William "Billy" Corkhill is a fictional character in the Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Brookside

Brookside

Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...

played by John McArdle

John McArdle

John McArdle is an English actor. He is most notable for playing Billy Corkhill in the soap-opera Brookside, with many other smaller appearances in other soaps and dramas...

 from 1985 to 1990.

Arrival

The Corkhills family (Billy, Doreen, Rod and Tracy) arrive at No.10 in 1985 replacing the Jackson family. The introduction of the Corkhill family in 1985 is considered to be the beginning of Brookside's heyday and that year the soap achieved an audience 8 million viewers for one episode, the highest it had achieved to date.

Billy's loss of work

The Corkhill's tenure on Brookside Close was not to be a happy one. Billy Corkhill and his family were blighted with financial worries. These came to a head in 1986. In 1986, Tracy Corkhill started an affair with one of her teachers, believing him to have taken advantage of her daughter, Billy assaulted the teacher and was sentenced to three months in prison. His sentence was reduced on appeal, however Billy lost his job. Billy is later sacked from another job and the family's debts mount up. Later in the year the family's utilities are cut-off and their television repossessed.

Staged burglary

Billy's brother Jimmy

Jimmy Corkhill

James 'Jimmy' Corkhill is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Dean Sullivan. He joined the series in 1986, originally arriving in a recurring basis appearing along side his on-screen brother, Billy Corkhill, he then became a regular, remaining in the...

 offers to stage a burglary at their home to solve their financial problems. While the family are away Jimmy breaks into their house and stages a burglary, also burgling Paul Collins'

Paul Collins (Brookside)

Paul Collins was a character in Brookside played by Jim Wiggins between 1982 and 1990.-The Collins family:The Collins family moved into Brookside Close during the first episode, having bought Number 8...

 house as well. Billy however is shocked to see how Jimmy has ransacked the place when he returns and Doreen later finds out the burglary was staged. The insurance money pays out however but it does not last for long.

Repossession and breakdown

Later in the year the building society

Building society

A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially mortgage lending. These institutions are found in the United Kingdom and several other countries.The term "building society"...

 bring repossession

Repossession

Repossession is generally used to refer to a financial institution taking back an object that was either used as collateral or rented or leased in a transaction. Repossession is a "self-help" type of action in which the party having right of ownership of the property in question takes the property...

 proceedings against the Corkhill's. A hole appears in the middle of Brookside Close and the neighbours drive over Billy's lawn to go around the hole. Billy sees this as them seeing him as a 'doleite' and a 'non-person', hence they don't mind driving over his lawn. Billy sinks deeper and deeper into self-pity worry and depression. Doreen admits to Billy that she slept with David Howman in an attempt to relieve the family of their financial worries. On hearing this Billy reaches the end of his tether and drives around Brookside Close in his car churning up the neighbours gardens.

Armed Robbery

In a final attempt to solve his financial problems, Billy became involved in an armed robbery on a supermarket. The robbery went wrong and the manager was shot. Billy later regretted his involvement in the robbery. When his wife Doreen found out, she finally left him and moved to Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, ending more than 20 years of marriage.

Breakup with Doreen and romance with Sheila

After Doreen had left for Bristol, Billy briefly left also and tried to find her. Billy resumes his life with daughter Tracy and son Rod. In May of 1988, Bobby Grant

Bobby Grant

Bobby Grant is a fictional character from British soap opera, Brookside played by Ricky Tomlinson. Bobby appeared in Brookside from the first episode in 1982 until the character's departure in 1988...

 leaves Sheila Grant

Sheila Grant

Sheila Grant is a fictional character from British soap opera, Brookside played by Sue Johnston. Sheila appeared in Brookside from the first episode in 1982 until the characters departure in 1990.-Character:...

 and moves out. Sheila and Billy then kiss on New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...

 1988. Billy and Sheila continue their romance and when they finally sleep together they are discovered by a furious Barry Grant

Barry Grant

Barry Grant is a fictional character in the defunct Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. He was portrayed by Paul Usher and was in the series from episode one in 1982 until 1995 with several sporadic guest appearances in 1997, 1998 and the final episode in 2003....

.

The following Year, Sheila receives correspondence from Bobby, asking her for a divorce. Sheila then discovers that Bobby has had his vasectomy

Vasectomy

Vasectomy is a surgical procedure for male sterilization and/or permanent birth control. During the procedure, the vasa deferentia of a man are severed, and then tied/sealed in a manner such to prevent sperm from entering into the seminal stream...

 reversed and his new girlfriend is pregnant. Once their divorce has come through, Sheila and Billy marry.

Feud with Godden

Billy and Jimmy then start an ongoing feud with Godden, the man who killed their brother Frankie. The feud escalates and so wanting to escape the trouble Sheila, Billy and Claire leave for Basingstoke

Basingstoke

Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...

to start a new life.

Life in Basingstoke

After leaving for Basingstoke, Billy is never seen again, however Sheila makes appearances. Through her appearance in Brookside, Friday the 13th in 1998 the audience learn that Sheila and Billy have recently split up.