Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank)

[Perdita]

Coronation Street star Daniel Brocklebank has admitted that he can relate to his character's upcoming homophobia storyline.

Scenes airing in tomorrow night's episode (April 17) will see Billy Mayhew and his partner Sean Tully unable to book a room in a country pub due to the disapproving landlord.

Sean and Billy are met with disapproval
© ITV
Sean and Billy are met with disapproval

Brocklebank has admitted that he faced similar prejudice when attempting to rent a room in a shared house with a former boyfriend.

The day after agreeing to move in, the pair received a text saying the room was unavailable now as two of the people in the property didn't want to live with a gay couple.

Brocklebank told The Sun: "We felt pretty s**t to be honest. It was a shock. It really brought it home that these sorts of things do still go on."

The actor, who also played Emmerdale's first bisexual character years ago, added that he still received negativity when joining the Coronation Street cast last year.

As Sean comforts Billy, he confesses to Sean that he's falling in love with him.
© ITV
Billy confesses he's in love with Sean

He said: "One religious group complained that they were upset Corrie wasn't showing a vicar who was trying to steer people away from sin - because in their view there were no gay vicars. How short-sighted.

"But listen, I have been doing this job for 21 years and it's not the first time I have received a backlash. I did the first man-on-man kiss in Emmerdale history. It got more complaints than I think the show ever had, which I was thrilled with!

"I have spoken to a couple of openly gay clergy. They were pleased when they learned Corrie was introducing a gay vicar because it's great to have the issue highlighted."

[lizann]

Daniel Brocklebank has been subject to some cruel death threats.

The comments came after his performance amid Deirdre’s funeral scenes on the ITV soap.

“Somebody tweeted me the other day and said they wanted to kick ‘that *******y Sean’s head in and crucify the shirt-lifting vicar,'” he told the Daily Star.

Daniel plays newby Vicar, Billy who is in a relationship with Sean Tully. “I thought: ‘Crucify?’ God, we can have a coffee first?” “You learn to try and deflect things with humour,” said Daniel.
- See more at: http://rsvpmagazine.ie/daniel-brockl....lWyd9aeL.dpuf
- See more at: http://rsvpmagazine.ie/daniel-brockl....lWyd9aeL.dpuf

[Dazzle]

Daniel Brocklebank has been subject to some cruel death threats.

That's terrible!

[Kim]

Awful to hear about his previous homophobic abuse, but I can't see anything in that article to suggest death threats toward the actor. It reads as if they were toward the character, which although not normal behaviour, isn't as bad.

I personally didn't like Billy taking Deirdre's funeral (he had never met her and I thought they could have got back one of the vicars who has known Deirdre over the years) but I don't know what possesses people to write comments like these, never mind send them to the actor (who is doing his job even though we may or may not like the character and their actions.)

[swmc66]

They will be tweeting the actors twitter account. So its directed at the actor as far as i am concerned. Must be horrible.

[Dazzle]

Awful to hear about his previous homophobic abuse, but I can't see anything in that article to suggest death threats toward the actor. It reads as if they were toward the character, which although not normal behaviour, isn't as bad.

The trouble is those kinds of idiots often can't tell the difference between the character and the actor. I'd feel threatened if I was an actor in that situation.

[swmc66]

I think he expected some backlash when he took on the role but death threats ...crazy people out there.

[lizann]

Daniel Brocklebank has been subject to some cruel death threats.

The comments came after his performance amid Deirdre’s funeral scenes on the ITV soap.

“Somebody tweeted me the other day and said they wanted to kick ‘that *******y Sean’s head in and crucify the shirt-lifting vicar,'” he told the Daily Star.

Daniel plays newby Vicar, Billy who is in a relationship with Sean Tully. “I thought: ‘Crucify?’ God, we can have a coffee first?” “You learn to try and deflect things with humour,” said Daniel.
- See more at: http://rsvpmagazine.ie/daniel-brockl....lWyd9aeL.dpuf
- See more at: http://rsvpmagazine.ie/daniel-brockl....lWyd9aeL.dpuf