Preston (Julian Kay). Her exit storyline in 2007 was the culmination of a storyline that saw Tracy imprisoned for killing her boyfriend Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward) in revenge. In the on-screen events, Tracy was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Her brief return in May 2010 saw the character lie about Gail Platt (Helen Worth) confessing to murdering late husband Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale). Her return in December 2010 saw her released from prison after forensic evidence used at her trial was discredited. She received her daughter Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) back and attempted to steal Steve from his wife Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly) and failed. This resulted in the two characters having a feud. Tracy also began a feud with Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan), which worsened after it transpired that Tina had kissed Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis). Rob would later murder Tina and after discovering this, Tracy and Rob's sister, Carla Connor (Alison King), turned him in and he was arrested, sparking a feud between Tracy and Carla. Tracy's former husband Robert Preston (Tristan Gemmill) also returned, with Tracy going on to briefly reunite with him. She has since remarried Steve and had a drunken one-night stand with Paula Martin (Stirling Gallacher).
Casting Tracy was created as the daughter of Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride) and Ray Langton (Neville Buswell). The first actress to play Tracy was Christabel Finch in 1977, who first appeared in the role when she was 15 days old. According to Finch in 2007, "It was a case of being the right baby, in the right place, at the right time. The casting director came to the baby unit and picked me at random, then asked my parents if I could be in the show." In 2001, Finch reflected on her time in the soap, remembering that she used to share a dressing room with Anne Kirkbride who played Tracy's mother Deirdre and one of her most prominent storyline memories is her involvement in Deirdre's affair with Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs): "Because I was a kid, everyone was really friendly to me. Julie Goodyear, who played Bet Lynch, was really lovely and a very down-to-earth person. The biggest plot I was involved in was when Deirdre had an affair with Mike Baldwin. There was a lot of shouting going on and Ken was screaming at her, 'Get out of the house!' I just thought, 'what's going on, why are they shouting?'" Finch left the role when she was seven, as her parents had opted to move to Guernsey.
It was two years until the producers recast Tracy. On screen during that time, Tracy's parents Ken and Deirdre would say that Tracy was either in her room upstairs or at school. Eight-year-old Holly Chamarette was given the role in 1985. At the time she reportedly commented, "I'm thrilled. I've been watching Coronation Street for ages." She was chosen from more than 60 children, but left the role when she was 11, in 1988, quitting the acting profession to become a doctor.
The third actress to play the part was Dawn Acton, appearing regularly between 1988 and 1995. Acton was 11 when she took on the role and played the character through her teenage years, in what Acton has described as Tracy's tarty phase. Acton has said that Tracy's appearances became rare in the mid-1990s, until the casting director James Bain informed her that her contract was not being renewed, as "the storylines involving Tracy had dried up". Acton adds, "I was 17 but I wasn't devastated. There were no tantrums, like the ones Tracy was famous for. James said I should try other things in the acting world. I did – but it didn't work out." After leaving the role, Acton made occasional guest appearances as Tracy until 1999, after which she was unavailable due to becoming a mother.
In November 2002, it was reported that Dawn Acton reauditioned for the role of Tracy, but was unsuccessful, which resulted in the role being given to Kate Ford. A spokeswoman for the soap said: "[Kate] is very excited to have got the part. The character has changed substantially in the past four years and really hits the ground running. Kate is thrilled." Discussing why Acton was not brought back, a spokesperson said, "We [looked] at other actresses because the character has changed so much—she's going to be explosive." Ford was a fan of the show as a child, and revealed that when she was 12, she wrote around ten letters to the casting director requesting a part. The character is portrayed as being extremely selfish and dangerous. She appears to be a tough, fiery and very bitchy character, with Ford stating that "underneath she does care about her daughter which does show a soft side to her".
Development Reintroduction (2002) On 23 October 2002, it was reported that Tracy would be reintroduced later that year. A show spokesman says the new Tracy will be sexy, sassy and opinionated. She will make a beeline for womanising bookie Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne), her own stepbrother, before moving on to former sailor Ciaran McCarthy (Keith Duffy) and knicker factory boss Joe Carter (Jonathan Wrather). Tracy returns home to Weatherfield at Christmas after turning to her mother, Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride), when her marriage breaks down – she left the Street after marrying Robert Preston (Julian Kay) at Weatherfield Register Office. The character was last played by Dawn Acton. A Coronation Street spokesman said: "We are looking at other actresses because the character has changed so much – she's going to be explosive."
Explaining the decision to bring Tracy back as an antagonist, writer Daran Little commented: "You only have to look at a character whose parents got divorced when she was very young and then pulled either way to find out this woman is very flawed and has a chip on her shoulder. So you take that and bring her back a few years later as a very selfish person."
On 13 November 2002, it was announced that Kate Ford had been cast as Tracy. It was reported that Acton was said to be "devastated" when she failed to win the part, which instead went to Ford. But whereas Tracy Barlow was a glum-faced teenager, Tracy Preston – as she is now called – is a sexy, sassy and opinionated man-eater. At the same time, it was also reported that Tracy would sleep with her mother's former flame Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin). A Coronation Street spokeswoman said Ford, fresh from London's Webber Douglas Academy but originally from north Lancashire, was "thrilled" to have landed the role. "She is very excited to have got the part. The character has changed substantially in the past four years and really hits the ground running. Kate is thrilled."
Tracy returned on-screen on 25 December 2002, and she spent no time moping over her failed marriage. "She's been bored in London and she's ready to let her hair down and have some fun. Tracy's a strong, feisty woman and I think at last Dev may have met his match."
Pregnancy A storyline involving Tracy in 2003 saw her have a one-night stand with Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) and wanted to take things further but Steve got back together with his wife Karen (Suranne Jones) instead. In need of an ego boost, Tracy bet Bev Unwin (Susie Blake) 1p that she could bed Roy Cropper (David Neilson), to prove that she could have any man she wanted. Tracy won the bet by subterfuge – drugging Roy. A few weeks later Tracy found out she was pregnant and booked an abortion. Her original intent was to keep quiet but, when confronted by a furious Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh), Tracy blurted out that she was pregnant with Roy's baby. As Roy and Hayley couldn't have children and longed for one, Tracy suggested that they adopt her baby for £20,000. The Croppers agreed but tried to persuade Tracy to marry Roy to guarantee his parental rights. Faced with a legal bill from her divorce from Robert, Tracy agreed, marrying Roy with Hayley and Ciaran as their witnesses. The conclusion of the storyline saw Tracy give birth to baby daughter Amy in February 2004, who was revealed to be Steve's child and not Roy's, leaving Tracy to later go on to have a fight with Steve's wife Karen.
Departure (2007) In 2005, Ford made the decision to leave the series, but after being promised more "juicier storylines", she decided to stay. In January 2006, it was reported by the News of the World, that Ford had again insisted that she will bow out next year when her contract expires. A Coronation Street spokesman told Digital Spy: "Kate is contracted until next Spring so she's with us for the foreseeable future." Bill Ward who plays Charlie Stubbs, the boyfriend of Tracy announced his departure from the series in June 2006, an ITV spokesperson commented: "Contrary to press reports Bill's decision to leave is not linked to the future of the character of Tracy Barlow. Actress Kate Ford is contracted to Coronation Street until March 2007." After months of speculation, Ford announced in August 2006 that she was to quit the show the following year.