Karl Munro is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by John Michie.

In November 2011, it was revealed that Karl would become a gambling addict and subsequently begin an affair with Sunita Alahan (Shobna Gulati) as he "sets off on a dark journey".

In 2013, Karl set The Rovers Return Inn on fire, which led to the deaths of Sunita and local firefighter Toni Griffiths (Tara Moran).

Karl arrives in Weatherfield in a removal van the day after his girlfriend, Stella Price (Michelle Collins), gets a job as bar manager at The Rovers Return Inn public house.

Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) announces that he is selling the pub and offers Karl and Stella first refusal to buy it.

However, Sunita's children Aadi (Zennon Ditchett) and Asha (Tanisha Gorey) discover the money and after refusing to tell Dev where she got the money from; the couple separate and Sunita moves into the pub with Karl, Stella, Eva and Stella's oldest daughter, Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson).

Karl later expresses disbelief when Stella begins a relationship with Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas), who is twenty years her junior.

She also inadvertently reveals to Karl that Sunita deleted her text message to him, the night she discovered the affair in order to trap him.

Lloyd and Steve fire him from his job and when Sunita gloats at his predicament, he angrily threatens her in the shop, vowing revenge.

Stella asks Owen Armstrong (Ian Puleston-Davies) to give Karl a job as a labourer at his building yard.

Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) alerts the Bistro customers to the fire and Karl discovers that Stella had gone home early and is trapped in the pub.

When Karl discovers that the police suspect Sunita of starting the fire, he plants The Rovers spare keys in her possessions at the hospital after getting her finger prints on them as she lies comatose.

Karl continues to support Stella as she recovers and panics when Dev tells them that Sunita is showing signs of recovery.

He carries the coffin at Sunita's funeral and overwhelmed with guilt, he nearly confesses to Stella but she believes he is feeling guilty over the affair.

Craig believes he had started the fire accidentally by discarding a cigarette he had been smoking in the smoker's shelter in the pub's back yard.

The night before the wedding, Karl walks Stella, Gloria and Eva to Leanne’s flat and sees Craig’s bullies threatening him.

He is relieved when Craig says he hasn't told Dev anything but to make sure he stays quiet, Karl threatens to kill Beth.

A petrified Craig ends up confessing to Dev what he knows and Jason and Beth take him to the police station to make a statement.

Stella is shocked and when Karl refuses to let her call an ambulance, she demands an explanation and he is forced to confess to his crimes.

Dev, who has regained consciousness and is playing dead, sends a text message to Jason who has returned from the police station.

Jason breaks into the pub and Karl pours whisky over the bar and threatens to start another fire and confesses to pulling out Sunita's oxygen tube at the hospital.

Karl taunts Jason as he is led away and is last seen being put into the back of a police car as Stella, Gloria, Eva and Leanne watch.

Karl is a very different character for him, though, and the ladies of Weatherfield need to watch themselves as this sexy charmer will quickly make his presence felt.

Of course Michelle's soap credentials are superb and in the same way she made Cindy Beale one of EastEnders' most memorable bitches, I am certain she is going to be fantastic as the warm, funny, steely, flawed and larger-than-life northern matriarch Stella.

[16] Michie told Digital Spy that Karl could have had a career as a professional footballer, but opined that he is too keen on "the wine, women and song".

[16] Karl previously worked part-time in Stella's public house in Rochdale and played for the pub's football team.

[18] Coronation Street producer, Phil Collinson, revealed that Karl and Stella's relationship would face problems because of this.

"[20] In June 2011, Karl came second in an Inside Soap poll to find out which member of the new family readers were most looking forward to seeing on-screen.

[24] The character of Karl arrived on-screen on 17 June 2011, drawing 7.94 million viewers and 37.6% of the total TV viewing audience.

[25] In November 2011 Steve Hendry of the Daily Record noted that Michie "hit it lucky in review terms – in comparison to screen girlfriend, Stella" as he escaped the "fierce criticism" she received regarding her Mancunian accent.