Coronation Street star David Neilson credits his caring wife for helping shape his eccentric character Roy Cropper.

It’s been a dramatic few weeks for mild-mannered Roy on the cobbles after he was wrongly arrested on suspicion of killing his former employee. And now he’s been handcuffed again for the supposed murder of missing teenager Lauren Bolton.

But some fans are convinced Roy’s freedom is ‘sealed’ thanks to a future twist, with one viewer predicting on X: “I feel this will end when Lauren turns at the trial as an unannounced witness!!!” As the plot thickens, we take a look at 75-year-old actor David’s life away from the soap.

David has been married to his other half Jane Neilson for more than 50 years, and she has played a huge part in helping shape Roy into a far more interesting, complicated character. Speaking with the Mirror in 2009, David revealed how he’d secretly made Roy autistic, crediting special needs teacher Jane for her expertise.

David explained: “Roy was a psychopath. He was stalking Deirdre and was a bit scary. It’s nice to play psychos but they don’t stay around too long. My wife is a special needs teacher and she worked with people with autism. She said Roy could have Asperger’s syndrome, making him socially inept, rather than menacing. Nobody really knew what Asperger’s was back in 1995, so it’s my wife I owe it to.

“It’s never mentioned in the story though and it shouldn’t be – Roy is a human being, and a label doesn’t help him. But I think he’s got it. It gives him reasons for his behaviour and gives me something to play. I enjoy idiosyncrasies in people and Roy is full of them.”

David and Jane have an adult son, Daniel, and are now proud grandparents to two young granddaughters. Since 2002, the couple have split their time between Spain and England, allowing them to live a more normal life.