Concepta Riley

Concepta Riley
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Doreen Keogh
Duration	1960–1964, 1967, 1972, 1975
First appearance	23 December 1960 Episode 5
Last appearance	31 December 1975 Episode 1561
Classification	Former; regular
Created by	Tony Warren
Introduced by	Tony Warren (1960) Jack Rosenthal (1967) H.V. Kershaw (1972) Susi Hush (1975)
Book appearances	Coronation Street: The Complete Saga
In-universe information Other names Concepta Hewitt Concepta Regan Occupation Barmaid Father Sean Riley Mother Shelagh Riley Husband Harry Hewitt (1961–1967) Sean Regan (1972–present) Sons Christopher Hewitt Stepdaughters Lucille Hewitt

Concepta Riley (also Hewitt and Regan)^[1] is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Coronation Street, played by Doreen Keogh. Concepta was created by Tony Warren as one of Coronation Street's original characters. She debuted in the soap opera's fifth episode which was broadcast on 23 December 1960.

Concepta is recognised as the first ever barmaid of the Rovers Return Inn, an occupation which over time became an important role in the show. Her stories include her marriage to Harry Hewitt (Ivan Beavis) and becoming step-mother to his rebellious daughter Lucille (Jennifer Moss). She also gives birth to son, Christopher (Victoria Baker), and writers devised an abduction story for him. It became one of Concepta's most notable storylines and helped raise Coronation Street's viewership to 21 million, which at the time was their highest audience share.

When Tim Aspinall took over as the producer of Coronation Street, he decided to write Concepta and Harry out of the series. They left to begin a new life in Ireland, but left Lucille behind. Both Keogh and Beavis agreed to reprise their roles in 1967, but Harry was killed off when he is crushed by a van. After a five-year hiatus, Keogh reprised the role in 1972 and 1975. She then married Sean Regan (Tony Doyle) and her return stories focused on Sean kissing Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear) and Concepta accepting his infidelity. At her final appearance, Keogh appeared in a total of 320 episodes of Coronation Street.