After eleven years guiding the spiritual lives of Weatherfield residents, Coronation Street's beloved vicar Billy Mayhew is saying his final farewells - but the actor behind the character reveals he hasn't shed a single tear about leaving the iconic cobbles.
From Corrie to Frankenstein in Forty Minutes
Daniel Brocklebank, who has played Billy Mayhew since 2014, found himself transitioning from one role to another in record time. Just forty minutes after receiving emotional applause from 150 cast and crew members on his final day, the actor was already in rehearsals for his next project - the cult comedy musical Young Frankenstein.
"I don't think I've ever finished one job and started another one on the same day," Brocklebank shared. "I walked out of the Coronation Street studio at ten to one on Tuesday last week and I was at the theatre and in rehearsals for Young Frankenstein by half past one. My feet literally didn't touch the ground."
The 45-year-old actor will star as Dr Frederick Frankenstein in the musical adaptation at Liverpool Playhouse for a five-week run from 3rd December 2025 to 3rd January 2026, describing the experience as both "fun and eccentric" with "old-school humour" that he loves.
Why Now Was the Right Time to Leave
Brocklebank's departure from the ITV soap was announced last summer, but the actor revealed he'd been contemplating the move for about twelve months. "I'd spoken to my other half and said 'maybe it's time,'" he recalled. "As an actor, I enjoy being challenged and I was very quiet in the last year there."
The actor pointed to the powerful motor neurone disease storyline with Billy's husband Paul Foreman as a particular highlight that made subsequent plots feel less significant. "After the MND storyline, which is probably the thing I'm most proud of, I wondered really what was left for Billy," he explained.
During his eleven-year tenure, Billy Mayhew experienced numerous dramatic storylines including drug addiction, adopting daughter Summer, participating in Coronation Street's first same-sex wedding, and ultimately losing his husband to MND. "It's not like he hadn't packed it in - it's been quite a colourful 11 years," Brocklebank reflected.
No Kangaroo Testicles: Avoiding the Reality TV Route
Unlike many soap stars who transition to reality television after leaving long-running shows, Brocklebank has firmly ruled out appearing on programmes like I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
"The normal route is to go and do a panto and maybe a bit of reality television," he said, "but I'm not particularly interested in going and chewing on a kangaroo's bollocks in the jungle!"
Instead, the actor sought out a role that would "terrify me and really stretch me," finding exactly that challenge in Young Frankenstein. The production sees his character putting "a brain into a 7ft green monster" and features tap dancing alongside the musical's signature humour.
Brocklebank emphasised the importance of playing someone completely different from Billy Mayhew after spending over a decade in the role. "The thing with playing one character for so long is that you become synonymous with that person, even though I'm nothing like Billy," he noted.
Looking Forward to New Beginnings
Despite his long association with Coronation Street, Brocklebank maintains a philosophical attitude about his departure. "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," he stated pragmatically.
The actor already has several projects lined up for 2025, including a horror movie and a short film in Jersey. He credits his pre-Corrie experience - which includes roles in Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love and The Hours alongside Meryl Streep - with giving him confidence about his future career.
"I think if Corrie had been all I'd ever known then I'd have been absolutely terrified about how I would exist outside of the show," Brocklebank admitted. "But I existed for 22 years before I went into it, so I know that I can come out and exist beyond it."
As for his final moments on the cobbles, the actor described an emotional send-off with 150 colleagues gathering to wave him off, though he managed to keep his own emotions in check. "I didn't shed any tears myself," he revealed, "mainly because I didn't want the cast of Young Frankenstein to have a first impression of me as a blubbering wreck!"
At 45, Brocklebank sees his departure not as an ending but as "the beginning of the next chapter of my life." He remains optimistic about what lies ahead, concluding: "I'm a huge believer that everything happens for the right reason. I think the universe delivers what you need at the right time and I'm exactly where I'm meant to be."
