Coronation Street star 'axed by email' after 27 years co-star reveals

Coronation Street icon Bruce Jones has reportedly been told his character Les Battersby will be killed off, with the news coming to light after an email was sent

Coronation Street devotees are reeling from the news that a veteran character, who's graced the cobbles for 27 years, will meet his demise. Bruce Jones, who portrayed Les Battersby for ten years, has been informed his beloved character is to be written out of the storyline.

The unfortunate tidings will reach Les’s screen daughter Leanne, played by Jane Danson, via an unexpected phone call, before she relays the sombre news to her sister Toyah, enacted by Georgia Taylor.

Vicky Entwistle, famous for her role as Janice Battersby, Les's former on-screen wife, confirmed the storyline when replying to a fan's tweet earlier today. The tweet featured a shocked woman watching something on her laptop and was captioned, "#Corrie are killing off Les Battersby..." Vicky responded, "I know Bruce told me a couple of months ago after receiving an email."

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Last evening, an insider expressed their opinion on the plot twist to The Sun, branding it "a huge snub" likely to "infuriate long-term fans" who hold Les in high regard. They said, "It's a huge snub to kill off a popular character like this. Bruce created one of the Street's most iconic characters in Les and always hoped one day he might return. A lot of the cast and crew have said it's a bit mean. It's also bound to infuriate long-term fans who remember Les with great fondness."

The Battersbys made their debut on the cobbles in 1997, with Bruce portraying Les for a decade until 2007. The character was hitched to Janice and they had Leanne as their daughter and Toyah as their stepdaughter, reports the Mirror.

After growing weary of his chaotic lifestyle, Janice left him for his mate Dennis Stringer, leading Les to move on with barmaid Cilla Brown, her son Chesney, and his enormous pet dog, Schmeichel the Great Dane. In March 2007, Bruce was suspended from the ITV programme after allegedly getting intoxicated with an undercover journalist, revealing future plotlines and making inappropriate remarks.

Bruce's departure from Corrie was confirmed in May, when it was announced he would be suspended until his contract ended in September that year. Les didn't get an on-screen exit storyline, but his stepson Chesney confirmed that his former father figure was alive and well, residing in Dublin and working as a roadie for an Irish tribute band.

Post-Corrie, Bruce performed stand-up comedy in Benidorm and appeared on reality TV shows like Celebrity Wife Swap, alongside singer Sinitta, in 2008.