Coronation Street’s Daniel Brocklebank breaks silence on show’s shock decision to write out Billy

Coronation Street star Daniel Brocklebank has spoken about what it was like learning that the ITV soap’s bosses wanted to write his character Billy Mayhew out after being part of the cast since 2014.

Speaking to The Mirror, the actor recalled being called into the production office in June and being told the news.

“They said it was purely storyline-based, as is so often the case,” he said. “It felt absolutely right, so I was philosophical about it. It is just a job at the end of the day and there’s no character bigger than the show.

“We only get a contract for a year at a time and I don’t think anybody in their right mind would expect to be there for life, because I think you’re possibly setting yourself up for a fall.

“Shows evolve and new producers want to bring in new characters and exit characters that they feel have had their time; that’s the nature of it.”

ITV

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One reason for his pragmatic response to learning he was being axed was his admission that he had been thinking of calling it a day for about 12 months at that time anyway.

“I’d spoken to my other half and said ‘maybe it’s time,'” he said. “As an actor, I enjoy being challenged and I was very quiet in the last year there.

“After the Motor Neurone Disease storyline, which is probably the thing I’m most proud of, I wondered really what was left for Billy.

“He could drift into another relationship, his daughter Summer could get married and he could become a grandfather. But that MND storyline with his husband Paul had such an impact, that I couldn’t work out what could happen to him that hadn’t already been done.”

Brocklebank recalled some of Billy’s big stories, including his drug addiction storyline, and stated: “It’s not like he hadn’t packed it in – it’s been quite a colourful 11 years.”

ITV

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