Corrie’s ‘best villain ever’ to ‘return’ after 21 years – despite being killed off
EXCLUSIVE: Corrie has seen its fair share of villains causing terror on the cobbles over the years and now, it’s been predicted the “baddest of all” could be heading back
Coronation Street could be set to welcome back one of the soap’s memorable villains 21 years after their death.
Serial killer Richard Hillman, played by Brian Capron, first rocked up to the cobbles in 2001. And it didn’t take long for him to cause plenty of drama and terror.
Often declared as the most hated soap and best villain of all time, Richard was known for his murderous rampage on the cobbles. During his evil reign of terror, the infamous bad guy slaughtered several residents.
He ended up murdering his ex-wife Patricia Hillman and Maxine Peacock before confessing his crimes to Gail. He then attempted to murder the entire Platt family: Gail, David, Sarah and Bethany.
In an iconic, albeit terrifying, scene from 2003, Richard tied the Platts in the car before gassing them. He then drove them into the canal – but he was the only one who met his watery end.
However, now, it’s been claimed that Richard could make a shock return in a bid to “draw in viewers.”In exclusive odds provided by Instant Casino, the bookies have chalked up Richard returning to Corrie as 75/1.
What’s more, speaking exclusively to Daily Star, a PR expert told us how Richard’s potential comeback could tie in with ex-wife Gail. Dom Aldworth, Head of Brand Marketing at Slingo said: “Often viewed as one of the best soap villains of all time, ITV bosses may want to see Hillman return to the show to draw in viewers.”
Dom went on: “Helen Worth, who plays Gail Platt, has reportedly signed a £250,000 year-long contract with the ITV show due to her popularity. With another year on the show, bosses could be looking for a huge storyline which could potentially see Hillman return to haunt Platt in visions or dreams.”
The expert then pointed out how actor Brian still has a good relationship with the soap. He said: “ Additionally, Brian Capron seems to have maintained a good relationship with the show with the actor visiting the soap’s old set at Granada Studios in 2019 to surprise fans, so it doesn’t seem completely impossible that the fan-favourite villain makes a return.”
Meanwhile last year, in an exclusive interview with Daily Star, the award-winning actor revealed he previously had a minor role on the show more than two decades before he landed the part of the infamous serial killer.
He confessed: “Richard Hillman isn’t the only role I’ve played on Coronation Street. I don’t know if you know but I also played the role of a social worker called Don [Worthington] maybe two decades before I landed the role of Richard.”
Brian continued: “Obviously it was Richard who everyone remembers. But, yeah, I first started working on the show back in the 80s as Don which I played for a few years.”