Coronation Street's Daniel Brocklebank reveals Billy Mayhew name change as original choice was 'too posh'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukDaniel Brocklebank has shared that his Coronation Street character Billy Mayhew was not always meant to be called Billy. The actor, who has been portraying the vicar since 2014, revealed that initially the character was named Hugh, but it was deemed 'too posh' by the show's executives.
Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Daniel disclosed: "My character was originally going to be called Hugh. But the bosses decided that made him sound too posh, so they changed it to Billy! ".
Reflecting on his character's evolution, Daniel said that Billy seemed "a lot cooler" in his initial episodes than he does now, describing his current persona as a "nerdy geek". READ MORE: Coronation Street legend Thelma Barlow says friend Helen Worth is 'frightened' ahead of Gail Platt exit He elaborated: "I was told right from the start that the fact he was gay was very incidental; it wasn't a defining characteristic.
When I look back on those first episodes, Billy was a lot cooler. "He's more of a nerdy geek now, but everything he's been through would have a detrimental effect on his coolness, I suppose.
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