Richard Hillman will make a terrifying return to the cobbles in tonight’s Coronation Street, with huge measures taken by the soap to keep the villain’s comeback a secret
Coronation Street fans were left gobsmacked as the soap resurrected its notorious villain Richard Hillman in a jaw-dropping Christmas Eve episode, available on ITVX. The dastardly businessman, played by the talented Brian Capron, supposedly met his watery demise back in 2003 after his murderous plans to drown Gail Platt (Helen Worth) and her family spectacularly failed.
Fast forward to today, and viewers witnessed spine-tingling moments as Brian made a dramatic return to the cobbles, 21 years after his character was thought to have perished in a canal. Gail, coming to from a doze on her couch, spots a figure rifling through her belongings and mistakes him for her betrothed Jesse Chadwick (John Thomson).
But Gail is in for a shock when the intruder chillingly hints at his true identity, saying: “Try again,” followed by a creepy observation, “I see you’ve changed the carpet in here.”
This sensational twist comes as Helen, who plays Gail, announced her departure from the show after an incredible five decades. The Sun has spilled the beans on the extreme lengths the show’s producers went to in order to keep this bombshell a secret.
To ensure Richard’s comeback was kept hush-hush, Corrie chiefs opted to shoot the scenes on a tightly sealed set, with minimal crew and Helen present. Even Brian had to resort to sneaking under blankets and crouching in cars to avoid detection when exiting the set, reports the Mirror.
An insider spilled the beans, saying: “It was a major need to know operation. Brian was sneaked on and off set in the back of a car under blankets to avoid being spotted. And his and Helen’s scenes were filmed on a closed set with a tiny number of staff to shoot it. It’s a real callback to what’s undoubtedly Gail’s biggest storyline from her time on the show and a celebration of it.”
Helen Worth, aged 73, has been the rock of Coronation Street since she first appeared as Gail Platt in 1974. The soap icon’s upcoming exit is set to be part of an explosive storyline shaking up the Platt family.
Speaking about her departure, Helen shared this month: “This year felt like the perfect time to leave the show after celebrating 50 years in the most wonderful job on the most wonderful street in the world. I have been truly blessed to have been given the most incredible scripts week in week out, and to have worked with fantastic actors, directors and a brilliant crew. The past 50 years have flown by and I don’t think the fact that I am leaving has quite sunk in yet.”