Ray Langton was born at Number 2 Gas Street. Throughout his childhood, he was in trouble with the police most of the time. An ex-borstal boy, Ray built up a reputation as a troublemaker. He first appeared in the Street in 1966 but was sent away by Len Fairclough after he threatened Lucille Hewitt. Nevertheless, Ray returned two years later and Len gave him a job at his building firm and invited him to move into his bachelor pad at No.9. Ray hoped to start his own business but settled for a partnership with Len and Jerry Booth. Ray's younger sister, Janice, visited briefly in 1969. Ray was a womaniser and was involved with many women while living in the Street, including Sandra Butler, Audrey Fleming, Vicki Bright and Sue Silcock. In 1975, he married the yard's secretary, Deirdre Hunt, and they moved into No.5; their daughter, Tracy, was born in 1977. His roving eye led him into an affair with waitress Janice Stubbs. Deirdre found out so he ended the affair and made plans to move to the Netherlands for a new life and wanted Deirdre and Tracy to come with him. She initially agreed but changed her mind at the last minute so Ray left the street alone. Ray kept in touch and sent Tracy presents, but this dwindled over the years. Eventually, he contacted Deirdre, asking for a divorce as his new partner was pregnant with his child. Ray divorced his second wife sometime around 2000. When he discovered he had stomach cancer in 2005, he returned to Weatherfield to look for Tracy so he could make amends, arriving on Ken and Deirdre's wedding day and hit baby Amy Barlow 's pram. He met Deirdre, Blanche Hunt and Ken Barlow at the hospital and realised that Amy was his granddaughter and Tracy was her mother. Ray told them that he had terminal stomach cancer and that he had divorced his Dutch wife a few years before. He stayed with Emily Bishop and Tracy softened towards Ray. He attended Ken and Deirdre's wedding and wished the couple well. During the reception in the Rovers Return, Ray had died of his illness, much to Tracy's distress. In 2017, Tracy tells Peter Barlow, Daniel Osbourne, Adam Barlow and Amy about Ray. She tells them that Ken was more of a father to her than her birth father.
Development
Ray Langton's departure in 1978 came due to Neville Buswell quitting acting and later leaving to work inLas Vegas. However, he returned in 2005 for a brief stint, 27 years since he portrayed the character. Neville Buswell is the fourth cast member to have the longest break inCoronation Street, which is a 27-year absence from 1978 to 2005. As of 2011, Philip Lowrie, who played Dennis Tanner, has the record for the longest break between TV appearances in the same show, having been absent for 43 years.
Other appearances
Ray made a brief cameo appearance in Viva Las Vegas!, a VHS spin-off written by Russell T. Davies and released in 1998, as Buswell was living in Las Vegas at the time. In the storyline Ray is working as a barman and unexpectedly meets Vera Duckworth, who is holidaying there. When Vera brings him up to date on some of the things that have happened in Weatherfield since his departure, Ray assumes she must be joking and responds by telling her he's now married to a man and is hiding from his evil twin.
