Clarkie was a lorry driver who was a customer at the newly-reopened Jim's Cafe. Filled with the same sort of innuendo-filled banter as his colleagues, he found Elsie Tanner an easy match for his smutty remarks when she stopped off for a few moments to help a harassed Gail Tilsley. Such was Elsie’s skill at handling Clarkie that Jim Sedgewick offered her a permanent job on the spot.