Coronation Street viewers have expressed outrage over a perceived plot error in the historic crossover with Emmerdale, which saw the death of beloved vicar Billy Mayhew. The character, played by Daniel Brocklebank since 2014, died after being trapped in a burning minibus following a multi-vehicle pile-up.
The incident occurred as a group of Weatherfield residents returned from Debbie Webster's wedding. While several characters managed to escape, Billy remained trapped in the driver's seat. In a twist, his enemy Theo Silverton returned to the vehicle, not to rescue him but to buckle his seatbelt and leave him to die in the explosion.
Fans have criticised the writing, noting that none of the other survivors attempted to check on Billy, despite rushing to free Lisa Swain from a trapped car. One Reddit user wrote: 'After watching Corriedale, anyone else kinda confused as to why nobody was trying to save Billy? ... Do you think that’s poor writing or whether genuinely nobody knew?'
Another viewer commented: 'It was shocking no one cared that he was still inside and no one checked to see if anyone was trapped. And barely a reaction from anyone when he was literally burning in the van.' The lack of reaction from Todd, Billy's former love, was also noted as unrealistic.
Daniel Brocklebank, who played Billy for over a decade, admitted he will miss the friendships formed on set. He told the ECHO: 'I'll miss the people. Having said that, the people that I am most close to, we speak all the time... We'll just have to make more of an effort to see each other.' He also revealed he took a leather chair from Billy's living room as a memento.
