Toyah Battersby
| Toyah Battersby | |||||||||||||
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| Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Georgia Taylor | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 1997–2003, 2016– | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 4223 4 July 1997 |
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| Introduced by |
Brian Park (1997) Kate Oates (2016) |
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| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
| Occupation | Student Waitress Barmaid Pub landlady |
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| Home | The Rovers Return | ||||||||||||
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| Father | Ronnie Clegg |
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| Mother | Janice Battersby |
| Stepfather | Les Battersby |
| Sisters | Leanne Battersby (step) |
| Husband | Toby Chapman |
| Nephews |
Simon Barlow (step) Oliver Battersby (step) |
Toyah Laverne Battersby is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Georgia Taylor. Toyah and her family were introduced to the serial by executive producer Brian Park in a bid to increase falling ratings. Actress and singer Toyah Willcox gave the producers permission to name the youngest member of the Battersby family after herself, since the character was said to be born during the height of her career. Taylor originally auditioned for the part of Zoe Tattersall, but was cast as Toyah instead. The role marked her acting debut. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 4 July 1997.
Toyah was portrayed as cocky, naive, too trusting and occasionally needing to be "a bit more clued up" about things. Taylor called Toyah a decent person and someone who was loyal to her friends and family. Taylor initially disliked Toyah's image, particularly her make-up and clothes, which were too revealing. Toyah's first major storyline saw her abducted by a stranger. At the time, Taylor said it was one of the hardest storylines she had to film and the Independent Television Commission believed it should have carried a warning before it was broadcast. A few months later, Toyah became the show's first female character to be involved in a storyline surrounding the subject of under-age sex. The storyline was criticised by watchdogs, but Taylor defended it, calling it "educational".
Toyah began a relationship with Spider Nugent (Martin Hancock) in 1999, which lasted until Hancock's departure in July 2000. The following year, the character was the focus of one of Coronation Street's most controversial storylines, which saw her beaten and raped by Phil Simmonds (Jack Deam). The storyline marked the first time in forty years that the show had included a rape. The storyline was criticised by some former Coronation Street cast members, who thought the producers were using the subject of rape to boost ratings. Taylor decided to leave the show in July 2002 and her character departed on-screen the following year on 5 February 2003. Toyah was well received by critics and Taylor received the Best Young Actor accolade at the Inside Soap Awards and Best Dramatic Performance at The British Soap Awards.
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