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UK soap star Helen Worth was given an emotional send-off by the cast and crew of Coronation Street, a show she left on Christmas Day after 50 years.

The actress took to X to send a video thanking fans for their support through the decades, and ITV also shared a video in which Worth was seen overwhelmed by the cast and crew gathering to bid her farewell.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is a wrap on Helen Worth ❤️ ✨

Take a look behind the scenes into the moment Helen was wrapped on Coronation Street for the final time. #Corrie @ITV pic.twitter.com/WTALw0EqFn

— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) December 26, 2024

Worth has played Gail Platt for 50 years – during her time on the show, she was married five times and been featured in a catalogue of dramatic storylines including widowhood, the death of her husband, and her discovery that one husband Richard Hillman was a serial killer.

Jenny Morrill Sep 6, 2016

Den Of Geek raises a glass to some lesser-known soap star pop singles, from Coronation Street to Neighbours and more...

“Do you remember the guy who played that guy in that thing? His song was good wasn't it?”

The above is an example of a conversation regularly heard in our house. The only variants are that sometimes it was 'that girl from that thing', and a lot of the time the song was far from good.

Well sod it – I think we as a nation need to have more discussions about Craig McLachlan and Stefan Dennis. It's the only way our society will grow. So here are 12 songs from Soapland that weren't done by Kylie, Jason, or Kylie and Jason.

1. Kevin Kennedy (Curly Watts) – Bulldog Nation

Here we see Coronation Street's finest and supermarket manager extraordinaire with an indie effort from 2000. Did You Know - Kennedy...

Death! Destruction! Whodunits with cliffhanger endings! From Lucy Beale to Tina McIntyre to (almost) Ross Barton, there's been a lot of murders in soapland lately.

We've taken the big five soaps and crunched the numbers to discover the deadliest (and safest) places to live. How? By dividing the total murders by the show's number of years on air. We've been strict with the rules, so accidental killings don't count unless there was malicious intent. We also don't allow murders that occur miles away from the main location (unless it was somehow started there, like the Neighbours plane bomb).

Yep, we know it's morbid, but it's grimly fascinating. So here are the soaps ranked by their murder rates:

5. Neighbours

Murders: 10 in 30 years (Click here for the full list)

Average murders per year: 0.33

Even sunny Erinsborough can have the odd murder here and there, but not that many in comparison to other soap towns.

From terrifying kids' shows to blood-curdling adult dramas, TV has always created spine-chilling thrills and scary characters that have haunted viewers for days, nights and sometimes years. Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels have terrified Doctor Who fans for decades, while the primetime soaps have had their share of evil villains with mad Trevor in Albert Square and Richard Hillman on the Corrie cobbles. Digital Spy's Scariest TV Characters Of All Time - In Pictures

The never-ending zombies in The Walking Dead, John Lithgow in Dexter and T-Bag in Prison Break (more)...

Monday nights Classical Julie, starring the inimitable Julie Halston, was one of the all-time best nights in the History of Halston, let alone the history of the Broadway at Birdland series, and comedy in general. Her portrayal of Lady MacBeth, as played by Little Edie Beal, will be imitated for years to come Some of the smartest and funniest people in showbiz swarmed to see her, including Edward Hibbert, Harriet Harris, Hunter Ryan Herdlicka, Amy Rutberg, Louise DuArt amp SQuire Rushnell, Mike Doyle, Mary Testa, Richie Ridge, Richard Hillman, Natalie Douglas, and a boatload of her beloved Anything Goes cast members. The evening was directed by Carl Andress.

Silas Blissett returned to the Hollyoaks village this week with near-fatal consequences for Texas Longford. Surely it's only a matter of time before the lunatic strikes again, despite sparing Texas in Thursday's episode following his escape from the local psychiatric hospital. Many young soap fans might be surprised to learn that Silas is neither the first Hollyoaks serial murderer, nor the most brutal. Toby Mills jealously killed a total of 12 women due to their resemblance to ex-girlfriend Ellie Hunter. He also has strong competition in the serial killer stakes from Coronation Street's Richard Hillman, whose spree was triggered after leaving his business partner Duggie Ferguson for dead in February 2002. Hillman would later go on to kill his ex-wife with a spade and Maxine Peacock with a crowbar, (more)...

Jim Caruso's Cast Party packed Birdland with a huge variety of talent on Monday night. The weekly open mic, recently called the best party in the universe by the Australian Cabaret Confidential, was the place for Broadway folk like Amra-Faye Wright currently starring as Velma in Chicago, supperclub star Clint Holmes in rehearsal for his upcoming Caf Carlyle run, country legend Larry Gatlin, jazz superstars Jane Monheit, Natalie Douglas and Sachal Vasandani, publicist and birthday boy Richard Hillman, Broadway Beat host Richie Ridge, musical directorpianist Ron Abel, cabaret folks like Scott Coulter and Carole J. Bufford this Monday's11 O'Clock Numbers revue at Birdland, and regulars Allana Adderly, Daniel Kirkley, Matthew Falber, William Blake, and La diva Valarie Pettiford...

Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy has promised that the team behind the soap's new musical project are planning "big surprises" for fans. As announced last month, Kennedy is reprising his role as Curly Watts for live stage show Street of Dreams, which has its premiere at Manchester's M.E.N. Arena later this year. Bill Roache (Ken Barlow), Katy Cavanagh (Julie Carp), Julie Goodyear (Bet Lynch) and Brian Capron (Richard Hillman) have also signed up, while Paul O'Grady will be hosting. Kennedy told the Manchester Evening News: "It's big, it's spectacular - that's why it's got to be in an arena setting. It's just a beautiful piece of work and very complimentary to what Coronation Street is all about." "There's going to be a myriad of big surprises," (more)...

ITV has unveiled details for a special live musical version of Coronation Street. Street of Dreams will debut in Manchester in 2012, and will feature classic storylines and past characters from the soap's long history. Paul O'Grady will host the production by the award-winning Trisha Ward, as he takes the audience through the show and meets the various characters on-stage. Julie Goodyear will return as Bet Lynch, along with Kevin Kennedy as Curly Watts and Brian Capron as the murderous Richard Hillman. Current stars will include William Roache (Ken Barlow) and Katy Cavanagh (Julie Carp). The show (more)...

Helen Worth has said that she was excited by the Coronation Street stunt where her character Gail was driven into a canal. The long-serving Corrie actress was appearing on ITV1 breakfast show Daybreak to promote a new three-part retrospective The Corrie Years. Worth said: "It was a great stunt that, wasn't it? Yeah, Jack [P Shepherd] and I stood and watched it as it was being done, it was very exciting. "It kind of rocketed off - I think they did it in one [take], I think they had to do it in one. I think they only had one rocket!" The stunt aired in 2003 as serial killer Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) attempted to murder wife Gail and her family. Worth also revealed that she helped to design the wedding dress for Gail's (more)...

Helen Worth has said that she was excited by the Coronation Street stunt where her character Gail was driven into a canal. The long-serving Corrie actress was appearing on ITV1 breakfast show Daybreak to promote a new three-part retrospective The Corrie Years. Worth said: "It was a great stunt that, wasn't it? Yeah, Jack [P Shepherd] and I stood and watched it as it was being done, it was very exciting. "It kind of rocketed off - I think they did it in one [take], I think they had to do it in one. I think they only had one rocket!" The stunt aired in 2003 as serial killer Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) attempted to murder wife Gail and her family. Worth also revealed that she helped to design the wedding dress for (more)...

Graeme Hawley has revealed that he hopes to beat the record for the highest number of killings on Coronation Street. The actor, who plays John Stape in the soap, has been involved in the deaths of three characters so far and is eager to increase his number. On the National Television Awards red carpet, he told Pa: "I believe the record is three on Corrie so I'd like to get to four. I wouldn't mind the record. I think Richard Hillman [played by (more)...

Coronation Street star Ian Puleston-Davies has insisted that his character Owen Armstrong is not the soap's next big villain. The Welsh actor leapt to the defence of his Weatherfield alter ego, arguing that Armstrong's violent nature and manipulative ways simply cannot be compared to the misdeeds of the soap's former characters Jez Quigley and Richard Hillman. He argued to Inside Soap: "He's not an evil man with an axe, or a hammer! Everything (more)...

Blanche Hunt's Alcoholics Anonymous scenes have topped a poll of Coronation Street's best moments from the show's 50 years. The character, played by the late Maggie Jones, had the highest ranking for the scenes where she revealed her family's secrets at Peter Barlow's meeting. The second most popular highlight was the storyline involving serial killer Richard Hillman, portrayed by Brian Capron, where he murdered his (more)...

Former Coronation Street star Brian Capron has praised the soap's cast and crew for last night's live episode. The ITV1 show yesterday marked its 50th anniversary with a live transmission which featured a birth, a death and a marriage in the aftermath of the street's tram crash tragedy. Capron - who played Weatherfield villain Richard Hillman - told This Morning today: "I thought it was absolutely superb - so much incident, plot twists and superb production values. The planning that must have gone into it was terrific." Asked whether live episodes of soaps are merely publicity stunts, the actor replied: "I (more)...

Brian Capron has claimed that his murderous Coronation Street alter ego Richard Hillman is more popular than ever. The actor, who played the serial killer between 2001 and 2003, also revealed that he is "very proud" of the role. He told What's On TV: "I'm very proud of Richard Hillman. Looking back on it, he seems to get more iconic as time goes on... It's extraordinary." However, the 63-year-old insisted that he has succeeded in playing different (more)...

Former Coronation Street star Brian Capron is to make an appearance in the soap's forthcoming 50th anniversary DVD. The actor will have a cameo spot in the spinoff project - seven years after fans saw his killer character Richard Hillman meet a watery death in a canal. However, contrary to some reports today, Capron will not be playing the twin brother of his sinister alter ego Richard. Instead, he will take on the role of a familiar-looking boatman who appears briefly in the special. A spokesperson for the project told Digital Spy: "Brian's cameo will give rise to some hilarious in-jokes (more)...

Brian Capron is to return to 'Coronation Street' as the twin brother of his former character Richard Hillman. The actor last starred in the hit ITV1 show in 2003 when his serial killer character ploughed his car into a canal and died after a failed bid to kill wife Gail (Helen Worth) and her children. But he will now return in a Christmas DVD special to mark the show's 50th anniversary as his evil alter ego's brother. A source told The Sun newspaper: ''Capron back from the dead will shock millions of fans. ''He's back playing his brother and, with his distinctive looks, he ..

Coronation Street star Helen Worth has revealed that her character Gail Platt does not consider herself to be unlucky in love. In an interview with Digital Spy, Worth suggested that the Weatherfield favourite is "fortunate" to have found so many men who have wanted to settle down with her. Gail ties the knot with latest love interest Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale) in Friday's episodes of the ITV1 soap. She is currently unaware that her partner owes thousands of pounds to a loan shark. In recent weeks, the mother-of-three has shown that she is happy to press ahead with her wedding plans, despite the fact that her relationships with previous husbands Brian Tilsley, Martin Platt and Richard Hillman all ended badly. Asked if Gail is cursed, Worth replied: "She's doing very well with a fourth husband, actually! Gail doesn't (more)...

Leamington Spa film company Entanglement Productions has won third place in the Best Film category of the Iov (Institute of Videography) awards with its sci-fi thriller Triple Hit.

The film's writer/producer/director Huw Bowen is pictured below receving the award from Iov's Chris Waterlow and former Tomorrow's World star Maggie Philbin in an Oscars-style ceremony at the Iov Annual Convention, held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

Triple Hit was one of only five short-listed titles within the Best Film category. Judges were looking for exceptional video production standards, originality and creative flair.

The film is among the 150-plus movies being screened this week at the first Falstaff International Film Festival in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire.

The film - previously called Schrodinger's Girl - centres on Rebecca Hunter, a disgraced scientist conducting research into alternate universes. She discovers a way to travel between realities and then finds her parallel-world counterparts have...

Brian Capron has revealed that the pressure of his role in Coronation Street became too much for him to handle. The actor played serial killer Richard Hillman on the ITV1 soap for nearly two years before the character drowned in 2003. Capron has now admitted that his memorable Weatherfield storylines put strain on his marriage due to incidents with intrusive fans on the streets. Additionally, his son Louis, now 13, was bullied at school due to the part. Speaking to the Daily Record, the 62-year-old explained: "I couldn't go anywhere without someone shouting at me or grabbing me. They would ignore my wife. She became a non-person and it's hard to cope with. "Everywhere you (more)...

Coronation Street producers have announced that they are recasting the role of Gail Platt's eldest son Nick Tilsley. The 28-year-old character, who was previously played by Adam Rickett, will return to the cobbles later in the year as a new actor takes on the part. Following a relationship with Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), Nick left for Canada in 2002 and briefly returned for his mother Gail's (Helen Worth) wedding to Richard Hillman (Brian Capron). His next return came in September 2003, during which Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley) attempted to kiss him in what was Coronation Street's first gay clinch. When his on-off relationship with Maria (Samia Smith) broke down, Nick was last seen leaving the Street in a taxi to start a new life and job in Nottingham. Since his departure, he has been referenced in scripts by his family on numerous occasions. (more)...