Corrie star Vicky Entwistle slams ITV as she tells co-star Bruce Jones what she thinks of his departure after ITV bosses killed off his legendary character Les Battersby via email

Coronation Street star Vicky Entwistle slammed ITV on X on Monday after her former co-star Bryce Jones, who played Les Battersby, was killed off by the soap.

The actress, who played his wife Janice, 56, shared a throwback photo of the couple as she said being told by email that he is no longer on the soap “doesn’t qualify in any way ‘, a big thank you and said she was aware of how hurt he was. is.

She wrote, “All I can do is. Thanks for the fun we had. I know you’re hurt. An email does not qualify in any way. I think the constant calls for you to come back upset them!!! Vic’.

He replied, “Thanks Vic. It was the best time of my life working with you. I loved every minute of one of the best families to be on a soap opera. Love you.’

It comes as Bruce said fans will be disappointed with his character Les Battersby being killed off for good, as he accused the show of ‘ignoring public demand’ – after informing him via email the decision.

Bruce, 71, became a household name after landing on the cobbles in 1997 as the foul-mouthed Les, head of the equally boorish Battersby family – wife Janice and their troublesome teenage daughters Leanne and Toyah.

But he fell spectacularly from grace when an undercover reporter filmed him insulting fans and revealing top-secret storylines during a boozy night out.

Show bosses acted quickly and Bruce was promptly banned in 2007, ten years after his arrival. He never set foot on the cobblestones again.

Now, in his only interview since discovering the door has been permanently closed on Les, the actor has criticized the show for ignoring public demand – and claims fans have told him the show is in steep decline.

‘[Show bosses] already emailed me over two weeks ago to tell me what was going on,” Jones told MailOnline of the moment he discovered Les was murdered.

‘I actually thought: fine, I played him for ten years. It gives me closure. Maybe it will stop people asking me when I’m going back, if I’m going back.

“People want me back, but that will all stop, in malls, wherever I go. I’m glad it’s happening, but I’m also sad because I’m losing a character I played for ten years. I am grateful to the street for that.’

He added: “I went out the other day and people asked four times that day, ‘when are you coming back?’ The street is dead. ”

When asked if he felt any hostility, he said: ‘No, none at all. They gave me ten years and I came up with a great character and it was a big hit with everyone. ‘I wish them all the luck in the world

Jones says he has mixed feelings about the decision and wonders where the bawdy Les would fit into the modern landscape if he returned to the soap.

He said: ‘I felt relieved, then I felt sad, and then I thought, ‘Well, where would he go?’ If he went back, where would he go? How would he come back, what would he do? Where would the storylines take him?’

“I don’t think they could really do that much with him, and that’s a shame.”

Jones believes that die-hard fans will react poorly to the news of his legendary character’s death – and that some may stop watching the show altogether.

“The reaction will be strange at first once it’s broken,” he said. ‘It will be very strange to see how people react to it.

“I imagine some people will be very upset and annoyed, other people will be, ‘Well you did your time, it was time to go, we still have you on classic so there are memories of that you there, so that’s fine.’

“I think a lot of people will be angry, a lot of people will say, ‘I’m not watching it again because I watch classic (the old episodes).”

‘I’m just waiting for the reaction when it breaks, when I go shopping or play football with my friends. It will be a sad time for everyone. I don’t watch it.

“You’re told, ‘I’m not looking at it anymore, we can use it when you go back in.’ But I’m not going back. He was a very popular person, Les. I can’t wait to see what reaction I get, I can’t wait to see what reaction Coronation Street gets.

“I bet they get a big reaction to it, but that’s the end of Les. I loved playing him. I’ll move on and we’ll see what happens.’

Although his TV career has declined in recent years, Jones, who admitted in 2015 to living on benefits after blowing his £1million fortune, insists he has ‘no animosity whatsoever’ towards the show.

“They gave me ten years and I came up with a great character and it was a big hit with everyone,” he said. “I wish them all the luck in the world.”

The actor has also given up watching the show that made him famous, but believes it will continue forever despite a perceived dip in popularity.

He said: ‘I prefer watching good documentaries. I’d rather read a lot than watch a lot of TV. I didn’t get much chance to watch it when I was in it because we were always working.

‘I don’t listen to people who say how bad it is. Coronation Street will always be there. They say we don’t watch it, but rather watch the classic.

‘I don’t watch it so I can’t say anything, which is a shame really. I should look into it, but there are too many memories, so I’d rather not.’