Coronation Street Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Darryl was Craig Tinker's pet rat, named - according to Beth - after Craig's estranged father Darryl Parkins. In February 2012, the Tinkers moved into 13 Coronation Street after owner Steve McDonald had divided up the house into two self-contained flats. Here, Darryl was sometimes "used" as a fright tactic when the Tinkers felt the need to stand their ground - one such incident took place in June of that year, when the rodent was used to put off a potential buyer who'd come to view No.13. While "celebrating" putting off the buyer in the Rovers, Darryl had then escaped from Beth's handbag - whilst there was a hygiene inspection taking place. Darryl was eventually caught and the Rovers passed, with inspector Maurice Brownlow none the wiser to the havoc wreaked by the rodent's presence.

In December, having being kicked out of the bookies flat; Kirk Sutherland, Beth, Craig and Darryl moved in with Kirk's sister Maria and her boyfriend Marcus Dent so that they wouldn't be on the streets over the festive period. A concerned Maria persisted in asking Craig if Darryl would escape from his cage, which he ultimately did in February of the following year, turning up in Maria's underwear drawer.

The Tinkers eventually moved into No.5 in 2014 where Darryl's cage sat on the sideboard in the living room with little incident until the following January when Craig had let Tim Metcalfe in to clean the interior windows and inadvertently double-locked him inside the house with Darryl out of his cage. Not realising that the rodent was Craig's pet, Tim panicked as his phobia of rats kicked in and was in a state of hyperventilation upon Craig's return.

Darryl escaped again in February 2017 after Maria's son Liam let the animal out of its cage and ultimately died after receiving an electric shock after chewing through cables inside Victoria Court, which caused a power outage in the building, leading to the lift shutting off and trapping Toyah Battersby and her pregnant stepsister Leanne, who then went into labour. Maintenance workers found Darryl's carcass and later, ironically gave it to Tim who they noticed was looking for a missing rat.

Advertisement