Coronation Street Archive
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Created 16th October 2004

Mark Dunlop/Redman

Paul Fox as the last Mark

Appeared: 1983, 1993 - 1994; 14 November 1999 - 11 September 2000; 3 September 2001

Born: 13 May 1983 (later changed to 13 May 1981 by the scriptwriters)

Son of Mike Baldwin and Maggie Dunlop

Stepson of Linda Baldwin, Harry Redman, Alma Baldwin & Maggie's latest husband name?

Played by :-

Thomas Hawkeswood (1983)
Christopher Cook (1993 - 1994)
Paul Fox (14 November 1999 - 11 September 2000; 3 September 2001)
Christopher Oakes (some time between Thomas and Christopher Cook)

In 1983 Mike Baldwin began to feel very lonely and asked his then girlfriend, Maggie Dunlop to move in and she did.

Mike was over the moon when Maggie told him she was pregnant. He proposed but she turned him down flat, saying she was moving out, not wanting him anywhere near her or her baby. He was devastated even more so on discovering she had married Harry Redman who was going to be father to his child.

Chris Cook who played Mark Redman 1992-1993

Mark Redman reappeared in 1993 having miraculously aged 2 years and was now 12. He had no idea he was Mike's son always believing Harry Redman had been his father. However Harry had recently died and Maggie had returned to the area. Meanwhile Ken Barlow had started seeing florist Maggie, who taught Mark and had saved from bullies, along with Nicky Tilsley. Ken's ex-wife Deirdre told their daughter Tracy Barlow that Mark was Mike's son. Tracy then told Ken but he continued seeing Maggie ignoring for now her meddling. However Tracy being Tracy couldn't leave things alone. Having discovered this juicy bit of gossip, wasted no time telling Mark about his real father. Ken dumped Maggie after finding this out and it was true.

Mike desperately wanted to be a father to the boy but had fierce opposition from Maggie. He struggled to get the money to send Mark to the private Oakhill school but Mark hated it and eventually he and his mother moved to Felixstowe leaving Mike devastated his son had been taken away from him by Maggie again.

Maggie re-married and has not been seen again. One imagines that Mike kept in some form of touch with Mark even if he didn't see him on screen. Mark certainly knew where and when to come when a trust fund Mike had set up for him had matured in 1999.

Mark returned in 1999 and soon discovered three was a crowd with his dad and Linda - one of the most successful stories for Corrie in recent years.

In 1999 everything seemed to be going well for Mike despite a break down in his marriage to Alma. he had a new, young girlfriend Linda and then son Mark returned later in the year.

To start with there was a lot of bitching between Mark and Linda as each wanted their special time with Mike and each saw the other as a threat. However the affair with Mike that had started as a conniving game by Linda, was starting to turn more serious. She admitted to her friend Nita she felt more about Mike than anyone she had before. However Linda was still jealous about his ex Alma (who Mark was close to) and when she found out MIke had taken Alma to dinner behind her back she was angry and upset. The strained relationship took a new twist on Christmas Day 1999 when Mike brought Linda sexy underwear. Sick of being treated like a sex object one minute and a child the next - Linda walked out on Mike. With their relationship over, at the Millennium party, Mike could not face Linda so asked Mark to go and shut up the factory.

Mark was furious with Linda for breaking his father's heart so headed off to the factory to confront Linda while everyone was in the pub or on the street. However what began as hostile quickly turned into passion for Mark and Linda in the factory where they kissed passionately and made love. Mike arrived unexpectedly after they dressed and proposed to Linda. After a few days of toying with Mike, Linda accepted much to Mark's annoyance. Mike made Mark a partner in his business. Little did he know Linda and Mark were drawn to each other and would use every opportunity they could get to meet each other for sex.

Mark tried to bury his head in the sand by running away from his feelings and started dating a posh girl called Claire. Mike very much approved but Linda definitely did not. Mark soon tired of Claire, it was Linda he wanted and he did everything he could to persuade her that he was what she wanted. Linda still would not make a choice between father and son so Mark began dating Leanne Battersby - while cheating on her with Linda. However when Mike was away on a business trip Linda and Mark made a mistake of going clubbing where they were spotted by Leanne's friend Geena. Despite Geena saying she didn't want to know Linda insisted on explaining her feelings. Linda was in love with both men. If Mark had come along first things would have been easier but she was now due to marry Mike and she didn't know what to do. Geena sort of accepted this but all she really cared about was her friend Leanne at this time so between Linda's pressure and what Geena knew, Mark had no choice but to break up with Leanne. However Linda was still not prepared to leave Mike for Mark.

It was brought home to Mark at Linda's birthday in June 2000 that he could never be the husband she wanted. While he had brought her a piece of jewelry, Mike had brought her a brand new car with a big ribbon round it and it was clear which gift meant more to Linda.

While Mark taught Linda to drive, she was teaching him other things.

At the end of June 2000 Mark and Linda's relationship came to a head when Mark finally forced her to make a choice. They had been going round in circles for months. Each taking turns at ending the affair but not being able to help themselves. Linda admitted she was in love with them both and if Mark had come first she would have had him for sure. Now however Mark could take this no longer and told her he was leaving Weatherfiled with his friend Craig.

Mark wrote a letter to Mike saying he was leaving. Linda had finally decided she would leave with Mark however when she got back to the flat to tell Mike, she discovered him reading Mark's letter explaining how he was leaving which baffled Mike. Mike was so shocked that he had his first serious heart attack. Linda was relieved to see the letter mentioned nothing about her affair with Mark and now was not the time to tell him after all.

At an appointed time Linda was supposed to meet Mark so they could leave Weatherfield together. However Linda didn't show because of Mike's heart attack. Mark assumed wrongly this time that Linda had backed out of their plans so Mark decided to leave without Linda. Unbeknown to him a devastated Linda was busy calling 999 to come and save Mike.

Mark again returned to Weatherfield upon hearing of his father's heart attack but both he and Linda realised if Mark just leaving could cause Mike to have a heart attack, what would it do to him if he knew about their affair. Regretfully they both decided to end their affair once and for all. Linda would stay with Mike.

Although Linda had made her choice, she still couldn't quite let go of Mark. In an attempt to keep him around a while longer, she lied to Mark telling him that his father only had 6 months to live and they had to ride it out until Mike died. Mark was torn. He loved Linda but he also loved his father and didn't want to hurt him. He was also shocked to hear that his Dad was dying.

Mark did of course find out his father dying story was a lie and when he did he was furious. Not wanting to hurt his father anymore and torn between love and hatred for Linda, Mark decided to leave Weatherfield - for good. This time he told his father he just needed to travel. Mike agreed and paid his expenses under one condition, he came back to be best man at the wedding.

The Mike/Mark/Linda love triangle came to a head (but not a climax) in September 2000 - Linda and Mike on their wedding day with Mark.

The wedding date was set for 10th September 2000. Mark returned but it soon became apparent he was having problems accepting the situation. Right up to the wedding day itself he begged Linda to run away with him but Linda had made her choice it was Mike she wanted not Mark. Deep down however the viewer was left wondering if this was her true feelings? Meanwhile Mark had confessed all to Alma.

Mark was supposed to be best man but couldn't face watching his father marry the woman he loved so supposedly disappeared due to ill health, Geena (who was Linda's "best woman" and had become her friend) was furious with Mark for putting pressure on Linda when she had clearly make her choice in Mike. Geena knowing the full story was proud of Linda for finally facing up to her emotions and having made a decision. She felt it was time for Mark to grow up and face up to reality.

Roy Cropper took Mark's place at the last minute much to Mike's annoyance. Later in the wedding suite, Mike and Linda found a drunken Mark throwing up everywhere. He was a mess. Mike accused Mark of making him a laughing stock. Mark chose this moment to tell his father he had been having sex with Linda just hours before Mike had proposed. Mark then went on to give all he gory details of his affair with Linda. If anyone was making Mike look the fool it was Linda!

Linda wormed her way out of it much to Mark's horror. Mike announced he knew Linda better than he did his own son and despite the fact he accepted there had been an affair, Linda's version was more likely to be true than Mark's.

Mike Baldwin finds out that his new wife and son have been having an affair for months - it drew 17 million very high for September.

Mike got chest pains caused by the betrayal and told Mark he never wanted to see him again. Mark left Weatherfield.

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Ever the bad penny, Mark turned up 3rd September 2001 in Weatherfield looking for his father. He had heard about former stepmother Alma's death. Mike had obeyed one of Alma's last dying wishes to contact Mark. The letter had explained about Alma's death and Mark wanted to pay his last respects. Geena urged Mark to leave Weatherfield immediately. The last thing her best friend Linda needed right now was Mark turning up again. As far as Geena was concerned Linda and Mike's marriage was back on track after hitting the rocks following Alma's illness and subsequent death.

Mark had missed Mike in Weatherfield. He and Linda had already headed off to Fred Elliott and Linda's mother Eve Sykes wedding and wouldn't be back for a couple of days. However Mark had to get back to Germany to start a new job and was determined that he must see his Dad before he left. Audrey also wanted to see Fred before the wedding so both Mark and Audrey headed off together to the wedding to mend fences. On route Audrey filled Mark in on the troubled marriage of Mike and Linda - only 51 weeks old.

Meanwhile the Baldwin marriage seemed to be back on track. After Mark's half-brother Adam went back to boarding school at the end of August 2001, Mike had looked into divorcing Linda, however was advised by his solicitor to make his assets un-touchable before going any further. However caught up in the emotion of the wedding, Linda and Mike seemed to patch up their marriage. Mike began to reconsider his options after all at his age how easy would it be to get another wife or a woman to care for him he thought? Linda had told him enough times how sorry she was and how much she loved him. To top it all for their first wedding anniversary Linda had given Mike a specially prepared photo album of photos of Adam she had put together. Being a paper anniversary she had deliberately gone to the trouble to give him something made out of paper that would be meaningful. Mike was touched.

On the night before the wedding Linda and Mike slept together again for the first time in ages - and as it turned out, it would be the last time. The next morning Linda commented to Mike how emotional she was feeling and something felt different inside. Perhaps it was down to the wedding she concluded? The viewer was left to second guess was it more? However just then Mark chose to make his presence known at the hotel where the wedding party were staying.

Bye Bye Linda!

Mike and Mark made up and Mike said that he was seriously thinking of settling down with Linda for good and that she was sorry etc. Mark tried to talk him out of it. Later on Mark confronted Linda. Breaking his father's confidence by revealing that Mike was divorcing her. He didn't add that Mike was re-considering this. Linda didn't believe Mark's twisted facts. However he continued to wind her up that his Dad had finished with her. Mark wound Linda up to the point that she finally snapped and said she "could play Mike like a violin."

Unbeknown to Linda and Mark, Mike had overheard the last part of their conversation. So chose to believe Linda was out to use him yet again. Whether she was or not, the viewer could never be sure of - it was very open-ended. However this time Mike told her it was over and gave her 30 minutes to get out of his life once and for all.

It was clear despite the hatred, the old feelings of passion were still there between Linda and particularly Mark. Mark appeared to go and hunt out Linda. Linda was also looking out her window and saw him wondering the gardens. She seemed to connect up with Mark in the hotel gardens. She had nothing to lose now. Mark had seen to it that her marriage was well and truly over. Mark and Linda kissed but it was Linda who chose to pull away from the kiss while Mark was happy to continue it. The viewer never found out what these two talked about in their last moments of passion.

Audrey unfortunately had seen the kiss and told Mark she was disgusted with him, she would expect that sort of behaviour from Linda but Mark was Mike's son. Who should be walking by at this moment? Mike! He wanted to know what Audrey and Mark were discussing. Mark decided to go for broke and told Mike the truth. However he twisted the whole story on to Linda - it was all her fault - but Mark would understand if Mike never wanted to speak to him again. Mike was so furious with Linda at that moment and having just made up with his son, he didn't want to lose Mark again. So Mike chose to believe Mark's version this time round.

In a blind rage Mike headed up to his hotel room where he found Linda packing. Scared, Linda fled into the bathroom. Mike would hear no more of her excuses. Choosing to accept Mark was the complete innocent, Mike broke down the bathroom door and dragged Linda out of the bathroom, down stairs to the front of the hotel where Mazxine and Ashley witnessed them fighting. Mike hit Linda and when Mark stepped in to try and stop it, Mike told his son to "get her out of my sight". Mike and Mark bundled a protesting Linda into the back seat of his car and later Maxine witnessed someone drive the car off at high speed. Mark and Mike were later seen discussing whether or not they had made the right decision to get rid of Linda? It wasn't known at this time what they meant by it. One thing was for certain Linda was never seen in Weatherfield again.

The question is how innocent was Mark? Did he know where Linda was? Do they still keep in touch even now 3 years later? Perhaps we'll never know. One thing is for certain Mark then went back to Germany which is where the police caught up with him a month later. Mark has never returned to Weatherfield.

a murder investigation was launched when Mike's car was pulled out of a canal - but there was no sign of Linda.

The poilce arrived at Mike Baldwin's flat and arrested him on suspicion of murdering Linda in October 2001. They then wanted to contact Mark. Had either Mark or Mike been involved with Linda's disappearance? Lucky for Mark the police soon only had one suspect - Mike! None of Linda's bank cards had been used, her accounts untouched and her mobile phone not used since she disappeared. Mike claimed she had gone abroad on holiday but the police found her passport in his apartment. It was already known by many in the Street she had left behind everything she owned either at Mike's flat or in the hotel.

Mike protested his innocence and was finally cleared six months later when Linda's father told Eve that Linda was living in Dublin with another man in April 2002. She wanted a quickly divorce and out of character for Linda didn't want any of the Baldwin money she was due in any divorce suite.


Is Linda hiding something from Mike? How did she get to Dublin without help? We will probably never know. One thing that is possible however is Mark could be back sometime. It was announced recently that there are plans for Mike Baldwin to finally be written out in 2006 and there is going to be a fight for the Baldwin money.

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