Mr Wallace was a prospective buyer who viewed 3 Coronation Street when Emily Bishop put the house on the market in 1991. Emily was moving to Rhos-on-Sea, much to her lodger Percy Sugden's displeasure.
Mr Wallace and his mother arrived bang on time and their first impressions were positive, with the gentleman complimenting Emily on having an inviting lobby, and his mother nodding approvingly. Upstairs, Mr Wallace found the second bedroom too small and the bathroom suite not to his tastes, though neither was enough to put him off. They'd just come downstairs when the sound of banging drew them into the kitchen, where Percy was hard at work clearing a blockage in the pipes below the sink. Percy then compounded the blunder by implying that the house had other defects on account of its age.
Unsurprisingly, the Wallaces decided not to make an offer on the property. Rapidly losing patience with her lodger, Emily accused Percy of staging the plumbing fiasco in order to put the buyers off and therefore remain under her roof a little longer. Emily made sure that Percy was out of the house during subsequent viewings.