‘Disgusting!’ TV soap actor was slapped by raging fan

Will Mellor attacked by fan after evil Brookside plot (Picture: Lewis Nicholls Podcast) Will Mellor has recalled the bizarre moment a furious soap fan slapped him across the face because she was apparently unable to separate him from the character he was playing on television. The actor, 50, opened up about the shocking encounter while appearing on the Lewis Nicholls Show podcast, explaining that the incident happened when he was simply walking to the pub to meet his friends. Will had only appeared in Brookside for four episodes back in 1992, playing Paul Howard, but it seems the character’s actions were enough to leave a lasting impression on some viewers. Paul got Leanne Powell, played by Vickie Gates, pregnant before abandoning her, ultimately leaving her to have an abortion. It was a storyline which clearly got some viewers very worked up, although one fan took her reaction much further than most. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Recalling the incident, Will explained that he was walking through a cut-through from his estate towards the pub when he spotted an older woman walking in his direction. He didn’t think anything of it until she suddenly slapped him across the face. ‘I went, ‘What are you doing?’ Will recalled. According to the actor, the woman then launched into a furious rant about what his character had done. ‘She went, “You left that girl pregnant, you’ve left her, you’re a disgrace to your family, you should be ashamed of yourself.”’ Will was understandably stunned by the encounter, particularly because the woman appeared to genuinely believe he was responsible for what had happened to Leanne. ‘I went, “It’s not real you f*****g idiot”, I was fuming,’ he said. The slap had apparently been hard enough to leave his ear ringing. Will eventually made it to the pub, where his friends immediately noticed something was wrong. ‘I got to the pub and they went, “What’s happened to you?” and I go, “This woman’s just hit me.”’ It was a pretty memorable introduction to the downside of soap fame for the actor, who said the experience made him realise just how seriously some viewers take what they see on screen. ‘People believe it,’ he explained. ‘That was my first realisation that people believe what they watch on television; they believe these characters.’ Thankfully, the incident didn’t put Will off acting, and his soap career went on to become much bigger than those four episodes of Brookside. Three years after his brief appearance in the Channel 4 soap, he joined Hollyoaks as James ‘Jambo’ Bolton. Will also starred in Mr Bates vs. The Post Office (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock) Will played the much-loved character for 85 episodes before going on to appear in shows including Casualty and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. He eventually returned to soapland in a big way when he joined Coronation Street in 2021 as dangerous villain Harvey Gaskell. Harvey was responsible for a major drugs storyline and became one of the cobbles’ more memorable hardmen, with Will appearing in 53 episodes. Away from soaps, he has also taken on a number of dramatic roles, including playing real-life former subpostmaster Lee Castleton in ITV’s acclaimed 2024 drama Mr Bates vs. The Post Office. The four-part series dramatised the devastating Post Office scandal and saw Will take on a very different kind of role from his soap villains. Looking back, the Brookside incident remains one of those bizarre moments that perfectly demonstrates just how convincing soap actors can be. Will may have only been playing Paul Howard, but for one particularly angry viewer, the line between character and actor had apparently disappeared completely. And being slapped on the way to the pub was certainly one way for the young actor to find that out. Arrow MORE: Hollyoaks and Emmerdale star welcomes adorable baby and reveals name Arrow MORE: Emotional soap star reveals split from boyfriend amid major career success Arrow MORE: Alison King reveals depression after health crisis during recent Coronation Street filming The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.