Coronation Street star says ‘over and out’ as ‘final goodbye’ supported

Former Coronation Street star Daniel Brocklebank has said his ‘final goodbye’ to the long-running show as he watched his on-screen alter-ego’s funeral unfold.

Those who follow the ITV soap best know the actor for playing Billy Mayhew, the reformed vicar who arrived in Weatherfield back in 2014. But after 11 years on the cobbles, viewers watched Billy perish in a recent horror crash which left a number of lives hanging in the balance.

His demise took place during Corrie’s first-ever crossover with Emmerdale as a dramatic crash unfolded. The special episode, dubbed Corriedale, aired earlier this month and saw multiple characters involved in a catastrophic crash on a dark and stormy country road near the village of Hotten.

Billy was confirmed to have perished in the minibus carrying a number of Debbie Webster and Ronnie Bailey’s wedding guests after it burst into flames following the horror pile-up and he was left trapped inside, despite villain Theo Silverton going back inside the vehicle to save him.

During Wednesday’s (January 28) edition of Corrie, mourners gathered to say their goodbyes to Billy. Taking place at the same church where Billy and his husband, Paul Foreman, tied the knot, before Paul’s own funeral took place in 2024, Todd Grimshaw was preparing to give his eulogy.

As he began his speech about his best friend, who knew about the abuse he had been suffering at the hands of his partner, Theo, and was helping him to escape before the crash, Todd broke down in tears and George Shuttleworth encouraged Theo to go and help him.

Rather than reading what Todd had planned, Theo offered to give his own words, but in doing so, he attempted to pass his guilt over to Todd by mentioning that if they had left Debbie and Ronnie’s wedding later, things would have been different.

Meanwhile, following the emotional scenes, Daniel took to social media to say a last goodbye to Billy after playing him for more than a decade. Sharing a picture of the order of service from the fictional funeral, as well as the moment he saw his character’s coffin, he wrote on Instagram: “Well, that’s it. Final goodbye to Billy & my 11 years of being part of that special @coronationstreet family.

“Loved the writing! ‘Dapper Dan’, ‘Greatest Showman’. some lovely nods. You say goodbye, I say hello to so many new adventures. With huge love @coronationstreet over and out.”

Gareth Pierce, who plays Todd, was quick to respond as he admitted: “Wasn’t hard to play ‘grief’, mate,” while Harriet Bibby, who plays Summer Spellman, replied: “Miss you like mad.”