Dennis Tanner was the son of Elsie Tanner and a Coronation Street resident from 1942 to 1968, and then again from 2011 to 2014. He is the estranged husband of Rita Tanner, the brother of Linda Cheveski, and the uncle of Paul and Martin Cheveski. Dennis was the black sheep of the Tanner family. An ex-borstal boy, Dennis pursued a legitimate career as a talent scout for Lenny Phillips and spent a few years working in clubs. His camp, charming manner made him a natural entertainer, but his hare-brained schemes never went to plan and after a few years he quit the business.