Former Coronation Street star Bruce Jones has accused the show of “ignoring public demand” by killing off his legendary character Les Battersby after informing him of the decision via email.
Jones, 71, became a household name after hitting the cobbles as the foul-mouthed Les, head of the equally rude Battersby family (his wife Janice and their troublesome teenage daughters, Leanne and Toyah) in 1997.
But he suffered a spectacular fall from grace when an undercover reporter filmed him insulting his fans and revealing top-secret plots during a drunken night.
Show bosses acted quickly and Jones was quickly suspended in 2007, ten years after he arrived. He never set foot on the cobblestones again.
Now, in his only interview since finding out the door is permanently closing on Les, the actor criticized the show for ignoring public demand and claims fans have told him the show is in steep decline.
Former Coronation Street star Bruce Jones has criticized the show for “ignoring public demand” by killing off his legendary character Les Battersby after informing him of the decision via email.
Jones became a household name after hitting the cobbles as the foul-mouthed Les, head of the equally rude Battersby family – his wife Janice (pictured) and their troublesome teenage daughters, Leanne and Toyah – in 1997.
“(The show’s bosses) already emailed me over a fortnight ago to tell me what was going on,” Jones told MailOnline of the moment he found out Les was being killed off.
‘I actually thought, well, I played him for ten years. It gives me closure. Maybe this will stop people from asking me all the time when I’ll be back, if I’ll be back.
“People want me to come back, but that will put an end to all of that, in the malls, everywhere I go. I’m glad it’s happening, but I’m also sad to lose a character I played for ten years. I thank the streets.”
He added: “I went out the other day and people asked me four times that day: ‘When are you coming back? The street is dead.’
When asked if he felt any animosity, he said: “No, none at all.” They gave me ten years and I invented a great character and it became a big hit with everyone. ‘I wish you all the luck in the world
Jones says he has mixed feelings about the decision and wonders where raunchy Les would fit into the modern landscape if he returned to the soap.
He said: “I felt relieved, then I felt sadness, then I thought, ‘well, where would I go?’ If he returned, where would he go? How would he return, what would he do? Where would the stories take him?
“I don’t think they could really do much with it, which is a shame.”
Jones believes die-hard fans will react badly to the news of their legendary character’s death, and some might stop watching the show altogether.
He starred in the long-running soap for a decade before ITV bosses suspended him in 2007 for revealing secrets from the show.
The actor is pictured with Vicky Entwistle, best known for playing his on-screen wife Janice.
“The reaction will be strange at first, once it breaks,” he said. ‘It will be really strange to see how people react.
“I imagine some people will be really upset and upset, other people will say, ‘well, you did your time, it was time to go, we still have you in the classic, so there are memories of you there, so it’s okay.'”
“I think a lot of people will be angry, a lot of people will say, ‘I’m not going to watch it again because I watch classics (the old episodes).’
“I’m just waiting for the reaction when it breaks, when I go shopping or to football with my friends. It will be a sad moment for everyone. I don’t look at it.
“They tell you: ‘I don’t see it anymore, it would be good for us if you came back in.'” But I’m not going back. He was a very popular person, Les. I can’t wait to see what reaction I get, I can’t wait to see what reaction I get on Coronation Street.
“I wouldn’t mind betting that they’ll get a great reaction, but that’s the end of Les. I had a great time playing him. I’m going to move on and see what happens.”
“(The show’s bosses) already emailed me over a fortnight ago to tell me what was happening,” Jones told MailOnline of the moment he found out Les was being killed off.
While his TV career has waned in recent years, Jones, who previously admitted to living off the benefits after squandering his £1million fortune, insists he has “no animosity” towards the show.
While his TV career has declined in recent years, Jones, who in 2015 admitted to living off the benefits after squandering his £1million fortune, insists he has “no animosity whatsoever” towards the show.
“They gave me ten years and I invented a great character and it became a big hit with everyone,” he said. “I wish you all the luck in the world.”
The actor also stopped watching the show that made him famous, but believes it will continue forever, despite a perceived drop in popularity.
He said: “I prefer to watch good documentaries.” I tend to read a lot rather than watch a lot of TV. I didn’t get much chance to see him when I was in it, because we were always working.
‘I don’t listen to people who say how bad it is. Coronation Street will always be there. They say we don’t watch it, we prefer to watch the classic.
“I don’t see it, so I can’t say anything, which is really a shame.” I should watch it, but there are too many memories, so I’d rather not.
