CORONATION Street’s Billy Mayhew found himself saved from a tragic fate – thanks to a familiar face.
The vicar – played by Daniel Brocklebank – recently lost his beloved husband Paul (Peter Ash) after a battle with motor neurone disease.
On the day of Paul’s funeral, Billy found himself at breaking point – including trying to kiss his ex Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce).
The grieving widower drowned his sorrows and sat outside in freezing cold weather.
However, he was not alone as Paul appeared as an apparition trying to stop Billy from dying.
Peter Ash returned to film new scenes as his deceased character.
Addressing his distraught husband, Paul told Billy: “You never got to say your goodbye.
“You can do it now.”
He added: “I’ll still be with you. Just because we can’t go for a pint anymore doesn’t mean I’m not around.
“You can still talk to me. Tell me what you were going to say, if you’d made it to the hospital.”
Billy replied: “That I love you. That I’ll always love you.
“I know we didn’t get enough time. We weren’t even married a year.
“But in that year, we had more joy that some people get in 50.”
Meanwhile, Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove) received a voicemail from Todd, worried about Billy and didn’t know where he was.
Waking up from a dream about Paul, she had an idea of where to find Billy.
She ultimately found her son-in-law, brought him home and recruited Asha Alahan (Tanisha Gorey) to help make Billy comfortable.
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans – Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning – Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
CORONATION STREET
Tina McIntyre – Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow – despite him being married to Carla Connor.
When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla’s brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her.
Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony – then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her.
In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe.
Molly Dobbs – Molly was one of the victims in Corrie’s 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold).
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin’s wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly’s side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack’s father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth – Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap’s most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey’s exit as Jack.
Paul Foreman – Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease.
Introduced in 2018 as David Platt’s (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance – and marriage – with vicar Billy Mayhew.
The MND storyline was announced in 2023 – with the expectation it would result in the character’s death.
EMMERDALE
Sarah Sugden – After the family got into financial problems, Sarah’s son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
He didn’t realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze.
Nine villagers – The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale.
Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash.
Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died.
HOLLYOAKS
Carmel McQueen – The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family’s car.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble – but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.
Later, after he had been warmed up, Bernie shared a heartfelt sentiment.
She told Billy: “I’ve got four kids now.
“Apollo, Gemini, Kit — and Billy.”
Coronation Street continues on ITV1 and ITVX.
