Karen McDonald (also Phillips) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Suranne Jones.
However, over Christmas 2003, Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) told Steve that he was the father of the baby she was expecting, not Roy Cropper's (David Neilson), following a one-night stand when he and Karen were apart.
However, Tracy's adoptive father, Ken Barlow (William Roache), told Roy and Hayley that they would legally have no choice but to give the baby up, so they admitted defeat and handed her over.
Steve was tricked by Tracy and Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard) into going to London where he found out that the "McDonald-Barlows" were to appear on a new quiz show called "Top of the Tree".
Suranne Jones was cast as machinist Karen by then producer Jane Macnaught in early 2000, having previously appeared briefly in April 1997 as Mandy Phillips, the girlfriend of Chris Collins (Matthew Marsden).
[3] Rick Fulton of the Daily Record noted that Karen vows to be more "wily" with her romantic interests after seeing her friend Bobbi "wrapping boyfriend Vikram around her little finger".
She characterises Karen as "not the type of girl to back out of a tricky situation" and states that she and Steve find themselves "in a game of bluff" with each "waiting for the other to pull out.
[5] Billy Sloan of the Sunday Mail stated that the scenes were "guaranteed to provide a bit of light relief" after serious storylines such as the rape of Toyah Battersby and Alma Halliwell's cancer diagnosis.
[8] Discussing the success of the pairing, Simon Gregson compared Steve and Karen to "a mini Jack and Vera" with "the shouting and the arguments" and "the feistiness of the characters".
In February 2002 The Sunday Mirror stated that Suranne Jones had "proved an instant hit with viewers" after joining the serial in June 2000.
[13] In December 2002 the Coventry Evening Telegraph ran a headline describing the character as "Britain's Favourite TV Bitch".
[16] After the announcement of her departure, Selina Scott of the Sunday Mail stated that Suranne Jones had "done as much as any of the [Coronation Street] cast to see off the challenge of EastEnders".
She felt that Suranne Jones had made the "recklessly upwardly-mobile Karen into a genuine character" and was "the only thing that stops Steve 'Mogadon' McDonald becoming a cure for insomnia.
"[17] The Mirror's Nicola Methven and Polly Hudson predicted that the start of Karen's exit from the show would find "soapville on its knees in front of the TV, sobbing uncontrollably".
The authors gave particular praise to the relationship between Karen and Steve, opining that Gregson and Jones "lit up the screen once again" and provided "pure [television] gold".
[18] Danielle Lawler, writing for The Sunday Mirror in November 2004 referred to a scene where Karen attacked Tracy as "another classic clobbering".
[20] The character is remembered for her distinct personality and style: The Guardian's Rosanna Greenstreet described her as "a bulldog in hoop earrings" in September 2005.
[21] Actress Kym Marsh, upon joining the serial stated that she wanted her character, Michelle Connor, to be like Karen: "a likeable lady, but with a serious attitude".
[22] In 2010 Gerard Gilbert of The Independent, reminiscing on the character, stated that Suranne Jones brought a "vital spark to Britain's best-loved soap, as a Victoria Beckham wannabe from the wrong side of the tracks.