In a strange turn of events, Bruce Jones, a former Coronation Street actor who is now a professional fighter, is set to go up against his former co-star Steven Arnold in a wrestling match.
Bruce, 71, impressed 200 people in attendance at Manchester’s Trinity Sports Centre last month, in a surprising move that was very different from his character Les, who was more comfortable arguing with elderly people on the street made of cobblestones.
Wearing his well-known double denim attire, which he consistently wore during the decade he was on the show, Bruce, in the role of Les, entered to the music of Status Quo – the band that played at Les’s wedding to Cilla (Wendi Peters) in 2005.
Because of the success of the event, organizers SOVPRO announced last week that he had signed on for another appearance – this time competing with one of his friends from Weatherfield.
Today (15th March) it was announced that Steven Arnold, known for his role as butcher Ashley Peacock, will be trading his meat cleaver and apron for a gum shield on May 6th.
Ashley was on the show for fifteen years before being killed off during the dramatic tram crash episodes that were made to celebrate fifty years of the ITV soap in December 2010.
In a video released on X/Twitter today, Steven appeared in character for the first time in fourteen years to hint at the event.
‘Les – you can run and hide all you want. We both know what you’ve done and I’m not having it. Don’t dare say it wasn’t you, because I know it was’ Ashley began.
‘You think you’ve got a gang? You think that the LBWO (Les Battersby World Order) is a gang? Well I’ll show you a gang Battersby, bank holiday May 6th – get ready for the Butcher Club you cheeky little monkey.’
Why exactly Ashley has transitioned from the afterlife to a life of crime remains to be seen, but we're excited about it.
Maybe he has reunited with his ex-wife Maxine Peacock (Tracy Shaw) at the gates of heaven, and is now on a mission to get revenge on those who have wronged him over the years?
