List of Coronation Street Characters (1989) - Darren Whateley

Darren Whateley is Brian Tilsley's killer who stabs him when he defends Alison Oakley, a girl he has met at a club, from Darren and two friends. Darren stabs Brian in the abdomen whilst his friends hold him against a wall and leaves him to die in an alleyway. In his first appearance he is only credited as "Disco Youth" and not by his name. He is subsequently found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Darren reappears in Weatherfield in 1998, by which time he has been paroled from his life sentence, when he appears at Brian's son, Nick's college as a guest speaker talking about life in prison. Nick, who was eight years old at the time of the murder, then realises that he is his father's killer. Nick then devises a plan for his wife Leanne to write to Darren in prison, after he has been paroled, in order to trap him, however, this backfires, when Leanne's life is endagered after Darren arrives at her home. Leanne and Nick's mother Gail report Darren to the police and he is arrested and his parole is rescinded. He is subsequently returned to prison.