The new characters are the Bradley family: Ed, Aggie, Michael, and James. We learned that the Bradleys will be moving to Weaterfield later this spring.
There is no "Kai." Instead, the new gay character is a 19-year-old soccer player named James Bradley (played by Nathan Graham). According to the press release, James is good-looking, yet brooding. He's quiet, reserved, modest, and hard-working. He's a rising soccer star. And he's gay. There's some question to how his family and teammates will respond when they eventually learn that he's gay (Jon's Prediction: Probably not well).
Other family members include:
Edison ("Ed") Bradley (played by Trevor Michael Georges): He has bought the builder's yard with his son. He's a property developer and a builder. He likes to drink, banter, and laugh it up with the boys -- but he's also a no-nonsense type of guy.
Aggie Bradley (played by Lorna Laidlaw): Aggie is fun, friendly, and outrageous. She works as a pharmacy assistant.
Michael Bradley (played by Ryan Russell): He's 27-years-old and full of get-rich schemes.
Earlier reports focused on James' homosexuality and his family reacting to him eventually coming out. But the real story is that the Bradleys are apparently the first black family to ever appear regularly on "Coronation Street," despite 60 years of television broadcasting.