Roy Cropper has seemingly become a victim of catfishing on Coronation Street, months after he struck up a cyber relationship with a mystery new character known only as Alice
21:00, 21 Jan 2026Updated 21:46, 21 Jan 2026
Roy Cropper thinks he has been messaging a woman called Alice (Image: )
Coronation Street legend Roy Cropper has seemingly become a victim of catfishing. The cafe owner, who has been played by David Neilson since 1995, has been seen excitedly making contact with a woman called Alice on the world’s longest-running TV soap in recent weeks.
For months now, they have exchanged several text messages on his old mobile phone and letters discussing their passion for literature and he invited her to meet him later this week, although Roy’s niece Nina was not convinced all was as it seemed.
Whilst working in the café on Wednesday’s episode of the ITV programme, she began: “It’s when someone draws you in online by lying about who they are,” as DC Kit Green ordered a coffee and happened to inform them just how many complaints of that nature the police have to deal with later.
She added: “It’s like… someone pretending to be a 15-year-old schoolgirl when actually they’re a 50-year-old van driver typing in his pants from his parents’ attic.” Kit then warned Roy to make sure Alice is who she says she is, but he was unsure how to go about that when building a friendship.
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Nina was initially worried about Roy’s mystery pen pal but then he put her mind at rest (Image: ITV)
Later on, Nina was clearly still worried about the whole mysterious situation and asked Roy: “She’s not mentioned money, has she?” He replied: “She did relate a rather amusing tale about finding some Latvian currency in a cigar box after her husband passed.” Roy insisted this was amusing because, as it turned out, Alice and her husband had never been to Latvia.
Nina shot back: “I bet that one had them rolling in the aisles of her book club! No, what I meant is…” before acquiescing: “You know what? It doesn’t matter. You know, I doubt any catfisher would bother writing eight-page letters, or, you know, have stories about Latvian currency. I think you’re safe.”
The scene cut to a phone screen which showed a modern smartphone and Roy’s text message, which was presented as if it were a formal letter, and a reply which read: “Hi Roy!! So sorry to have not replied sooner. Much outrage at our book club re: JG Ballard! – Alice.” Just then, it appeared as if Nina had been right to have been worried all along as the person holding the phone was a man with a beard, although his face was never fully revealed.
Fans instantly took to social media to share their heartbreak for the kind cafe owner, who was famously married to the late Hayley Cropper for over a decade and has been a father figure to several residents of the Street itself, taking the likes of Fiz Brown (Jennie McAlpline) and Carla Connor (Alison King) under his wing over the years.
However, it was then revealed that Alice was a man with a beard (Image: ITV)
Speculating just who Alice is or what she might be up to, one fan wrote on Reddit: “I’d say Alice is a scammer looking for his money!” Another wrote: “Why are we being mean to Roy, leave Roy alone!” But one fan seemed to think it might be none other than Weatherfield resident Kevin Webster, as they wrote: “Kevin Catfishing Roy…? Why?”
And one fan even thought it could be Rob Donovan, the brother of Carla Connor, who murdered Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) over a decade ago. They raged: “Erm who’s texting Roy pretending to be Alice and why does it look like Rob?” Fans will remember that actor Marc Baylis did make a comeback to the soap in early 2025, when he escaped from prison and held Carla hostage at number one with his former partner Tracy Barlow.
One fan seemed to think it was Rob Donovan, who was last seen holding Carla and Tracy hostage at Ken Barlow’s house (Image: )
His return all came about when his son Bobby persuaded him to donate a kidney to his sister and tried for another chance with Tracy, but it all ended in tears and he was swiftly carted back to prison.
At the time, Marc explained: “He’s a middle aged man whose life hasn’t gone on the trajectory he thought it would. He’s very troubled; he’s dark and ruthless. He’s not evil, there is good in him and he’s got a fantastic sense of humour, but being inside prison is eating him alive!”
Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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