CORONATION Street star Jack P Shepherd revealed soap bosses ‘lied’ about an iconic storyline – admitting ‘we didn’t have the time or money’.
The actor, 37, has played David Platt ever since joining the ITV show in 2000.
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Jack also co-hosts podcast On The Sofa alongside Colson Smith (aka Craig Tinker) and Ben Price (aka Nick Tilsley).
In the latest episode (March 3), the star dropped a major bombshell about Corrie’s classic Richard Hillman storyline.
This revelation came as the trio discussed rival soap EastEnders’ interactive story in its 40th anniversary.
In a show first, BBC viewers decided which of two men would end up with Denise (Diane Parish).
Addressing possible story outcomes, Jack shared: “I think we did that actually, for the Hillman thing.
“We said that we filmed three alternative endings.
[One] where everyone died, where Gail died.
“And we didn’t. We didn’t have the time or the money. We filmed one ending and that’s it.”
In 2003, murderer Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) abducted Gail (Helen Worth), Sarah (Tina O’Brien), Bethany and David.
He then proceeded to drive his terrified captive stepfamily into a canal.
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Although the Platts survived this ordeal, villainous Richard ultimately drowned.
The huge stunt finally brought Richard’s reign of terror on the cobbles to an end.
He had killed ex-wife Patricia Hillman (Annabelle Apsion) and Maxine Peacock (Tracy Shaw).
Last year – over two decades on from Richard’s demise – actor Brian Capron briefly reprised the role.
The character reappeared during the build-up to Gail’s exit from Weatherfield
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Speaking about his brief return to the cobbles, Brian said: “It was a lovely experience, they’ve written a very clever scene.
“It’s a very tricky thing to bring a character back from the dead but I think the writers thought very carefully about how to do it and they’ve come up trumps.
“For me it’s got the right kind of dark humour which there always was with Richard Hillman which I love but also a slight hint of menace. I thought they balanced it perfectly.”
Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
