Coronation Street Airs Surprise Twist With Billy And Paul’s Wedding

This evening’s episode of Coronation Street featured a shocking twist regarding the marriage of Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) and Paul Foreman (Peter Ash), who secretly wed in a church after having a civil ceremony!

Two months after Paul’s tragic diagnosis of motor neurone disease, the couple got engaged in July, but they already knew their dream wedding was not going to happen.

Although current Church of England regulations forbid it, Archdeacon Billy would have preferred to get married in his church, where he has officiated at numerous other weddings over the years.

They cannot afford to wait around and hope for changes to be made because Paul is living on borrowed time.

At a recent press conference, Daniel Brocklebank said, “Of course he was a little disappointed. “If you look back at Billy’s time in Corrie, he was always very adamant about certain things. One of them was that he chose not to get married because he preferred a religious ceremony to a secular one.

However, it goes without saying that the Church of England prohibits same-sex marriages in places of worship.

Daniel continues, “I’m old enough to remember when we couldn’t even get married.” Therefore, in terms of those kinds of things, we are moving in the right direction. He would have preferred to get married in a church, but he has been very careful not to express any disappointment in any way to Paul. He didn’t want Paul to think that this was inadequate or inferior in any way.

In the emotional bistro ceremony, the couple exchanged vows and were then legally recognized as husband and wife. But Paul had been concealing something, and he had asked his loved ones for assistance.

In a private conversation with Billy after feigning a need for fresh air, Paul revealed that he had planned for one of Billy’s southern vicar friends, Degsy (Christian Ballantyne), to meet them there so that he could officiate at a religious ceremony. Of course, it wouldn’t be “official,” but it would be the environment Billy had always imagined.

Billy hesitated briefly, concerned that Degsy would get into trouble, but quickly decided just as a minibus pulled up, waiting inside were Todd (Gareth Pierce), Dee Dee (Channique Sterling-Brown), Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove), Summer (Harriet Bibby), Gemma (Dolly-Rose Campbell), and Dee Dee.

Daniel explains that Billy doesn’t really have a lot of time to decide one way or the other. “Of course, he is aware of the potential consequences of doing it, but he believes he can probably get away with it because Paul has organized it and it will be a quick in and out job—there won’t be any fanfare or dressing on the church.

“I suppose it’s because he’s all giddy from just getting married at that precise moment. But if he had more time to consider it, he probably wouldn’t have carried it out.

As gospel musicians sang “Here’s my Heart,” it was Billy’s turn to enter St. Mary’s and be joined by Summer. Daniel acknowledges that he never imagined Billy would one day be walking down that aisle by himself.

He exclaimed, “It was a beautiful moment. “I’ve lived in Corrie for the better part of a decade, and during the services I’ve stood at the front of that church and watched people come down the aisle to me. And it was incredibly emotional to suddenly be the one walking down the aisle. The scenes have excellent writing. The 12 episodes in that block felt particularly special to film because they had a particularly lovely quality.

Daniel continued, “It was very emotional for Billy. He would never have dreamed of doing this in front of his God in his church, as he claims. He claimed he realized that God is everywhere and had been very practical about the wedding in the bistro. Of course, getting married in a church will have a different vibe.

When Billy arrived at Paul, he was sobbing. Paul took Billy’s hand and inquired as to his well-being for a brief period of time.

Billy said with a smile, “I’ve come home.

Billy recited the marriage vows naturally and without prompting, with the exception of a small hiccup when he got to the line “Til death us do part,” which Degsy started the ceremony with.

Degsy declared that the two were now husband and wife, which undoubtedly had to be a first in that church. They did this after taking off their rings so they could exchange them once more.

Billy and Paul were finally able to hear “Oh Happy Day,” the song they had both requested but were barred from playing at their civil ceremony, as they shared their first kiss.

Throughout the day, Summer had been using a polaroid camera to take pictures, but as they all left the church to avoid being seen, nobody noticed that a single picture of Billy and Paul at the altar had been dropped on the floor. and it’s about to give Billy some major problems!

Daniel chuckles, “If only she’d used her phone like a normal person and left that polaroid camera at home. “Well, Reg, the verger, who we never actually meet, is at the center of it all. After discovering the Polaroid on the floor, he stirs the mixture.

Billy soon receives a visit from Bishop Greg Townsend (Roger Bingham) as a result.

“The bishop is willing to turn a little bit of a blind eye,” Daniel says. However, “naughty Reg decides to share the photo on various social media platforms, which causes a little bit of a stir.”

Therefore, despite claiming that this isn’t necessarily his viewpoint, the bishop needs to appear to be taking action because we’ve broken church regulations. We went against what was permitted of us.

The bishop appears sympathetic to their situation, but things change when word spreads and Billy is asked to appear on Radio Weatherfield. There, he decides to say what he thinks about the situation.

Daniel explains that Billy “is a sensible character, but he’s also a human being.” “Just because a person is a vicar or an archdeacon doesn’t mean they are without faults. Billy, in my opinion, believes that he ultimately has a duty to be able to not only defend but also to justify his actions.

“And he feels that getting invited onto radio is a good opportunity to explain why they’ve done this and why he feels it’s wrong that same-sex couples aren’t allowed a religious union, especially in light of all these comments on social media from the parishioners, most of which are derogatory and unpleasant. Since it ultimately concerns two people who are in love with one another, why should they be denied the opportunity to have a religious ceremony if they are also religious? That is what Billy’s situation slightly deviates from, according to the bishop.

Away from social media, while some of Billy’s parishioners are encouraging, such as Babs (Anne Baron), who presents Billy and Paul with a bottle of champagne to express their congratulations, passing resident Vaughn (Roger Coneff) feels compelled to tell Billy that he should be ashamed of himself.

Does Daniel fear the inevitable negative feedback from some viewers?

There will always be a variety of reactions, and that’s okay, he says. “That society is democratic; everyone is free to express their views; you don’t have to concur with each other. I would say that since I started playing Billy, there has been a significant change. When Billy first started living on the street, I encountered far fewer homophobic remarks. Now, it’s much more encouraging.

Since it is against the law for two gay people to get married in a church, I am, of course, preparing for some inevitable backlash. However, just because there are regulations in place does not imply that they are accurate. Some people are going to adore it and be overjoyed that we made that decision. Some people will abhor it to the hilt. But if it starts a discussion, that’s great.