Coronation Street's Richard Hillman will go down in soap history as one of the show's all-time most-hated characters. The notorious serial killer, played by Brian Capron, saw his reign of terror in Weatherfield come to a dramatic end in 2003 when he died driving on-screen wife Gail into a canal. But now he is set to make a comeback. Richard will start tormenting Gail from beyond the grave in an upcoming storyline, after she visits a clairvoyant named Rosemary, played by Harry Potter actress Sophie Thompson.
Gail is persuaded to go to the reading by Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls), who is convinced by the medium that she's been receiving messages from her late husband Alf. And it isn't long before Rosemary says she is also getting messages from Gail's dead husbands.
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Richard Hillman is set to torment wife Gail from beyond the grave
Actress Sophie – who previously played Stella Crawford in EastEnders - is set to appear on screen in mid-March. A Coronation Street spokesperson said: "Sophie is a superb actress and perfect for the role of Rosemary. We are excited she is joining the cast and working alongside Helen and Sue. Gail and Audrey are convinced she is getting messages from Alf and Gail's husbands. It remains to be seen if she is all she claims to be."
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It comes after the news that another of Gail's former flames, Martin Platt (played by Sean Wilson), is set to return to the soap, 13 years after his departure. He made his exit in 2005 after 20 years on the soap, when Martin moved to Liverpool with his new girlfriend Robyn. It's being reported that he will return for a number of episodes in March as part of son David's upcoming rape storyline.