Alan Rothwell, an English actor best known for playing David Barlow, a brother of Ken Barlow, dies aged 89. Multiple outlets report that Rothwell appears in Coronation Street from the start of the show’s run in 1960 until 1969 as part of the original cast. He is credited with portraying David Barlow in the soap’s early episodes, including its first episode on 9 December 1960, when David is shown as an engineering firm apprentice in the Barlows’ living room. The reports describe David as a cheerful, likable character who pursues football, including playing for the fictional Weatherfield County and scoring on debut, before later moving toward London after a league team signs him in 1961.
One outlet also notes that Rothwell appeared in other television programmes including Brookside, Heartbeat and Emmerdale. Across the sources, the central point is his role as David Barlow in Coronation Street’s original cast and the age at which he dies.
