Pat Phelan (Coronation Street) which revealed Phelan to have survived his fall, reached a peak audience of 8,500,000. Phelan’s final episodes also achieved high ratings, with the 1st June episode in which he was killed receiving an average audience of 8,660,000 on 28 day data. Phelan has been rated one of the best soap villains of all time and in the programme itself, alongside the likes of Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) and Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien). Pat Phelan (Coronation Street) Pat Phelan is a fictional character from the British soap opera "Coronation Street", portrayed by Connor McIntyre. The character first appeared on-screen during the
Coronation Street achievement was the introduction of Hayley Patterson (Julie Hesmondhalgh), the first transsexual character in a British soap. Some viewers were alienated by the new "Coronation Street", and sections of the media voiced their disapproval. Having received criticism of being too out of touch, "Corrie" now struggled to emulate the more modern "Brookside" and "EastEnders". In the "Daily Mirror", Victor Lewis-Smith wrote: "Apparently it doesn't matter that this is a first-class soap opera, superbly scripted and flawlessly performed by a seasoned repertory company." One of "Coronation Street"'s best known storylines took place in March/April 1998, with Deirdre Rachid (Anne Kirkbride) being