Ronnie Barnes shared a hospital ward at Weatherfield General with Stan Ogden when he was taken in for tests in February 1975 as a result of having dizzy spells. Ronnie had suffered the same ailment and was able to tell Stan the sort of tests he would be subjected to.
He was a wine waiter by profession and surprised Stan with his stories about the way in which the restaurant he worked at conned customers by having an expensive wine list but in reality they came out of one of three casks for red, white or rose with a suitable label slapped on the bottle. Nevertheless he knew his proper craft and had his own bottle of fine wine in the ward which he allowed Stan to drink out of. Unmarried and without a family, he received no visitors and so Stan encouraged Hilda to include him in their conversations at visiting time.