Coronation Street fans have been left heartbroken after it emerged a legendary character was allegedly ‘axed via email’ from the soap after 27 years on the cobbles.
Coronation Street fans were gobsmacked to learn that a legendary Weatherfield resident, who has graced the show for nearly three decades, is reportedly set to be axed. Bruce Jones, famed for his portrayal of Les Battersby over ten years, was allegedly told of his on-screen demise via email.
The plot twist will see on-screen daughter Leanne, played by Jane Danson, receiving the devastating call and subsequently breaking the news to her sister Toyah, portrayed by Georgia Taylor. Vicky Entwistle, known to fans as Janice Battersby, Bruce’s former on-screen spouse, confirmed the storyline when she responded to a fan’s tweet earlier today.
The fan had posted a gif of a woman in shock, captioned with: “#Corrie are killing off Les Battersby…” To which Vicky replied, “I know Bruce told me a couple of months ago after receiving an email.”
A Corrie insider expressed to The Sun that this move by the soap’s chiefs is seen as “a huge snub” and is likely to ruffle the feathers of die-hard viewers who hold Les dear. They remarked: “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.”
The Battersbys made their entrance on the cobbles back in 1997, with Bruce Jones portraying Les for a solid decade until 2007. The character was hitched to Janice and they had Leanne as their daughter and Toyah as their stepdaughter, reports the Mirror.
After Janice had enough of his chaotic antics, she left him for Dennis Stringer and Les moved on with pub worker Cilla Brown, her son Chesney and his pet dog, Schmeichel the Great Dane. In March 2007, Bruce was suspended from the ITV soap after he reportedly got drunk with an undercover journalist – spilling future plotlines of the show and making inappropriate remarks.
Bruce’s departure from Corrie was confirmed in May, when it was announced he would be suspended from the show until his contract ended in September that year. Les never got an on-screen exit storyline but his stepson Chesney confirmed his former father figure was alive and kicking, residing in Dublin and working as a roadie with an Irish tribute band.
Post his dismissal from Corrie, Bruce went on to perform stand up comedy sets in Benidorm, before going on to appear on reality TV shows like Celebrity Wife Swap, alongside singer Sinitta, in 2008.
