Dennis Tanner

Dennis Tanner is a fictional character in British soap opera Coronation Street. He is played by Philip Lowrie. The character was created by writer Tony Warren and was introduced in the very first episode on 9 December 1960. Lowrie remained in the role for just over a year before being written out unexpectedly in 1962 when a strike by the actor's union Equity prevented new contracts being signed. Although the strike ended a few months later, Lowrie chose not to return until a year later. After a further five years, Lowrie became frustrated with the material his character was getting and chose not to renew his contract. Dennis departed Coronation Street on 12 June 1968, shortly after marrying girlfriend Jenny Sutton.

Introduced as a teenage tearaway, Dennis quickly became a reformed character and for most of his time on the show, Dennis was primarily used as the show's comic relief with his story lines revolving around his interest in show business, much to the annoyance of his mother Elsie (Patricia Phoenix). Dennis was later described as "immensely popular".