Manchester’s cobbled streets feel a little emptier today. Philip Lowrie, the actor who brought Coronation Street’s roguish Dennis Tanner to life, died on April 25, 2025, at the age of 88. His publicist confirmed the news on Saturday, leaving fans of the ITV soap reeling and reaching for tissues as they mourn a man who helped shape the show’s gritty, beating heart.
Lowrie was there when it all began. At just 24, he stepped onto the Weatherfield set in 1960 for the very first episode, playing Dennis, the charming tearaway son of Elsie Tanner. With a glint in his eye and a knack for trouble, Dennis was fresh out of prison for petty theft, a rebel who could break hearts as easily as he broke rules. Lowrie carried the role until 1968, when Dennis married Jenny Sutton and left for Bristol. Fans thought that was the end—until 2011, when Lowrie strolled back onto the cobbles, picking up Dennis’s story after a 43-year gap. That comeback earned him a Guinness World Record for the longest break between TV appearances as the same character in the same show. “I’ve always been proud to be part of the original cast,” Lowrie said at the time, his voice carrying the weight of history.
His final bow as Dennis came in July 2014. The character met an off-screen end in 2020, killed off to mark Coronation Street’s 10,000th episode. But for fans, Lowrie’s legacy was cemented long before. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, in 1936, he battled a childhood stammer with elocution lessons, a quiet determination that later fueled his craft. Beyond the Street, he popped up in Victoria Wood’s sharp-witted shows like As Seen on TV and Wood and Walters, and took roles in Crown Court, The Liver Birds, and The Cuckoo Waltz. He even cut a pop single, “I Might Have Known,” at Abbey Road Studios in 1963, a cheeky nod to Dennis’s swagger.
Tributes have poured in, raw and heartfelt. The Conversation Street Podcast called Lowrie’s Dennis a “scampish” charmer, praising the “incredible charisma” he brought to the role. Fans echoed the sentiment, one noting his “rebellious charm” made Dennis an instant favorite. Another hailed his work alongside legends like Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie, and Barbara Knox, who played Dennis’s later love, Rita. His publicist, Mario Renzullo, called him a “cornerstone of storytelling,” saying his death marks “the end of an era” for the world’s longest-running soap.
Lowrie’s career wasn’t just about the spotlight. He navigated a writers’ strike in 1962 that briefly pushed him off the show, only to return a year later, proving his grit. His 2011 return wasn’t just nostalgia—it was a masterclass in picking up a character’s thread after decades, as Dennis tangled with old flames and new troubles. That record-breaking gap, from 1968 to 2011, wasn’t just a quirk; it was a testament to Lowrie’s ability to make Dennis feel timeless.
He leaves behind a reel of memories: Dennis’s dodgy schemes, his tangled romance with Rita, his defiance of Elsie’s iron will. Coronation Street, now 65 years strong, owes much of its early spark to Lowrie’s knack for turning a wayward lad into a legend. His death was announced on April 26, 2025. He was 88.