Coronation Street Fans Shocked After Learning Bruce Jones Yorkshire Ripper Connection

Coronation Street fans were shocked to learn that one of the soap's beloved actors had an unlikely link to the shocking Yorkshire Ripper murders.

Bruce Jones, who had played Les Battersby on Corrie, surprised viewers when he appeared on new ITV documentary Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders on Wednesday night to talk about his experience.

Before he launched his acting career, Bruce had discovered the mutilated body of 20-year-old Ripper victim Jean Jordan in Chorlton, Manchester.

ITV)

Recalling the harrowing moment in the first episode of the two-part ITV documentary, Bruce said: "I ran across the main road and phoned 999. The next minute, I’d never seen so many police cars".

The actor detailed how he was treated as a suspect while the real ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, was still at large.

"They asked me if I'd been to Yorkshire. I couldn't remember if I'd been to Yorkshire or not. ‘Where was I in Manchester on such and such a date?’ I didn't know."

He continued: "Your mind does play tricks on you. It's like ‘where was I? Had I been to Yorkshire? No, I've never been to Yorkshire.’ Right from the minute you find that body your mind is going faster than you can think. And no, no, no I wasn't there. I wasn't there... you know never been there. Never been there.

"And in the end, they come in and tell you, ‘Get dressed,’ and we'll run you home and that was it."

PA)

While the soap actor has spoken openly about his association with the Yorkshire Ripper murders in the past, many were shocked to see him tell his story.

One viewer who tuned in to the documentary tweeted: "Sorry but is that Les from Corrie in the #yorkshireripper doc on ITV?!"

A second asked: "Les Battersby found a body???"

Twitter)

A third joked: "Wasn’t sure if I’d flicked a vintage Corrie on by accident then when Les Battersby popped up #YorkshireRipper", to which another viewer replied: "One of my favourite bits of obscure trivia this, poor sod."

Meanwhile another shocked Corrie fan commented: "The maddest cultural crossover that I will never get my head around is that Les Battersby discovered one of the victims of the Yorkshire Ripper."

Peter Sutcliffe eventually died in November 2020 at age 74. He had been serving a whole life term for murdering 13 women across Yorkshire and north-west England.

Having initially murdered a number of sex workers in Leeds, Sutcliffe soon spread across the whole of the North of England, attempting to harm women of all backgrounds, living in all different neighbourhoods.

Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders continues at 9pm on Thursday 24th February on ITV.