The Workman was one of the diggers who tore up the cobbles to lay down a telephone cable in Coronation Street in November 1962. The presence of the builders caused rampant speculation among the residents of the Street as to the purpose of their work, with Martha Longhurst scaring Minnie Caldwell with her suggestion that they were looking for an unexploded bomb.
Interrupting the workman's cigarette break, Martha asked the man what he and his colleagues were digging for. The workman was upfront about the fact that they were putting in a phone cable and jokingly suggested that the women talk to the foreman if they wanted to lend a hand. When Martha then questioned the safety of leaving the hole there overnight, the digger assured her that they would be taking the chasm with them when they packed up. Martha responded to his cheek by checking up on him regularly until the job was done.