KILLER ON THE STREET
By the start of the 2000s, Gail Platt had already been through the wars. The long-standing resident of Weatherfield was married and divorced twice and had battled to bring up her three children, ren, Nick, Sarah Lou and David, as a single ngle mum.
But plucky Gail il remained optimistic about finding love and when she met Richard chard Hillman, the cousin of her close e pal Alma Baldwin, she truly y believed it was third time lucky. ucky.
The smooth-talking, lking, handsome businessman seemed everything Gail (Helen Worth) was as looking for and they hey enjoyed a white wedding a year after fter they met on July 26, 2002. 002.
But unbeknownst nst to Gail the financial adviser was prepared to do o anything to save his ailing firm.
“Killman Hillman” would prove to be one of the most evil Corrie villains of all time, bringing bloodshed and terror to the cobbles as he stopped at nothing to make a fast buck. Shocking scenes saw the serial killer leave his business partner Duggie Ferguson to die when he e ended up in a accident and bump off his ex-wife Patricia with a shovel whe when she threatened to expose his fraudulen fraudulent dealings.
The villai villain clashed with Gail’s ex Martin over his treatment of his son David David, swindled Jack and Vera Du Duckworth and kidnapped Norris Cole to prevent him fr from discovering the truth ab about Kellett Holdings. He next plotted to kill his own mother-in-law Audrey Roberts by setting her house on fire before attacking Emily Bishop in a bid to profit from he her house. And he killed Maxine Pea Peacock with a crowbar in an epi episode that caused a national ele electricity surge.
A two-parter in February
DERANGED Hillman grabs his ex Gail 2003 saw Hillman confess all his crimes to his shocked wife.
He fled when Gail ended their marriage and told her neighbours about his deceit but returned a week later with the intention of killing his step-family and himself.
Terrified Gail and her children, plus her granddaughter Bethany, were kidnapped in Hillman’s car but his fiendish plot to kill them all in a garage was foiled by Audrey and Martin.
The lunatic instead drove the car into the canal, where he died but his victims were thankfully saved.
More than 19 million viewers had tuned in to see Hillman get his comeuppance and actor Brian Capron won Best Actor, Best Exit and Villain of the Year at that year’s British Soap Awards.
“The thing about my storyline, apart from him being a family-loving man, there was a lot of dark humour around him,” said the star.
“One of my favourite bits was when I was walking down the road and I was after Audrey and she goes, ‘Hello Richard’ and I said ‘Goodbye Audrey’.”