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Richard Charles Hillman was a financial adviser and third husband of Gail who was exposed as a serial killer in 2003.

Richard was married twice before Gail, but never got the family he craved. His first wife, Marion, left him after he was forced to take care of his mentally ill mother, while he and wife number two, Patricia, divorced when Richard discovered that he was unable to have children. Meeting Gail at his cousin Alma Halliwell's funeral in 2001, Richard fell in love with the ready made family in the form of her children Sarah and David and granddaughter Bethany. He and Gail married in 2002, and Richard vowed to do everything in his power to look after their family.

Meanwhile, Richard's property company Kellet Holdings had begun re-developing an old house 2 The Ridings, into modern apartments. His problems began when he discovered that builder Duggie Ferguson was cutting corners on the project. During an argument, Duggie fell through a bannister and was left to die by Richard. Next, Patricia returned and tried to blackmail Richard into buying her out of Kellet Holdings, and Richard fatally struck her with a shovel to silence her.

As his financial problems mounted, Richard first tried to kill Gail's mother Audrey Roberts so that they could inherit her house, but failed. Having persuaded Emily Bishop to sign her house over to him in an equity release scheme, Richard staged a robbery at the Peacocks', framing Aidan Critchley for Emily's murder. However, Emily unexpectedly survived Richard's assault, and the only casualty was Maxine Peacock, who had walked in and caught Richard in the act. Gail eventually sussed out her husband's true nature, forcing him to confess. After going into hiding for a few weeks, he abducted the Platts and drove them into the canal in a suicide bid, though all but Richard were rescued.


Biography

1951-2001: Early years and arrival in Weatherfield

Richard meets Gail

2001: Richard meets Gail Platt after Alma's funeral, and they begin a relationship

Richard Hillman was born on 20th December 1951. He had two previous marriages before arriving in Weatherfield. His first wife was Marion, who wanted to have children, but Richard had to attend to his sick mother. Marion divorced him, as she didn't want to take care of an old pensioner. Following his mother's death he married Patricia. Like Marion, she wanted children but Richard later discovered he was unable to have them. Believing he made up the story, Patricia also divorced him.

In 2001, Richard turned up at Alma Halliwell's funeral, claiming to be her cousin. He befriended Gail Platt and they eventually began dating. Before long, he'd moved in with Gail and started winning over her children Sarah and David with expensive presents.

Richard was not simply a financial advisor, he was also a high-class con man. He set up a property company called Kellet Holdings and ended up specialising the business in buy-back mortgages; Richard would convince elderly people to give their homes to him for a large sum of money and would allow them to live there rent free until they died. Just before arriving in Weatherfield, Richard had manipulated a dying woman named Mrs Lawson to sign over her house 2 The Ridings to him just before she died; Mrs Lawson's son Tony Lawson and her family were all left with nothing. Several elderly people also lost their life savings to Hillman's dodgy dealings which were questioned by Norris Cole, although Richard managed to shrug off the allegations.

Richard robbing Duggie

2002: Richard robbing Duggie Ferguson and leaving him to die

Richard later formed a business partnership with Rovers Return landlord Duggie Ferguson, in which they were to covert The Ridings into luxury flats. However, the partnership soon ran into trouble when Richard realised Duggie and his men were cutting corners and also stripping the house of valuables. One night in February 2002, Richard confronted Duggie in one of the flats, angered by the poor workmanship that his partner had overseen. When Duggie leaned on one of the banisters it collapsed and he fell down several floors before hitting the ground. Duggie was badly injured by the fall. Richard was about to call an ambulance but then he realised that this was an ideal opportunity to rid himself of his unwanted business partner. Leaving Duggie for dead, Richard took the keys from Duggie's pocket, visited his house and emptied his safe, including the money that Duggie had made from the sale of the Rovers. He then returned to The Ridings and put Duggie's key back in his pocket. To cover himself, Richard went to meet Gail at the pub and left a message on Duggie's phone arranging to meet him the next day. The following morning Richard visited the conversion site with Gail, and he was shocked to see Duggie was missing, though he had only crawled into the next room before succumbing to his injuries. Richard was never suspected of anything, much to his happiness.

2002-2003: Debts and murder spree

Weatherfield's older residents began coming to Richard for financial advice. He persuaded Emily Bishop to sign up to an equity release scheme, whereby she would be given a sum of money for her house, but would be allowed to live in it until she died, at which point the property would belong to Richard. He also talked Jack and Vera Duckworth into letting him 'invest' their £20,000 savings, when in fact he simply sunk the money into The Ridings development. Norris Cole grew suspicious of Richard when he caught him trying to administer some pills to Emily and accused him of trying to kill her for her house. Norris also tried to urge the Duckworths and another prospective client, Rita Sullivan, not to trust him. Irked by Norris' interference, Richard forced him into his car and drove him to The Ridings, where he showed a terrified Norris around the flats and warned him to stay out of his affairs.

Richard prepares to kill Patricia

2002: Richard prepares to kill his ex-wife Patricia

Richard was due to marry Gail in the summer of 2002, but his ex-wife Patricia turned up, demanding £25,000 for her share of Kellet Holdings. When she threatened to tell the police and Gail about Richard's past crimes, Richard grabbed a shovel and smashed Patricia over the head, killing her instantly. She fell into a ditch at The Ridings where new flats were to be built, and her body was buried in the cement by Richard. Later, the police visited Richard to inform him that a body matching Patricia's description had been found. Richard identified it as Patricia, even though it wasn't her, and was convinced that he was now safe, as nobody would be looking for the real body. With the issue of Patricia out of the way, he married Gail and the whole family went on their honeymoon to Florida.

Upon returning from honeymoon, Richard was horrified to discover that a bail hostel was due to be built near The Ridings, dramatically lowering the value of the flats Richard planned to sell and guaranteeing he'd incur a huge loss. Desperate for money, Richard discovered that Gail's mother Audrey Roberts was wealthy, and Gail would inherit a large sum of money if she died. He was also mad at her for leaving him out of the family photos, treating him like he wasn't part of the family. In the autumn, he set about trying to convince Audrey (and everyone else) that she was going insane by stealing her keys and leaving them in the door of the salon, altering the salon's appointments book, and leaving the radio on in her house. He also took one of her favourite dresses to the dry-cleaners on Moxton Street, later slipping the receipt into her handbag. Audrey was frantic when she couldn't find the dress and at a loss to explain what she had done with it. Richard's plan appeared to be working and Audrey began questioning her sanity, but she worked out based on the date on the receipt that she could not have taken the dress to the dry cleaners that day.

One night, Richard set Audrey's house on fire while she was asleep, staging it to look like Audrey had left a pot on the stove. Much to his chagrin, she was saved with the help of Steve McDonald and Archie Shuttleworth. Audrey realised that Richard was behind the fire and that he was also responsible for her other recent supposed memory lapses, so he and Gail could inherit her money. However, her frantic attempts to prove this only further convinced Gail that Audrey was losing her mind. Audrey went to the police, telling them Richard had murdered his wife and had tried to murder her. The police were sceptical, but Richard was nevertheless called in for questioning. There was no meaningful evidence against him and Gail told the police he had been with her on the night of the fire, so he was released the same day. Shunned by her family, Audrey soon found her only allies against Richard were Norris and Archie.

Emily and Richard

2002: Richard tries to kill Emily Bishop

As Audrey was no longer an option, and the bank were demanding Richard pay off his overdraft, Richard set his sights to Emily Bishop and her house, which he stood to inherit once she died. At Christmas, he heard that an ill Emily was on her own and called round feigning concern. When she fell asleep, Richard was ready to smother her with a pillow only for Rita to walk in before he could attempt it. Regardless, Richard decided that Emily was his next target.

Richard murders

2003: Richard attempts to kill Emily, but ends up murdering Maxine Peacock

When he heard that Emily would be babysitting for the Peacocks as there was a party at the Rovers, he decided to kill two birds with one stone and stage it as a robbery in order to take revenge on Sarah's troublesome boyfriend Aidan Critchley for abandoning her after a car accident. First, Richard drugged Aidan with some tranquillisers that had been prescribed for Audrey and after he had passed out, Richard stole his jacket and trainers, and (after making sure he was seen wearing it from the back and leaving footprints in the Peacocks garden) broke into the Peacocks' house and hit Emily hard over the head with a crowbar while she was watching a film on TV. Unfortunately Maxine returned from the party early and walked in on Richard seconds after he'd done the deed. After Richard remarked "You should have stayed at the party Maxine", she fled for the stairs to reach Joshua but Richard caught up to her and beat her to death with the crowbar. Richard then returned Aidan's clothes with the items he'd stolen and went back to the party with his absence not noticed by anyone.

Emily miraculously survived the attack, but had no recollection of it. The other aspect of Richard's plan worked; no-one suspected him of having any involvement and Aidan was quickly arrested with almost everyone believing he was behind Maxine's murder during a bungled robbery, with the exceptions of Audrey and Archie.

A few days later Richard learned that one of his elderly clients had died two weeks earlier, and he stood to receive £23,000 through the equity release scheme. Furthermore, the plans for the bail hostel had also fallen through and as a result the flats he owned began to sell. Richard was now guilt-ridden, as he realised that there had been no need for him to harm Emily or Maxine.

Richard at Maxine's funeral

Richard speaking at Maxine's funeral

Richard was desperate to avoid Maxine's funeral, but could not get out of it. Richard almost cracked up during the service, and when Maxine's father broke down while reading a bible passage, Gail insisted that Richard took over the reading. Audrey noticed how tense Richard appeared and realised that he was responsible for Maxine's death and publicly accused him of murdering her. However no-one besides Norris and Archie believed her, and Gail severed all ties with her mother. Ken Barlow, having seen Aidan under the effects of the tranquillisers on the night of the murder, knew he wasn't responsible but most of the street turned against him, believing him to be defending a murderer.

2003: Richard's downfall

Episode5448

Richard confesses to Gail about his crimes.

At this point, Richard believed his troubles were behind him. He had paid off his debts and was selling The Ridings flats for their full market price, making him a fortune. As a result, he and Gail decided to move away from the street with the children into a bigger house. Ironically, it was just as Richard's fortunes had started to improve when everything came crashing down. When Richard murdered his ex-wife Patricia months earlier, a bracelet that slipped off her wrist in the struggle was found by Steve. Richard later took it off him and gave it to Gail, saying it was a present for her. Gail overheard Steve in the pub talking about the bracelet and how he'd found it, not Richard. She began to get suspicious of Richard when she learned that he'd lied about several matters connected to the disappearance of Patricia. Police tests confirmed that Aidan had been drugged on the night of the murder with the same tranquillisers that Audrey had been prescribed, and therefore could not have killed Maxine. Gail recalled seeing Richard at the medicine cabinet containing the tablets on the night of the murder, and that he had disappeared from the party for a while and started to piece everything together. That night, she confronted him back at the house. Richard then confessed the murders and his plans. Shocked and disgusted, Gail called him "Norman Bates with a briefcase" and ended their relationship, and Richard went on the run where he quickly became the most wanted man in the UK.

Richard kidnaps the Platts

2003: Gail is shocked at the sight of her children tied up by Richard

A couple of weeks later, Richard returned to the street. He kidnapped Sarah, David and Bethany, binding and gagging Sarah and David in his car in the garage, and giving Bethany sedatives. Gail was shocked to find him waiting in her home. He explained that he had come back to make amends after seeing what has been said about Gail in the newspapers, and left a written confession in an envelope on the side in the living room absolving Gail of any responsibility for his crimes. When Gail asked where the children were, Richard told her that the children were safe, and that they could run away together. He tied Gail up and took her into the garage. When she saw her children tied up, Gail realised that Richard was going to kill himself and them as well.

When he started up the car, Audrey came round to help with the tea but couldn't get inside. When she heard the song You and Me coming from the garage, she realised Richard was back. Kevin Webster burst the garage door open with a crowbar, but Richard sped off into the night. Gail's ex-husband Martin Platt, along with Tommy Harris and Kevin pursued them in another car. Richard then drove into the canal. Gail and the children were saved by Tommy and Martin, but when Tommy dived back underwater to find him, Richard had vanished.

Richard drives the Platts into the canal

Richard's final moments, driving his family into Weatherfield Canal in a suicide bid, though all but Richard were rescued.

Richard had managed to escape from the car, but drowned. A body was later identified by Gail and Audrey. He was later cremated by Archie, with only Gail in attendance at his funeral in order to make sure that her killer husband was gone for good, and to also make sure his final send-off went off without much fanfare.

Legacy

The residents of the street all heard that Richard confessed to Maxine's murder before he absconded. The news was broken to Emily, who was upset when she realised that he was intending to kill her but Maxine interrupted him. She admitted to Norris that he was right about Richard all along. At the same time, the police called on Ashley and Fred to inform them that Richard was the one who killed Maxine and that he also framed Aidan for the crime. Ashley was distraught by this revelation. Richard's crimes led to Vera and Jack losing their £20,000 investment. In the aftermath of Richard's crimes coming to light, some residents including Vera thought that Gail was complicit in Richard's dodgy shares, but her name was cleared through Richard's confession letter.

Although dead after he failed to kill the Platts in a suicide bid, Richard's legacy still cast a shadow over the Platt family for the rest of their lives, with David especially being left traumatised by his killer stepfather. Almost three years following Richard's death, the family received cards in 2006 addressed from Richard, the first of which arrived during Sarah's 16th birthday in January. The cards were put down as a sick prank by Gail, although when they started getting sent on specific anniversaries the incident drove her over the edge and Gail began taking medication. There were several suspects to who the mystery sender was, which ranged from Gail's nemesis Eileen Grimshaw, Gail's reflexologist boyfriend Phil Nail, and David himself, although David denied the claims. Following Gail's split from Phil, she began to suspect David and set up a trap by claiming that Richard's birthday was coming up in May, when Richard's birthday was actually in December. When a card arrived which mentioned Richard's birthday being in May, Gail knew her son was the one responsible, and outed him. Despite the misery he had inflicted, Gail chose not to press charges against him.

In order to ruin Sarah's wedding day to Jason Grimshaw in October 2007, David reenacted Richard's final moments by plunging his car into the same canal Richard tried to kill the family in four years previously, even playing the same song Richard played for extra effect. David survived his apparent suicide bid and was delighted that his disappearance caused worry to his mother, which further caused tension with Sarah who wasn't convinced David wanted to kill himself.

In 2013, after Kylie told the Platts about David's hostile actions towards Nick Tilsley from the previous months, Gail compared David to Richard, saying "This is evil, plain and simple. I saw it close up with Richard, now I'm seeing it with you", and also pointed out that "I love you" were Richard's last words after David told Kylie he loved her.

In 2018, Gail began seeing a psychic called Rosemary Piper, who claimed that Gail's bad luck was due to a deceased Richard Hillman cursing her from beyond the grave. Gail became convinced by this superstition began giving Rosemary money in order to expel "Richard" once and for all. This was revealed to be a con on the part of Rosemary and Lewis Archer (the ex-partner of Gail and Audrey), who wanted revenge on Gail for putting a wedge in his relationship with Audrey a few years before. Also that year, when Eileen Grimshaw discovered her husband Pat Phelan was a murderer, Gail turned up at No.11 claiming she had come to offer sympathy. But Eileen found Gail's recalling of her own history with Richard to be an attempt at one-upmanship and slung her out.

Personality

"That's all I ever wanted to do - protect my family. To be everything my dad wasn't. Everything I've done is for you, Gail. I might be a killer, but I did it for you. I killed for you, Gail! Would any man you've ever known do that? Did Brian or Martin love you that much? They didn't even love you enough to stay with you. They betrayed you, like most men do, with their seedy little affairs. But I would never do that to you, if you live for a thousand years, you'll never find anyone who loves you more than me."

At first glance, Richard Hillman seemed to have it all. A handsome, charismatic successful businessman who was adept at forming relationships with whoever he met. He quickly charmed Gail Platt and her family, marrying her not long after meeting her. Despite his smooth exterior, Richard was a ruthless and dishonest businessman, conning many elderly people such as Jack and Vera Duckworth out of their savings through dodgy shares in his property business. His criminal behaviour escalated into murder and attempted murder, killing three people. He left his business partner Duggie Ferguson to die from a fall, then killing his ex wife Patricia Hillman, then killing Maxine Peacock. He was malicious with his attempt on Audrey Roberts' life, with a sinister plan to convince her she had dementia. Despite his homicidal tendencies, he felt enormous remorse for killing Maxine.

Relationships

Duckworths 1983
"If you've owt to say, spit it out before it flamin' well chokes yer"
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Gail Platt

Richard and Gail

Richard and Gail

Richard met Gail Platt at his cousin Alma Halliwell's funeral in 2001, Richard fell in love with the ready made family in the form of her children Sarah and David and granddaughter Bethany. He and Gail married in 2002, and Richard vowed to do everything in his power to look after their family. Prior to becoming aware o Richard's crimes, Gail frequently defended him when residents such as Norris Cole, Archie Shuttleworth and Audrey Roberts suspected him of wrongdoing. When confessing his crimes to Gail in 2003, Richard attempted to justify his actions by saying that he did it all for her. Gail was devastated by the revelation that her husband was a murderer, and expressed regret at not believing people who were suspicious of him, particularly Audrey. Weeks later, he attempted to kill Gail and her family in a suicide bid, saying that if they couldn't live together as a family, then the only other option would be to die together as a family.

Background information

Ken do something
"Ken, do something!"
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Creation and development

Richard Hillman with crowbar

Promotional photo of Brian Capron as Richard

Suffolk born actor Brian Capron was cast in the role of Richard Hillman in 2001 as a love interest to long-running character Gail Platt (Helen Worth). Capron had previously appeared on the show in the recurring part of social worker Don Worthington, appearing from 1981 to 1986. Richard was introduced as the supposed cousin of popular character Alma Halliwell, and first appeared at her funeral on 20th June 2001. Due to the revelation of Richard's darker nature it is ambiguous whether or not he was authentic about being Alma's cousin, although this wiki will treat the claim as true due to Richard not having any sinister motivations when arriving on the street.

Richard and Gail's wedding in July 2002 was the first fictional wedding to receive a photo spread in OK! Magazine. The subsequent storyline which saw Richard evolve into a serial killer was a ratings winner, and the episode in which Richard confessed his crimes to Gail in February 2003 brought in 19.4 million viewers, with the National Grid reporting a massive power surge immediately after the episode aired. This made the episode the most watched television programme in the UK in 2003 and the highest rated Coronation Street episode of the 2000s.

Departure

Richard was killed off in March 2003, after abducting the Platts and driving them into the canal in a suicide bid, though all but Richard were rescued. Capron wanted Richard to get killed off, as he preferred that to his character going to prison.

Reception and legacy

Capron's portrayal of Richard helped him earn Best Actor, Best Exit and Villain of the Year at the British Soap Awards in 2003. He was also nominated for Most Popular Newcomer at the National Television Awards in 2002 and Most Popular Actor in 2003, but lost out to Kim Medcalf and Shane Richie, both from EastEnders, respectively.

Dickie the Boatman

Dickie was an obvious nod to Richard

The Richard Hillman storyline was voted and featured in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Scary Moments in 2003, ranking at 32nd place, which included moments such as murdering Patricia Hillman and Maxine Peacock, confessing his crimes to Gail, and then trying to drive the Platt family into the canal.

Due to the popularity of the character, Richard would continue to be referenced in future stories, with his villainous legacy sometimes having an indirect role. The first major plot was in 2006 when David Platt sent his family cards addressed from Richard. At the time some press outlets misleadingly claimed that Richard was going to return to the series, which wasn't the case.

Brian Capron made a guest appearance in the spin-off DVD Coronation Street: A Knight's Tale in 2010, as a character named Dickie. This was a deliberate in-joke surrounding the character of Richard. The scenes were shared with Norris Cole, who swore to his friend Mary Taylor that he looked like Richard. Dickie shared several traits with Richard, such as having a wife named Gail; he also made remarks about his love for water and that he comes from a family of water lovers, an obvious nod to Richard himself.

Capron briefly reprised the character of Richard as part of a Halloween Tour at the Coronation Street set in October 2014.

First and last lines

"Hello." (First line, to Janice Battersby)

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"This is it. I love you!" (Final line, before driving his family into Weatherfield Canal)

Appendices

Duckworths 1983
"If you've owt to say, spit it out before it flamin' well chokes yer"
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See also

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