Brian Packham, played by
Peter Gunn, is introduced as the head of the English department at the high school where
John Stape (
Graeme Hawley) gets a job working under the name of
Colin Fishwick (
David Crellin). John has stolen Colin's identity to apply for the job as John's criminal record, which he got due to kidnapping
Rosie Webster (
Helen Flanagan) in 2008, prevented him from doing so. The day after John starts his new post as Colin, Brian calls to say that "Colin" has left his mobile phone at school and that he is on his way round to the house to drop it off. When he arrives, he invites himself in and
Fiz (
Jennie McAlpine) and John worry as they try to hide their true identity within their own house. Brian returns to the Street in October 2010, when he knocks on John's door to tell him that Colin's mother had contacted the school for his details in order to reunite with him. John is forced to lie to Brian, first claiming that he had fallen out with his mother.
Owen Armstrong (
Ian Puleston-Davies) then knocks on the Stapes' door and speaks to John about his brother-in-law
Chesney Brown's (
Sam Aston) relationship with his daughter
Katy (
Georgia May Foote). He calls John by his name in front of Brian and, after Owen leaves, John tells Brian that he has had to change his name because he had witnessed a murder and was in hiding from a gangland boss. Brian agrees to keep John's secret. Brian then meets Fiz's colleague
Julie Carp (
Katy Cavanagh) and they have a drink in the Rovers. Brian keeps winking at John whenever he is speaking to him and John tells him to stop, in case it draws attention to him. It isn't long before an attraction develops between Brian and Julie and they start dating. John, terrified that his deception will be uncovered, tries to sabotage their relationship. When Brian and Julie have a romantic meal at a restaurant, John calls Brian's ex-wife and she later shows up and Brian is forced to tell Julie he is married. Julie leaves, devastated. Brian spends the night at the Stapes' and hides when Julie calls at the house. John then convinces Brian to go back to his ex-wife and give his marriage a second chance and he leaves. He returns in June 2011, questioning Fiz over John's crimes and recent disappearance. Julie sees Brian at Number 5 but angrily storms out after how he left her, though she later admits to Fiz that her feelings for him remain. Julie again comes into contact with Brian when taking
Sean Tully's (
Antony Cotton) son
Dylan Wilson (Connor and Liam McCheyne) to a reading group at Bessie Street Primary School where Brian now works. Brian soon follows her back to the Street and asks her out, with a delighted Julie accepting. In February 2012, Julie discovers she is pregnant, with Brian being the father. However, she doesn't know that Brian had previously had a
vasectomy. When she discovers this, Brian accuses her of cheating on him. Julie is adamant that she had not been with anyone else and that Brian is the actual father, which is true. After a conversation with fellow ex-teacher
Ken Barlow (
William Roache), Brian realises that vasectomies aren't always 100% effective and that he really is the father of Julie's unborn child. He then apologises to Julie for not believing her and they resume their relationship. Julie discovers that she is not pregnant but has a growth, which led to a positive pregnancy test. To remove the growth Julie has both of her ovaries removed, which means that she cannot have biological children, which both Brian and Julie are upset about. It was revealed on 18 February 2013 that Gunn's contract would not be renewed and the character departed on 18 December 2013. He returned briefly from 12 June 2015 to 3 July 2015, in a storyline that tied in with the exit of Julie. Brian returns in June 2015, desperate to win Julie back. He knocks on the front door of the flat that he and Julie used to live in. When he is there, he bumps into a parent from the school he used to teach,
Beth Sutherland (
Lisa George). She reveals that Julie has moved on and is now with
Dev Alahan (
Jimmi Harkishin) as she finally got over Brian dumping her. The next week, Brian bumps into Julie. She is shocked to see him and tells him that she had heard that he was back in the area. She also reveals that she is over Brian and he should let go of her. He reveals that he has quit his job in Wales for her and also reveals that they have won a holiday in a competition that they entered when they were together and tries to persuade Julie to go away on their holiday with him. He, however, remains determined to win her back. He is also reunited with his best friend, Ken, and moves in with him. In September 2016, it was confirmed that Brian will be returning in November that year. Brian returned permanently on-screen on 18 November 2016. ==Izzy Armstrong==