Coronation Street: who was Jackie Dobbs? Plus all you need to know about Margi Clarke

Tyrone Dobbs discovers that his mum has died in tonight's double bill of the ITV soap

David Brown

Published: Monday, 23 July 2018 at 3:17 pm

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The character of Jackie Dobbs will be given an off-screen death on tonight's Coronation Street when Tyrone learns that his ne'er-do-well mum has passed away. But what is her history in Weatherfield?

As long-time viewers will recall, Jackie was introduced in 1998 as Deirdre's cellmate and ended up following her back to the Street (with son Tyrone in tow) when she was released. During a year-long stint on the soap, Jackie found employment as one of Mike Baldwin's knicker stitches before fleeing back to Liverpool with her husband Darren.

Jackie then made sporadic appearances between 2008 and 2010, usually with the intention of scamming of poor Tyrone out of cash by pretending to be in debt or - on one memorable occasion - feigning illness due to a ruptured breast implant. Jackie also became renowned for her on-screen rows with Tyrone's wife Molly, who had recently been exposed as a love cheat. In the end, though, Tyrone sided with Molly over Jackie and threw his mum out for what has now transpired to be the last time.

Aside from Coronation Street, actress Margi Clarke is best known for her roles as Theresa in the film Letter to Brezhnev (1985) and as Queenie in the Manchester-set BBC drama series Making Out (1989). In 1991, she took on presenting duties for C4's The Good Sex Guide, while also finding time to perform with Half Man Half Biscuit on the single No Regrets and star in the film Blonde Fist.

Following her initial stint on Coronation Street, Clarke featured on Channel 5's soap Family Affairs and BBC1's Casualty, along with a guest appearance on Hollyoaks: In the City. And prior to reprising the role of Jackie in 2009, she had a starring role in the second series of ITV's Benidorm.