Martha Fraser was the glamorous girlfriend of Ken Barlow, who he was seeing behind his wife Deirdre Barlow's back in 2009. She bears a striking resemblance to prison inmate Phyllida Oswyn from Bad Girls.
She appeared from February to May 2009 and was played by Stephanie Beacham.
Martha returned in November 2022 and left in December 2022 along with Ken's other former girlfriend Wendy Papadopoulos.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Martha Fraser was married to Gordon Fraser, and they had a daughter together. They ended up divorcing, and Martha travelled around the country on her barge.
2009[]
Martha in 2009.
Martha docked at Weatherfield Canal, and met Ken Barlow in January 2009 after saving his dog Eccles from drowning. She took them in to tend to Eccles and ended up chatting to Ken. Ken was drawn to Martha due to their similar likes of the arts and literature, and he began to take Eccles for more walks down to the canal in order to meet up with Martha. He didn't tell her about his wife Deirdre. He spoke about his troubles with son Peter and when mentioning that Peter's mother is dead, failed to mention that he was remarried to Deirdre, making Martha believe Ken was a lonely widower having to deal with al alcoholic and out of control son.
Ken's friend Ted Page found out about the affair although kept it to himself, but did urge Ken to be honest about the situation and how he was attracted to Martha. Ted later told his ex-partner Audrey Roberts, who then informed Peter. Ken later confessed to Martha that he was actually married, and a devastated Martha threw him out and left Weatherfield.
She later returned to take part in a play, and Ken met up with her again. They ended up sleeping together and Ken wanted to leave Weatherfield with Martha for a new life. Although she accepted, she urged him to tell Deirdre the truth before leaving his family. In May 2009 Ken packed his bags although chose to leave a letter instead of telling Deirdre face to face, although Peter did confront him when catching Ken trying to leave. Ken met up with Martha before she left and lied that he told Deirdre. Martha then got the barge later and sailed away, although spotted Ken standing on a bridge nearby, having gotten cold feet about leaving and deciding to stay behind.
Martha realises Ken has remained behind as she departs Weatherfield.
Following Martha's departure Ken returned back to Coronation Street tail between legs, although Deirdre and her mother Blanche Hunt didn't know he had intended to leave. Ken later confessed the truth to Deirdre and showed her the letter. Although this caused tension in the household, Deirdre chose to stay with Ken and put the incident behind her. Blanche later exposed Ken's affair at Peter Barlow's Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in July 2009, and mistakenly remarked about how Martha lived on a tugboat.
2022[]
Martha will return after 13 years in which she will be involved in a love triangle involving Ken and his girlfriend Wendy Papadopoulos.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Following her departure, Stephanie Beacham said that she was up for a return to the show. However in 2012, she ruled out returning, admitting that she didn't see a realistic way for the character to return to the series, or forgive Ken for how he treated her. Although in October 2022 it was announced she would be returning after all.
- Martha's 2022 return marks the first time she has stepped foot on Coronation Street itself.
Appendices[]
List of addresses[]
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| Weatherfield | unknown date to 4th May 2009 |
| N/A | 4th May 2009 to unknown |
| Weatherfield | 2022 |
| Hull | 14th December 2022 to present |
Employment history[]
| Role | Institution | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Actress | N/A | unknown date to present |
Behind the Scenes[]
- Martha's story with Ken was originally intended for Joanna Lumley's character Elaine Perkins, who appeared back in 1973 as Ken's girlfriend. As Joanna was unavailable to return to the show, the storyline was altered to instead include a new original character in the form of Martha Fraser.
Memorable Info[]
Appearances: 26 Jan 2009-4 May 2009, 23 Nov 2022-14 Dec 2022
Spouse: An ex-husband
Children: A daughter