Fictional character from British soap opera Brookside
Soap opera character
Billy Corkhill
Brookside character
Portrayed by
John McArdle
Duration
1985–1990
First appearance
27 August 1985
Last appearance
21 September 1990
Created by
Phil Redmond
In-universe information
Other names
William Corkhill
Occupation
Electrician Factory worker
Father
Frank Corkhill
Mother
Margaret Corkhill
Brothers
Jimmy Corkhill Frankie Corkhill
Wife
Doreen Brogan (until 1990) Sheila Grant (1990–)
Sons
Rod Corkhill
Daughters
Tracy Corkhill
Stepsons
Barry Grant
Stepdaughters
Karen Grant Claire Grant
Nephews
Jimmy Corkhill Jr. William Corkhill
Nieces
Lindsey Corkhill
First cousins
Don Corkhill
Billy Corkhill is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by John McArdle. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 27 August 1985. Billy was introduced as part of the show's new family, the Corkhills, consisting of Billy, his wife Doreen Corkhill (Kate Fitzgerald) and their teenage children Rod (Jason Hope) and Tracy Corkhill (Justine Kerrigan). Billy is characterised as the reluctant husband of Doreen, an aspiring woman who wants the Corkhills to own their own home. Her mission to present a good image for the family is marred by her secret spending which gets the family into debt. Writers explored their debt issues throughout Billy's early tenure. They portrayed him as desperate to provide, tampering with the electricity and committing fraud with the help of his brother Jimmy Corkhill (Dean Sullivan).
Writers portrayed Billy having a mental breakdown in which he drives his car over his neighbours' front gardens. McArdle has said it was his favourite storyline as Billy. Doreen's over spending and Billy's crime of armed robbery eventually end their marriage. Producers then paired the character with Sheila Grant (Sue Johnston) and they later marry. Doreen returned to the series but Billy decides to remain loyal to Sheila. Billy was well received by viewers, especially for his representation of unemployed men in British society during the 1980s. Television critics have praised on McArdle's portrayal of Billy. Allan Crow from Fife Today branded Billy a "legendary soap character" and Andrew Bullock from the Daily Express opined that McArdle was an "integral" cast member "in Brookside's heyday". The character also became subjected to controversy when the Independent Broadcasting Authority investigated Brookside after an episode depicted Billy holding durex condoms. The regulator later retracted their complaint and praised the show.
BillyCorkhill is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by John McArdle. The character debuted on-screen during...
the Corkhills, which also includes her brother Rod Corkhill (Jason Hope) and their parents Doreen Corkhill (Kate Fitzgerald) and BillyCorkhill (John...
Sheila Corkhill (also Grant) is a fictional character from British soap opera Brookside, played by Sue Johnston. Sheila appeared in Brookside from the...
August 1985. Doreen was introduced as part of the new Corkhill family consisting of herself, husband Billy (John McArdle) and their two children Tracy (Justine...
Jimmy Corkhill is a fictional character from Brookside, played by Dean Sullivan, who joined the series in 1986. Jimmy originally appeared on a recurring...
Corkhill is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Fictional family in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside BillyCorkhill Diana Corkhill Doreen...
Barry became self-serving and bitter towards Sheila for moving in with BillyCorkhill (John McArdle). Another showing of his newfound wealth was having a...
"Little" James 'Jimmy' Corkhill Jr. is a fictional character in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. He was portrayed by George Christopher and first appeared...
mother at Damon's grave, and again in 1990 for her mother's wedding to BillyCorkhill. Graham Kibble-White; Phil Redmond (4 November 2002). 20 Years of Brookside...
Lindsey Corkhill (also Stanlow and Phelan) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Claire Sweeney. The character...
following her divorce from Bobby Grant (Ricky Tomlinson) and remarriage to BillyCorkhill (John McArdle). Since then she has appeared in many drama series and...
16 August 1949) is an English actor. He is most notable for playing BillyCorkhill in the soap opera Brookside, with many other smaller appearances in...
Grellis 1985 BillyCorkhill John McArdle 1985–1990 Diana Corkhill Paula Frances 1990–1993 Don Corkhill Bernard Merrick 1990 Doreen Corkhill Kate Fitzgerald...
Jacqueline "Jackie" Corkhill is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Brookside, played by Sue Jenkins from 1991 to 2001. Jackie...
as the character Odda the Younger in the TV series The Last Kingdom and Billy Wallace in Gangs of London. A native of Glasgow, Vernel attended St Mungo's...
2014–15: All-Time Records (1971–2015)" (PDF). UEFA. Retrieved 24 May 2015. Corkhill, Barney (20 June 2010). "FIFA World Cup's Greatest Ever: Top 20 Italian...
managers of all time". 90min. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2023. Corkhill, Barney (2 April 2009). "Greatest Ever: Football: Top 10 Managers of All...
Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2018. Corkhill, Barney (4 August 2012). "London 2012 Olympics | Result: Japan 3–0 Egypt"...
Iberia, Navarra, Suite Espagnola Best Chamber Music Performance David Corkhill, Evelyn Glennie, Murray Perahia & Georg Solti for Bartók: Sonata for Two...
Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014. Corkhill, Barney (June 8, 2008). "Greatest Ever: Tennis: The Top 10 Male Players...
Jimmy Macullar unsuccessfully attempted to engineer the departure of Pop Corkhill and Chick Fulmer from the Reds in 1883, and as a consequence Sommer and...
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