Coronation Street legend Brian Capron, who played iconic villain Richard Hillman, told the Mirror how a twist of fate sparked the killer storyline, with the pressure soon having an impact

As Coronation Street reaches its 65th year, viewers have seen many soap villains cause destruction on the cobbles.

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But one stands out as the most iconic of them all – and 22 years after Richard Hillman’s demise at the bottom of a canal, the actor who played him still gets remembered for his killer character’s brutal actions and classic one-liners. Brian Capron admits it’s nice to have made a mark as the hapless yet horrifying villain dubbed “Norman Bates with a briefcase” by his wife Gail Platt.

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From slamming his ex-wife Patricia over the head with a spade to smacking poor old Emily Bishop’s head with a crowbar – and who could forget Maxine Peacock’s grim death – it’s hard to forget such a sinister villain. But Brian, 78, confessed that he faced the chop as Gail’s “boring” new man, until a new producer changed plans.

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Speaking on the eve of the big anniversary, Brian told us: “He [Richard] was a bit cheesy for six months and then our producer got sacked. The new exec decided to home in on my character.

“They saw something in it, they saw the threatening nature of it.” Brian debuted on the soap in 1981 as a different character, called Donald. It was 20 years later that Richard appeared, and not until the following year that he took on his villainous persona.

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The dramatic change to his storyline led to a boost in ratings for the soap at a time when viewing figures had dropped drastically. Millions of fans tuned in to see Brian’s brutal attack on Maxine and Emily in 2003. “The pressure was on,” Brian said.

“You felt this great excitement about what was happening, and it kept going up to around 19 million [viewers]. It went to five episodes a week when I did it, and I did over 200 episodes in just less than two years. What really rocketed the ratings was Tracy Shaw [playing Maxine] being killed.”

Richard’s killing spree only ended when he drove the Platt family into a canal in a memorable stunt. Brian says viewers still quote the episode to him now, and credits the soap’s talented team with making Richard so unforgettable. The actor recalled: “The writers made you feel sorry for him, and the relationship with the family was important.

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“That was why he was doing all this. So that made it great, he just wasn’t this mad psychopath. He actually had a heart and a soul and was doing it for a reason. They used to give me quite long monologues.

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“They didn’t do that for other actors. The writers developed Richard and the relationships he had with other characters. There was a lot of dimension to the character and a bit of humour around him.”

A soap character becoming a serial killer was almost unheard of until then, and it paved the way for future such stories. It also changed Brian’s career. He said: “My storyline won the first BAFTA for Corrie and they awarded me one privately as well. I feel enormously grateful for everything that’s happened.

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“I did Guys and Dolls at the West End and the Rocky Horror Show, and all these fabulous things happened after Corrie.” The job also won him Villain of the Year, Best Exit, Best Storyline, Spectacular Scene of the Year and Best Actor at the British Soap Awards in 2003.

Brian was so grateful to Corrie, he returned in December last year for his friend and co-star Helen’s final episodes as Gail, after she decided to quit. Still dripping wet as if frozen in time after his dramatic canal death, Richard left Gail screaming in terror during a disturbing dream sequence.

He said: “I came back out of respect for Helen’s last episodes after 50 years, but honestly, if it hadn’t been a good scene, I wouldn’t have done it.” Brian has also played six characters in ITV’s The Bill, and been in Angels, The Sweeney, Bergerac, Peak Practice, Minder, EastEnders and Where The Heart Is.

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He’s busy away from acting as well, as he and second wife Jacqueline Bucknell run a corporate events business in Brighton called The Brilliant Company. They have a son, Louis, 22, and Brian also has daughters Lucy and Ellen from his first marriage to Janette Legge.

He is now on stage again, this time in panto, starring as Aladdin’s enemy Abanazar in Stockport, and regrets his former attitude to the fun shows. He said: “I used to be sniffy about panto. What right had I to be sniffy? It’s fabulous. I’m always a baddie – and there’s nothing better than that.”