Coronation Street viewers have expressed frustration over what they consider an error in the character Billy Mayhew's death during the landmark Corriedale crossover event.
The beloved vicar, portrayed by Daniel Brocklebank since 2014, met his end in Monday night's dramatic episode, which saw the long-running ITV soap join forces with Emmerdale.
Fans have taken to social media to criticise what they describe as a "crazy" oversight in the storyline, questioning why fellow characters failed to check on Billy following a devastating multi-vehicle collision.
The controversy centres on the apparent inconsistency in how other crash victims were treated compared to the trapped clergyman, with audiences labelling the decision as poor writing that undermined an otherwise emotional departure.
Billy met a tragic end in ITV's Corriedale
|ITV
The minibus carrying Weatherfield residents home from Debbie Webster's wedding overturned following a pile-up, leaving Billy trapped in the driver's seat as flames spread through the vehicle.
Todd, Shona and David Platt, Tracy Barlow, Cassie Plummer and Steve McDonald all managed to escape the wreckage, emerging to find further chaos on the road with characters including Carla Connor, Betsy Swain and Carl Webster also in peril.
In a devastating turn, villain Theo Silverton returned to the burning vehicle, where Billy initially believed rescue had arrived.
Instead, Theo deliberately fastened Billy's seatbelt to ensure he remained trapped before abandoning him to perish in the subsequent explosion.
Theo killed Billy after finding out he knew that he has been abusing boyfriend Todd
|ITV
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Billy was trapped inside the fan when it exploded
|ITV
The murder left Billy's adoptive daughter Summer without a father, following months of tension between Billy and Theo over the builder's abuse of Todd.
Reddit users were quick to highlight the apparent contradiction in the rescue efforts.
One viewer wrote: "After watching Corriedale, anyone else kinda confused as to why nobody was trying to save Billy? You know, they all pulled together to move an entire car for Lisa but no-one even mentioned that Billy was still inside."
Another commenter questioned why nobody noticed the spreading fire or leaking petrol sooner, whilst others pointed out that the entire group simply walked away from the crashed vehicle without confirming everyone had escaped safely.
Fans took issue with the way no characters went back to the van to rescue Billy
|ITV
Mr Brocklebank, who has spent 11 of his 32-year acting career on the programme, reflected on his departure with fondness for the relationships he built during his time in Weatherfield.
He told the ECHO: "I'll miss the people. Having said that, the people that I am most close to, we speak all the time, we see each other all the time. I have no intention of leaving where I live in Manchester."
The actor noted that Harriet Bibby, who plays his on-screen daughter, lives just ten minutes away, making future catch-ups straightforward.
Following tradition among departing cast members, Mr Brocklebank took several keepsakes from set, including Billy's leather armchair, wedding photographs from Billy and Paul's ceremony, and Polaroids from the storyline.
He described the bonds formed over his decade on the soap as being "far deeper cemented" than typical workplace friendships.