Coronation Street’s Bruce Jones breaks silence after bosses decide to kill off Les Battersby
CORONATION Street’s Bruce Jones has broken his silence after bosses decided to kill off Les Battersby.
The Sun on Sunday exclusively revealed how ITV soap bosses had taken the decision to kill off the iconic character in an upcoming storyline.
Les is set to die off-screen, 17 years after he was last seen on the Cobbles.
Actor Bruce, 71, played Les in Coronation Street for 10 years until he was suspended for allegedly getting drunk in a restaurant, insulting fans and revealing plots.
Les was written out as a consequence, but die-hard fans have always hoped the character would return one day, especially as his daughter Leanne and step-daughter Toyah are still in Weatherfield.
But in a new interview, Bruce revealed how he was told about Les’ demise in an email a fortnight ago.
He said: “I actually thought, well fine, I played him for ten years. It gives me closure.
“Maybe it will stop people asking me all the time when I’m going back, if I’m going back.
“People want me back, but it’ll stop all that, in shopping centres, wherever I go.
“I’m pleased it’s happening but I’m also sad about losing a character I played for ten years. I’m grateful to the street for that.”
He added in the interview with the MailOnline that he had no animosity towards show bosses at all despite the sad decision.
Bruce also admitted he couldn’t see how Les would have fitted back into the show if bosses had ever decided to bring him back.
He said: “I felt relieved, then I felt sadness, then I thought, ‘well, where would he go?’ If he went back, where would he go?
“How would he get back, what would he do? Where would the storylines take him?’
“I don’t think they could really do that much with him, which is a shame.”
Next month Les’s daughter Leanne, played by Jane Danson, receives a call telling her that her dad is dead. She then breaks the news to her sister Toyah (Georgia Taylor).
Most devastating soap deaths
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.
A source said: “It’s a huge snub to kill off a popular character like this.
“Bruce created one of the Street’s most iconic characters in Les and always hoped one day he might return.
“A lot of the cast and crew have said it’s a bit mean.
“It’s also bound to infuriate long-term fans who remember Les with great fondness.”
Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.