Yahoo News 8 fantastic soap characters who can NEVER return
Nothing boosts interest in a soap more than a high-profile return – and in recent years, our favourite shows have certainly pushed the boundaries with some of the characters they've chosen to bring back. Even three years ago, who'd have thought we'd ever see Kathy 'killed in a car crash' Beale serving breakfasts at the caff in EastEnders? Or Dee Bliss back from her watery grave in Neighbours?
Sadly for the writers – and our viewing pleasure – there are some popular faces from the past who can simply never return, either because we saw their bodies or their final scenes were, well, pretty final. Here we take a look at some of the most upsetting examples.
1 and 2. Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell (EastEnders)
Nearly a year has passed since the legendary Mitchell sisters met their maker in suitably macabre style, but certain sections of the EastEnders fanbase are still struggling to get over Ronnie and Roxy's deaths.
Some overly optimistic viewers on social media still claim that Ronnie and Roxy are actually living it up in Ibiza, but sadly, this is one fan theory that can't ever really come true if EastEnders wants to maintain any credibility.
Not only did we see Ronnie and Roxy lying dead in the swimming pool of doom in their final episode, we were also "treated" to a glimpse of Ronnie's beautifully-preserved corpse in an open coffin weeks later. Try explaining that one away, future EastEnders producers…
3. Kylie Platt (Coronation Street)
Corrie's Kylie is another character who got the "seen in her own coffin" treatment – but at least in this case, it was the actress's own choice to leave the role. When Paula Lane decided to bow out as Kylie last year, the writers felt that her husband David would forever be in limbo if her exit was open-ended. As a result, Kylie was killed off in some of the show's most heartbreaking scenes ever.
Kylie's exit already seemed pretty clear-cut when she was brutally stabbed on the Street and slipped away in David's arms, but it seems that Corrie really wanted to drive the point home when David visited her in the chapel of rest before the funeral. Paula was in a coffin as she played Kylie one last time, slamming the door shut on any future comeback.
4. Stingray Timmins (Neighbours)
With Neighbours legend Ben Nicholas working in the show's digital department these days, it's perhaps no surprise that his character Stingray Timmins keeps popping up in the Aussie soap's online spin-offs. Stingray's appearances in alternate universe shows like Neighbours vs Zombies have reminded us how much we loved the eccentric character, and there's even a #BringBackStingray campaign on Twitter.
Unfortunately, even Ben himself has admitted that there's absolutely no chance of him popping back up in the main show after Stingray died suddenly from an aneurysm. He told Digital Spy this month: "Sadly I did die and my body was cremated, so apart from waking up from a dream and the last eight years didn't happen, I don't think there's much chance of me coming back." Duly noted, Ben, but surely Stingray has an identical twin out there somewhere?
5. Lucy Beale (EastEnders)
Okay, so "fantastic character" may be pushing it just a tad, but Lucy Beale was a legacy character. When we consider the right old mess we've seen in Albert Square since her tragic murder, we've sometimes wondered whether it'd be easier for everyone if she just popped up again and revealed that it was all one big misunderstanding. Bobby could be freed from juvie and Max might be so shocked that he'd finally forget about his revenge plans.
Even though it would probably be the biggest twist in EastEnders history, we can definitely rule it out, as the early episodes focusing on Lucy's death did include a scene of Ian visiting his daughter's body. There was also a similar moment when Peter wanted to say goodbye to Lucy too – two corpse scenes for the price of one!
6. Tina McIntyre (Coronation Street)
We've seen Corrie favourites like Peter Barlow, Toyah Battersby, Rosie Webster and Carla Connor all being lured back for return storylines over the past year or so, which has often left us wondering whether the show's team now secretly regrets how they can't do the same with Michelle Keegan's popular character. Even Michelle herself was shocked when she was told that Tina was being killed, as she'd previously been promised the door would be left open for her.
After Tina was pushed off a balcony and brutally beaten by killer Rob Donovan, a tear-jerking hospital scene showed the moment that she flatlined and had her time of death called. While Rita broke down in tears outside, there was even a lingering shot of Tina's flatlining hospital monitor as the "end of part one" bumper, just to make sure we got the message that she wasn't coming back. Boo!
7. Doctor Browning (Hollyoaks)
Hollyoaks has unleashed back-from-the-dead shockers so often that it's hard to rule out too many of their characters from possibly returning in the future. The show also likes to keep its options open, which could explain why we didn't see the bodies of characters like Lockie or Nico when they died in the past couple of years.
But one character we're pretty sure we've seen the back of is devious Doctor Browning, even though his devilishly dark chemistry with Mercedes McQueen has been unmatched since. Not only did he have his head bashed in by Mercedes, his body was then stored in the Price Slice freezer for safe-keeping.
For good measure, Mercedes later teamed up with Cindy, Lindsey and Freddie to push the villainous doc off a cliff. Surely this has to go down as one of Hollyoaks' most cast-iron exits?
8. Carl King (Emmerdale)
Getting rid of the "indestructible" Carl King will always be a mistake in our eyes, but Emmerdale's 40th anniversary live episode really did leave future producers with no options to ever bring Tom Lister's character back.
Cruel Carl was hit over the head with a brick by Chas, before Killer Cameron struck the fatal blow. And forget the possibility of a last-minute switcharoo, as there's no denying that it really was him when loved-up Adam and Victoria found his body.
Carl was later buried in the village graveyard, but if the Dales bosses ever take a leaf out of Neighbours' book and do an Emmerdale vs Zombies spin-off, he's top of our list of demands for a comeback.
Read more news, spoilers and gossip on our EastEnders homepage
Want up-to-the-minute soaps news, spoilers and gossip on your social feeds? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Soaps Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @soapscoop Twitter account.
Digital Spy Soap Scoop video – hit play below for all the latest EastEnders gossip, as Lauren makes a shocking discovery and a familiar face returns to see Whitney.
You Might Also Like
