LESS than one year after leaving the cobbles, a former Coronation Street actor has made his debut in a rival soap.
Bill Fellows, known for his role as Stu Carpenter on the ITV soap, appeared in Saturday night’s episode of Casualty.
In the long-running BBC medical drama, he took on the role of Terry, a pharmacy delivery driver whose storyline takes a violent turn when he’s brutally attacked during a drop-off.
The shocking incident is tied to recent revelations in Casualty, where it emerged that pharmacist Sunny had been stealing morphine to protect her son, Jake, who had become entangled with a dangerous gang.
In the episode, tensions escalate as Rash uncovers the truth, and it’s revealed that Terry’s assault may be linked to Sunny tipping off the gang.
Bill teased his guest appearance earlier this year, posting a behind-the-scenes selfie in an NHS badge with the caption: “Another day, another Casualty.”
He later shared a photo showcasing realistic special effects makeup, hinting at the physical toll his character would endure.
Terry marks a stark contrast from Bill’s previous role as Stu on Coronation Street.
Joining the cobbles in 2021, Stu became a fan favourite through his close bond with Yasmeen and his work at Speed Daal.
Over his three-year stint, the character tackled powerful storylines, including homelessness and a wrongful conviction that saw him imprisoned for 27 years.
Stu’s emotional exit earlier this year saw him leave Weatherfield to start a new life in Germany with his granddaughter, Eliza.
Reflecting on his time on the soap, Fellows said: “I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with Stu’s character.
“He started as a man struggling to survive and became someone who rebuilt his life, found love, and made a difference.
“It’s been a complete story arc, and I’m pleased with how it’s all come together.”
He also described the experience of working on Corrie as “surreal,” particularly sharing scenes with soap legend William Roache (Ken Barlow).
History of the Coronation Street set
By Jake Penkethman , TV Reporter
1960-1968 – Whilst the Coronation Street set remained on Quay Street for 53 years, it actually had three separate studio sites. The first was an entirely indoor wooden set which was used for the first eight years of filming. This encompassed a replica of the Street built entirely indoors. The set was known to be awkward for actors to use and the houses brought to three quarter scale.
1968-1982 – In 1968, the addition of an outdoor set was created to adjoin the existing indoor set which was still used for filming right up until 1982. The set was used only when required with many of the show’s cast reportedly hating it and describing it as ‘the coldest place on Earth’.
1982-2013 – A brand new set was officially constructed in 1982 and was almost built fully to scale but still only permitted for one car to drive down the cobbled street. The house were purpose-built using reclaimed Salford brick in order to give it the most authentic feel possible. During these years, some of the show’s buildings were adapted to allow for both interior and exterior filming at the same time. These locations included Elliott’s Butchers, Barlow’s Buys, Prima Doner and Webster’s Autos. The final scenes to be recorded on this site occurred in December 2013. By early 2014, it began operating as a tourist attraction for around two years before ultimately being demolished and re-purposed in 2017.
2014-present – In early 2014, the show’s set moved to the TV hub of the North – MediaCityUK in nearby Salford Quays. It is now located a stone’s throw from major TV studio Dock 10 as well as the BBC’s base in the North – home to Blue Peter, Newsround, BBC Breakfast and BBC Sport. The new set was even bigger and built to 9/10 the scale of a real street and allowed for two card to be travelling down the road at opposite sides for the very first time. The site has even undergone major expansions during its 10 years. Just four years after opening in 2018, a brand new set extension was unveiled which introduced viewers to Victoria Gardens for the first time in its history. The Weatherfield North tram stop also became visible as did a series of shops which became used as part of product placement advertising deals. Brands to have been seen on the Street so far include a Co-Op, a Costa Coffee and a branch of Hay’s Travel. Four years later in 2022, another brand new set was unveiled, this time being the heavily mentioned Weatherfield Precinct. It became the first time in 62 years that the area had ever been seen on screens. It fearued a variety of shop fronts, a playground and a number of small flats which have begun to house more and more residents on the street in recent months.
“Growing up, I watched it with my family, so being part of it has been surreal. I’ve worked alongside legends like William Roache, and it’s been an incredible experience.”
This comes after Maureen Lipman will be returning to Corrie.
The Evelyn Plummer actress walked away from being a full-time cast member last year.
Instead, she became one of the first stars to ink one of the new shorter-term part-time contracts being handed out to stars in order to retain them on the show for just a few weeks a year while allowing them to pursue other ventures elsewhere when not filming.
These are being handed out more frequently to cast members who wish to take time away from the show as well as to those with less storylines as part of a cost-saving measure at ITV.
Now, having been off-screen for months studying at university, Evelyn will be back for a short stint to catch up with all the mayhem on the cobbles.
She will make a comeback to catch-up with her old pal Roy Cropper in an unexpected arrival.
While Roy is delighted to see her, he soon feels awkward when she invites herself to his planned dinner with Carla Connor and Lisa Swain.
However, Evelyn’s presence at the dinner is the least of their concerns when a mystery woman shows up.
A lady called Tia Wardley interrupts the meal with Corrie fans knowing that Lisa and Carla have been searching for a woman with the same name.
It soon transpires that Tia herself is also already very aware they have been trying to track her down.
But what happens next, and is it purely a coincidence that Evelyn happens to be there?
Maureen first began playing Evelyn full-time in September 2018 until December of last year.
She briefly returned in March of this year ahead of her next stint in the upcoming week.
Maureen told The Sun she wanted to “enjoy life” and focus on her engagement as the main reason behind her full-time Corrie departure.
She proposed to business consultant boyfriend David Turner, 78, last year.
Maureen told us: “I’ll be absent for a while, and then coming back.
“I’m not going to die but then I’ll be in and out of it because I want to have a bit of a life.
“David and I are thinking of having a bit of a gap year.”
And she’s got her eye on new roles, adding: “I’m waiting to see what’s out there once I’m out there.
“There’s got to be something that Lesley Manville and Brenda Blethyn and Harriet Walters don’t play that I could do.”
