Emmerdale theory: Billy Fletcher exits in shows 50th anniversary special as death teased

Emmerdale: Billy Fletcher gets arrested on suspicion of assault

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Billy (played by Jay Kontzle) has been at the centre of a lot of drama over the past year, what with Emmerdale villain Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu) trying to kill him on his wedding day to Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) as well as being targeted as part of a racially motivated attack. In recent scenes on the ITV soap, he and his wife have been trying to foster newcomer Clemmie (Mabel Addison) but to no avail as they want to extend their family. However, with the show’s 50th anniversary just a few months away, the seeds could start to be planted about the heartthrob making an exit from the village in a bodybag.

At the moment, bosses are keeping tight-lipped about what’s in store for the village this autumn as they celebrate half a decade on-screen.

Some stars of the show have been trying to get viewers excited about what’s to come, however, and have been dropping hints.

One of these includes the actor who plays Billy, Jay, as it seems he could be central to the explosive anniversary storylines.

As he spoke about the future of his character, though, he seemed to refer to his time on the weeknight serial drama in the past tense.

The actor explained: “It’s going to be incredible. All I can say is it’ll be a rollercoaster ride. It’s a great place to work and I’ve loved being involved with things like Super Soap Week.”

Jay continued: “The plots are always so different and I’ve had some great ones,” before discussing how there could be at least one death on the horizon.

The actor added: “My character always seems to be around death, which is a bit morbid, but I prefer those high-stakes scenes.

“People might not know this but we film nine to 11 scenes a day and it can be gruelling – but we get through it as a team,” he told OK! Magazine.

Having had a few near misses with death in the past few months, his luck might run out in the 50th-anniversary special, set to broadcast in mid-October.

As to who could take him down, this could be Meena as it has been hinted she could return for the show’s milestone episodes.

Great place to work

Jay Kontzle

Meena was incredibly jealous when Billy left her to get back together with Dawn at the end of last year, faking a pregnancy to try and lure him back.

When her true colours were revealed just a few weeks later and her lies unravelled, Billy completely washed his hands of her.

With the villain supposedly out of his life, he decided to propose to Dawn and on Valentine’s Day, they tied the knot.

However, the exact same day, his ex-girlfriend returned to the village and held him and his wife at gunpoint on a viaduct.

Neither of them was injured but they have been traumatised by the ordeal she has put them through.

In April this year, Meena was finally arrested and sentenced to 75 years in prison for the crimes she committed in the village.

Viewers might have thought this would be the last they saw of her but in the months she has been off-screen, she could have been planning her escape.

By the time October comes around, her plan could have fallen into place as she seeks revenge on those she didn’t manage to kill.

First on her hit list could be Billy and Dawn as they stopped her from finally finding happiness.

However, defending his wife until the bitter end, will Billy take the bullet so Dawn can be a mother to their children?

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If he were to leave, this would bring an end to almost four years of drama for Billy and actor Jay after they were introduced on Christmas Day in 2018.

Billy is the son of Jessie Dingle (Sandra Marvin), the half-brother of Ellis Chapman (Aaron Anthony) and the step-son of Al Chapman (Michael Wildman).

Speaking back in 2020 about his long-term plans to stay on the show, Jay said: “It’s been a brilliant experience for me, and it’s definitely lived up to my expectations.

“Emmerdale is the one soap that has always stood out for me. I think it’s the closest thing to a TV drama – the stories, the actors, the location, it’s such a strong show.”

He also told Inside Soap what lengths his character would go to protect Dawn, explaining: “He would put his own life on the line for her.”

Executive producer, Jane Hudson, previously teased a whole month full of drama for the show’s 50th anniversary but stayed coy about a death.

The soap boss told Express.co.uk and other media: “We’re going to be having a golden month of celebration to mark our 50th.

“There are going to be mind-blowing stunts, more heartbreaks, secrets and lies are revealed. It’s going to be the gift that keeps on giving and the party no one wants to end.

“We’ll do something epic. There will be an epic stunt because we’re well-known for that. But at the heart of it, the best-loved characters in our show are really going to be tested in some big emotional stories.

“It’s really key to us that whatever happens in the 50th, the fallout is huge. This will continue and take us into 2023.”

Could this be a hint toward Billy’s exit storyline?

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV, with an hour-long episode airing on Thursdays.

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