Coronation Street star's got 'no regrets' after quitting soap in sad farewell

Bill Fellows, best known for his role as Stu Carpenter on Coronation Street, has confirmed his exit from the long-running ITV1 soap, with his emotional final scenes airing Monday night (October 14).

The 67-year-old actor joined the show in October 2021, portraying a homeless man wrongly imprisoned for murder, and now feels it’s the right time to move on.

Reflecting on his decision to leave, Bill revealed he has "no regrets at all" about his departure.

"It is the right time to go for me and for Stu," he said, adding that while he wouldn’t rule out a return, his character has undergone significant development since his debut.

"We started off with a homeless guy who was wrongly accused of murder, and then we get to the point three years later where this guy's got almost a quarter of a million pounds and has cleared his name and made a life for himself. I'm really pleased with the story, because it's been fully, fully formed."

Stu’s exit comes after a series of dramatic events. Throughout his time on the cobbles, he worked as a chef at Speed Daal and formed a romantic relationship with Yasmeen Nazir, played by Shelley King.

However, in Monday's episode, Stu makes the tough decision to leave Weatherfield after realising that his attempts to mentor troubled teen Mason Radcliffe (Luca Toolan) have put Yasmeen and her business at risk. Stu decides to live permanently with his granddaughter in Germany.

Outside of Coronation Street, Bill is known for his role as George Catrick in the popular Apple+ series Ted Lasso. He has been a fixture on British television since the 1980s, appearing in beloved dramas like Byker Grove, Heartbeat, and Casualty. In the late '90s, Bill starred in the Sky One series Dream Team alongside Corrie co-star Alison King, who has portrayed Carla Connor for nearly 20 years.

Bill had previously auditioned for another Coronation Street role – Richard Lucas, the long-lost brother of café owner Roy Cropper (David Neilson). The part eventually went to Paul Brown, but Bill believes fate led him to the role of Stu.

"I had yes [thought about doing a soap before], in fact, I auditioned for the role of Roy's brother, Nina's dad before I got the role of Stu," Bill explained.

"I wasn't right for the part, but it was for three weeks, so it was fate really because I got this part and stayed three years. I am so proud to have been in Corrie. It is a massive part of all our lives, especially at my age, 67, it has been around all my life."

Looking to the future, Bill is excited about upcoming projects. "I am fortunate in that I have a busy few months coming up. I am doing a couple of episodes of a BBC sitcom based in Middlesbrough called Smoggie Queens with Mark Benton. And then I am working on a film with Mark again and Stephen Tompkinson about low-level gangsters in Middlesbrough," he shared.

"It is kind of ironic that I am hedging back to the North East to work as it is even further from my home down south than Corrie is! But it is my hometown, and I know a lot of people there, so I am very much looking forward to that."

Additionally, Bill teased a potential role in a vampire film, which he described as "looking promising." He expressed his desire to continue working on varied projects while also taking time to travel. "I am quite laid back but excited about the future," he said.