Billy Fletcher is the son of Jessie Dingle and her late first husband as well as the half-brother of Ellis Chapman. In 2022, Billy married Dawn Taylor and the following year he adopted Dawn's son, Lucas, became the special guardian of Lucas' half-sister, Clemmie, and he and Dawn also welcomed their first biological child together, Evan.
Biography[]
Backstory[]
Billy was born to Jessie Grant and Evan Fletcher. Evan died when Billy was young and Jessie went on to remarry Al Chapman, resulting in the birth of Billy's half-brother, Ellis Chapman. However, Billy and Al never got on as Al believed that Billy was trouble.
Much to Jessie's horror, Billy fell in with the wrong crowd and was desperate to impress his new friends. During a night out following their exams, a man named Riley was viciously beaten and left for dead by Billy and his friends. Under Joint Enterprise laws, Billy was sentenced to three years imprisonment for the assault along with his friends, Luke Dockley, Nathan Delfield, and Freddie Hart. Jessie was convinced of her son's innocence, although Ellis, whose relationship with Billy had fallen apart as Billy refused to stop his friends from bullying Ellis, was just as convinced of his brother's guilt.
In September 2018, Jessie revealed Billy would be granted early release from prison later in the year. In November 2018, Billy was hospitalised after a fight with another inmate, who was also hospitalised.
2018-2019: Arrival in Emmerdale and troubles with the law[]
On Christmas Day 2018, Billy turned up at Jessie's wedding to Marlon Dingle, having been released from prison. Jessie was elated to see her son and proclaimed the day was "perfect". The joy quickly faded away when Marlon's first cousin once removed, Aaron Dingle, attacked Billy. Aaron had previously mentioned to his husband Robert Sugden that Billy was part of the prison gang that made his short prison sentence almost two years ago a living hell. Ellis also wasn't happy with his brother's arrival as he unlike his mother didn't believe Billy's prison time was due to bad luck and falling in with the bad type of people but rather his own doing.
In January 2019, Billy got a job for Jai Sharma at the sweet factory as a delivery driver. Later, Ellis' girlfriend Victoria Barton, who wants the brothers to make up lures Billy to the scrapyard then locks him and Ellis in the port-a-kabin and instructs them to sort things out. A claustrophobic Billy begins to panic although Ellis manages to calm him down. After calming down the brothers begin to talk and Billy insists that he wants to start again and make things right. When Victoria unlocks the cabin door, Billy orders her not to ever lock him in again then storms out. Although their relationship remained rocky they started building up a relationship and grew closer. In February, Billy starts flirting with Tracy Metcalfe. At a party, Ellis attempts to put Tracy off Billy but it backfires, resulting in Tracy kissing Billy.
In late March, Tracy convinces Billy to go to an interview for an apprenticeship at a garage, and as Billy and Tracy head off, Ellis asks them to pick up Billy's young step-sister, April. Later, Billy and Tracy watch April play in a park when two police officers approach Billy and explain a concerned parent has reported he was acting suspiciously. Tracy believes Billy has been targeted because he's black, but Billy tells her to let it go. April asks Billy if he's going back to prison which the woman who reported him takes as confirmation that Billy was dodgy. Tracy turns around and storms towards her, accusing her of being racist. While she protests that she's not, Billy holds Tracy back as she and the woman engage in a slanging match, resulting in Tracy being arrested.
Billy watches Tracy being arrested
Later, Billy is annoyed at Tracy and explains that people like him have had it the same all their lives and he didn't need her acting the saviour. Billy also asks April to keep quiet about what happened in the park as it'll upset Marlon and Jessie, however, they find out from Ellis, upsetting Billy who doesn't want to make it a big deal. Ellis approaches Billy outside the pub to apologise but Billy ends up pinning him against the wall. Tracy runs over and questions what Billy thinks he's doing and furiously walks off with Ellis. The next day, Billy apologises to Tracy for yesterday but she states she is over him.
On 12th April 2019, Billy is approached by an old acquaintance, Max Garrick, who asks Billy to work for him as a getaway driver during a robbery. Billy initially refuses but later agrees as he needs money. However, Ellis finds out and tries to stop Billy from heading off to meet Max by setting off the fire alarm in the factory, making him miss the robbery. Afterwards, Ellis warns Billy that if he goes through with the robbery, they are through but Billy states that it's too late anyway and tells his brother that thanks to him, he's made himself an enemy. The following day a threatening Max turns up at Tall Trees Cottage wanting what Billy cost him by pulling out of the warehouse robbery. When Billy doesn't give him what he wants Max punches Billy so Billy goes for him and they fight. Ellis returns home and pulls Max off Billy, then Billy orders Max to do one but Max vows he'll be back which leaves Billy fearing Max will never leave him alone. Max goes on to threaten Billy and his family in order to pressure him to do another job for him.
On 25th April, as Ellis goes on a group night out with some of the villagers, Billy fears for his brother's safety when Max sends him a picture of Ellis at the club. The following day, the family visits Ellis in hospital after he was stabbed. Jessie is convinced Max is to blame but Billy is reluctant towards telling the police. On 7th May, Billy reveals the true story behind the night at the club to Ellis. Whilst looking for Ellis, Billy got pinned up against a wall by two men whom Billy assumed to be Max's minions, however, the men reveal they're actually Kaiden and Tyler, the brothers of Riley - the man Billy viciously attacked, resulting in him being sent to prison. A fight ensued and Billy admitted to attacking Riley and declared that he wishes he would've finished him off as he was racist, drug-dealing scum who pushed his friend Ben to kill himself at eighteen because he was so scared of Riley. Billy made a run for it and managed to lose them. However, Billy calls Ellis to apologise and as the brothers were talking, Billy heard muffling sounds and realised Ellis was in trouble. As a frantic Billy searched for Ellis, he ran into Kaiden and Tyler who told him they were even now. Billy discovered Ellis lying unconscious with blood pouring from his side after being stabbed using Billy's knife. As instructed by the 999 operators, Billy put pressure on Ellis' stab wound, but he soon left when he saw blue lights of the ambulance approaching. Following the revelation, Ellis and Billy decide to put this behind them as they got rid the knife together.
Billy and Max fight
In June 2019, Billy was forced to agree to participate in a job with Max, however, Max and his gang soon realise Billy has set them up and tipped off the police. On 25th June, Max went to Billy's house and held Jessie, Marlon and April hostage as revenge. Billy arrived at the house which was surrounded by the police and despite their warnings, Billy sneaks in via the back door. He manages to get April out to safety and a struggle ensues between him and Max. Billy continues to beat an incapacitated Max until Marlon pulls him off him. Whilst a shell-shocked Jessie hugs Billy, a battered and bloody Max reaches for the gun and pulls the trigger, ending up shooting Jessie. She is taken to hospital where she luckily recovered, however, Marlon blamed Billy for Jessie's injuries and was far from pleased by his presence at the hospital. Billy explains to Jessie that everything that's happened all comes back to what he did to Riley. He explains drug dealer Riley was the reason his best friend, Ben, is dead, and when he saw Riley, he couldn't control himself. Jessie can't believe it but soon decides to forgive her son as she recalls how the last time she saw her father, they argued and she doesn't want her son to have those regrets.
2019-2020: Jessie's departure and DI Malone[]
In August 2019, Ellis and Billy go into business together, wanting to start a personal training business but runs into problems when Jessie can't afford to invest. However, Ellis is enthusiastic when an investment company shows interest in their personal training business and organises a meeting. Billy skips out on the meeting but he and Jessie get a shock when the man at Ellis' meeting turns up at Tall Trees Cottage, and reveals himself to be Ellis' dad, Al Chapman. Billy remains sceptical towards Al and insists he only wants to buy people. However, much to Billy's dismay Al states he's staying around and Ellis soon decides to give him a chance.
In September 2019, Billy is furious to learn Al has slept with Jessie and is devastated when that leads her and Marlon's marriage to fall apart. Jessie moves to Dubai after getting a job offer there and Billy and Ellis start considering moving, thinking it would be complicated to stay at Marlon's. However, after some persuasion from Marlon and April, who they have both come to see as a little sister, they decide to stay and turn on Al, both taking Marlon's side. Al and Billy continued to clash but they tried to put aside their differences for Ellis' sake. Later, Billy started dating Dawn Taylor. In early 2020, Billy supported Dawn as she fought to get custody of her young son Lucas.
In March 2020, Billy got himself involved with bent copper DI Malone alongside Dawn's father Will Taylor and his boss Cain Dingle. They tried to get out of it but when they didn't do what he asked Malone got Billy arrested based on made-up charges with the promise that it would all go away as long as they all did what he wanted. He continued to blackmail Billy, Will and Cain over the next few weeks. They eventually agreed to do one last job for him in order to keep Billy out of prison and keep Malone from hurting their families. When the day finally came, Billy and Cain were surprised when Malone told them Will wouldn't be coming as he wasn't coping well and sent them out to retrieve drugs alone. However, at the same time, Will found out Malone was trying to set Cain and Billy up and desperately called Dawn who saved their skin. Dawn is furious at Will and Billy for keeping secrets from her, she tells Billy to leave as she isn’t sure about their relationship anymore. Billy apologises to Dawn the next day and promises to be honest with her in the future, so she agrees to forgive him. However, they continue to be harassed by Malone as they did not complete the job.
In August 2020, Will told Billy that Malone wouldn’t be bothering them anymore but refused to explain why. Dawn also disappeared from the village around this time and Billy was very concerned but Will and Harriet Finch told him not to worry. When Dawn did return a few days later, Billy was relived to see her but she was distant toward him. Then she told him that their relationship was over and to leave her alone. Billy was saddened and confused by this and tried to get Dawn to explain but she wouldn’t. Over the next few weeks, he tried to fix their relationship but Dawn ignored his efforts. Then he found out that Ellis had slept with Dawn a few days earlier, which infuriated him. He confronted Dawn about and she tearfully explained that she wanted him to hate her, so he would leave her alone. She also revealed that she killed Malone, which was why she disappeared and why she ended their relationship. Billy was still angry with Dawn and told her that her plan worked, he did hate her but promised to keep her secret. Over the next few weeks, Billy was also cold to Ellis after what happened with Dawn. This began to cause problems for the PT business, as Billy refused to work with Ellis. However, Marlon talked to him about this and told him that Ellis didn’t deserve what he was doing. Afterwards, Billy talked to Ellis and said he was ready to start forgiving him.
On 24th September 2020, Billy met Meena Jutla in the HIDE. They flirted and she told him that she was his PT client. Billy and Meena continued to flirt as they trained and seemed to get on well. They ended up kissing after the session but they were seen by Dawn. Later, in the HIDE, Billy left Meena for a moment and Dawn walked in. She argued with Meena and ended up throwing a pepper shaker at her. Billy returned just at that moment and immediately ran to Meena’s side. He also yelled at Dawn, calling her crazy. After this, he and Meena decided to just be friends as he still had issues with Dawn.
In late 2020, things became awkward between Ellis and Billy when Dawn told them she has been diagnosed with an STI. This meant they both had to get tested as they had both slept with her. Luckily both tests came back negative, but Billy still insulted Dawn after he told her this, making his disgust clear.
2021-2022: Leanna, Relationship with Meena, getting back with Dawn, Ellis leaves[]
For the first half of 2021, Billy spends all his time working on the PT business. In March, he advises Ellis about his relationship with Priya Kotecha. Later in the month, Billy and Dawn begin to get back on friendly terms. He congratulates her when she finally gets full custody of Lucas, despite their struggles.
In June 2021, Billy becomes friends with local teenager, Leanna Cavanagh. He and Leanna grow close as she takes PT sessions with him. She confides in him and he gives her advice about her relationship with Jacob Gallagher. Leanna develops a crush on Billy as they grow closer but he is careful to keep her at arms length. In late June, Jacob becomes convinced the reason Leanna turned down his proposal is because of Billy. During a training session, Jacob interrogates Billy about Leanna, to his confusion. The confrontation gets heated as Jacob threatens Billy unless he confesses to the affair. When Billy insists he has no idea what he is talking about, Jacob tries to punch him. Billy easily avoids this and Jacob ends up on the floor. Billy tells him he never touched Leanna and to get out of his face before walking away. The next day, Billy confronts Leanna about what she told Jacob and she explains the situation. Billy is understanding and Leanna apologises for any trouble she caused. Billy forgives her, but warns her to be careful as Jacob’s accusations could have got him in a lot of trouble. From then on, Billy avoids Leanna and Jacob.
On 7th July 2021, Billy wishes Leanna a happy birthday and is one of the last people to see her alive. Later, Jacob tells him Leanna has gone missing and again accuses him of having an affair with her. Billy denies this and storms off. When Leanna’s body is found under the bridge, Billy is shocked and saddened at her death. He offers his condolences to Jacob and the two put their rivalry to rest.
Over the next few months, Billy continues to grow closer to Dawn and Lucas. He spends more time with them and becomes a father figure to Lucas. In October, Billy and Ellis’s PT business is shut down as the HIDE owner, Kim Tate is unhappy with the bad publicity Ellis was getting following his disastrous survival weekend.
On 25th November, Meena asks Billy out and he accepts. They go to the Woolpack for a drink and sleep together that night. They continue to see each other for the next few weeks, but Meena is jealous of Billy’s friendship with Dawn. On 21st December, Billy sees Dawn taking Lucas to the park with a man. This turns out to be Alex Moore, Lucas’s father and Billy immediately dislikes Alex. Meena then interferes and tells Alex lies about Billy and Dawn. The next day, Alex tries to take Lucas while Dawn is distracted but Billy sees him. Dawn and Billy stop Alex and Dawn threatens him to stay away.
After this, Billy and Dawn grow closer and Dawn tells him she still loves him. He says he loves her as well and they get back together. Meena is furious at Billy for leaving her and insults Dawn as he tries to calmly explain the situation, but Meena storms out. She then claims to be pregnant and Billy is shocked. He promises to stand by her but is conflicted because of Dawn. Soon, Dr Liam Cavanagh reveals that Meena is lying and Billy is heartbroken as he is not going to be a father. He angrily cuts ties with Meena and tells Dawn he loves her. He then proposes to Dawn in New Year’s Eve and she accepts.
In January 2022, Billy and Dawn start to plan their wedding but are both worried that Meena will try to hurt them after it is revealed she is a serial killer. Billy reassures Dawn that Meena is gone and won’t cause anymore trouble for them. He moves into Woodbine Cottage in late January. On February 9th, Ellis left the village for a job in Brisbane. Billy was sad to see his brother leave, but supported him and they had an emotional goodbye.
Later in February, Alex Moore returns and begins causing trouble for Dawn. When he threatens to take Lucas away from her, Dawn is distraught. On 11th February, someone breaks into Woodbine and destroys Dawn’s wedding dress with red paint. Dawn is devastated and immediately assumes Meena is behind it, but Billy manages to calm her down and suggests that it was something to do with Alex. Billy then goes to Alex’s house and beats him up. Billy is arrested but is released after Mackenzie Boyd gives him a false alibi.
On the 14th February 2022, Billy married Dawn in St Mary’s Church and the ceremony went smoothly. After the ceremony Billy and Dawn got into the limo that was booked to take them on their honeymoon. However, it turned out the limo driver was Meena and she drove them out of the village. She took them to the viaduct and threatened them with a gun, trying to get Billy to admit he still loved her, but he said he never loved her which angered Meena. She implied that she had Lucas and that she would hurt him if she didn’t get what she wanted. This threat infuriated Dawn but Billy managed to keep her calm. Then Leyla Harding drove up to the viaduct, looking for the couple, and Meena shot at her. While Meena was distracted, Dawn tackled her from behind and started punching her. Billy got the gun and then pulled Dawn off Meena before she beat her to death. Billy then tried to convince Meena that he loved her to get her to tell them where Lucas was but she saw through it. Meena said that Lucas would die unless they did what she told them, so she got Dawn to tie Billy up and the drove off. Later, Billy and Dawn found Lucas locked in the shed behind Woodbine and heard that Meena was in custody after being admitted to hospital. A few days later, Billy and Dawn managed to go on their honeymoon and start their married life properly.
On 28th April 2022, Dawn encouraged him to go out for drinks in town with his father-in-law. Will went home but Billy stayed out and was attacked by Jordan Greenlow in a racially motivated assault. Dawn was called to the hospital where Billy lay unconscious and badly beaten. He explained that Jordan had shouted racial slurs at him, but when Billy tried to walk away, Jordan had jumped him and beat him up. Jordan was arrested, but claimed Billy had started the fight. Ethan Anderson was called in to represent Jordan and Billy was disgusted that he would defend a racist. He and Ethan continued to butt heads over the next few weeks as Billy tried to get him to drop Jordan as a client. Three weeks after the attack, CCTV footage emerged that backed up Billy’s version of what happened. After this, Jordan visited Billy and tried to threaten him into dropping the charges, implying he was in a gang who would target him if he didn’t. Billy refused and told Jordan to get lost, or he would call the police. He stormed off but told Billy it wasn’t over. Ethan was horrified when Billy told him about the threats. He apologised and promised to stop representing Jordan.
A few days later, Billy arranged to meet Ethan at an underpass, but when he got there he found Jordan beating Ethan. Billy stopped him, but Jordan continued shouting and making racist comments to goad Billy into a fight. Billy didn’t react which only made Jordan angrier. Billy told him to leave him and Ethan alone, but Jordan refused unless Billy dropped the charges. Billy agreed but Jordan didn’t believe him and demanded insurance. However, it was the revealed that Billy was only stalling until the police arrived as he had already called them. Jordan tried to run but Billy caught him and threw him to the ground, telling him he wasn’t afraid of him. Jordan was arrested and threatened Billy and Ethan again. Billy took Ethan home and the two of them made up.
In July 2022, Dawn brought home, Clemmie Reed, the seven year old daughter of an old friend who had recently passed away. Billy was initially reluctant to take in a troubled girl, but Dawn was determined to do it, so he supported her. Unfortunately, Harriet disagreed and called social services, who took Clemmie away. Dawn was outraged by Harriet’s interference, so she and Billy moved out of Woodbine and into Home Farm with Will and his partner, Kim Tate. Billy began working for Kim as a grounds keeper after this. Dawn and Billy then applied for custody of Clemmie and in August she was sent to live with them.
In October 2022, Billy and Dawn attend Will’s wedding to Kim Tate. Later that day, Harriet is killed in a biking accident and Billy supports Dawn through her grief for her surrogate mother. In December 2022, Kim suggests hiring a nanny to take care of the kids. Dawn and Billy are reluctant at first but they are talked around by Kim and Gabby Thomas, the mother of Kim’s grandson.
2023-2024: Living at Home Farm and becoming a father[]
In January 2023, Nicky, the nanny moves into Home Farm and starts work. Billy gets along well with him, despite his initial dislike of hiring someone to look after his children. However, Dawn soon begins to feel guilty about leaving the kids and suggests she might stop working for Kim. Billy is unsure about the idea, as they are saving to buy a house of their own and convinces her to keep trying. After he and Dawn both miss one of Clemmie’s swimming lessons, he sees how badly Dawn is being affected and agrees to her plan. In March, Billy is frustrated with Clemmie’s behaviour and begins to wonder if he and Dawn are qualified to look after a girl with so many problems. This causes an argument between Dawn and Billy. Will talks to him and he comes around, apologising to Dawn. Later in the month, he officially adopts Lucas and becomes special guardian to Clemmie, alongside Dawn. This comforts Clemmie enough that she calms down about the baby.
In June 2023, it is revealed that Nicky isn’t really a nanny and that he was trying to get Gabby’s money for his father, Caleb Miligan. Billy and Dawn are shocked and angry about this, as they let him look after their children. That month, Dawn tells Billy she is pregnant and he is ecstatic about becoming a father. Dawn asks him to keep it a secret as they don’t know how Clemmie will react to the news, which disappoints Billy. He agrees and they keep her pregnancy a secret for a few weeks.
A few weeks later, Billy sees Gabby drunkenly shouting at Nicky in the street. He intervenes and tries to calm her down but she continues to berate Nicky. She tries to punch him but accidentally elbows Billy instead as he tries to stop her. She is mortified by this and Billy walks her home. Once there, Gabby continues to drown her sorrows as Billy comforts her. He tells her she is worth more than Nicky and that she deserves better but she then tries to kiss Billy. He is shocked and pulls back, telling her he is married and she should know better, before leaving. The next day, Gabby apologises for her mistake and Billy forgives her, however, she then tries to blackmail Billy by saying that she will tell Dawn he tried to kiss her, if he doesn’t teach Nicky a lesson. Billy tries to laugh this off at first, but Gabby makes it clear she isn’t joking, to Billy’s horror. She orders him to beat Nicky up by the end of the day, or she will destroy his marriage. At first Billy tries to reason with Gabby but she is determined, so he goes to Dawn and Kim, then later that day, all three of them confront Gabby. She apologises again, and tries to talk to Billy but he walks away from her.
In July 2023, Clemmie has a tantrum after Dawn and Billy tell her about the baby. She claims that they already love it more than her and when Dawn tries to comfort her, she pushes a chair into her stomach. Billy rushes to Dawn’s side and shouts at Clemmie for being selfish. He takes Dawn to the hospital, where a scan confirms that the baby is fine. Dawn tells him he shouldn’t have yelled at Clemmie and he agrees, promising to make it up to her. However, Clemmie runs away that night and the next morning, Billy and Dawn are distraught when that find she is gone. They search for her all day, with Billy becoming more and more frantic. Then Nicky arrives with Clemmie, revealing she came to find him. Dawn and Billy are massively relieved and immediately hug Clemmie and tell her they love her. Clemmie then asks if Nicky can stay, which Kim agrees to, so Billy and Dawn say yes. The next day, Gabby is furious about this as she reminds them what he did but Billy and Dawn are dismissive of her, which causes another argument between them. Then Gabby brings up Dawn’s past as a prostitute, in front of Clemmie and Lucas. Dawn is horrified and Billy shouts at Gabby, before trying to explain to the kids.
On 21st December 2023, Dawn gives birth in the Home Farm nursery with Billy at her side. The baby is a boy, whom they name Evan after Billy’s late father. Billy is shocked when Dawn suggests the name, but very happy about it. They celebrate Christmas with Lucas, Clemmie, and baby Evan. In early 2024, Billy says he wants to quit working at Home Farm and start his PT business again. Dawn is unsure about him giving up a job to start a business when they have a new baby, but Billy insists.
Then in April 2024, everything is put on hold as Billy and Dawn worry for Evan’s health after he rolled off the changing table. The doctors say he will be fine, which comes as a relief, but on their way out, Billy and Dawn meet a woman who is soon revealed to be Dawn’s estranged mother, Rose. Billy tries to support his wife but Dawn says that she doesn’t care about getting to know the woman who abandoned her. Later in the month, Billy’s PT client, Manpreet Sharma drunkenly tries to kiss him but he rejects her, not knowing her boyfriend’s mother overheard them. He tells Dawn but she is uninterested and says that she has to focus on Evan. Rose returns around this time and Billy is sceptical when Dawn has her move in to the house. However Rose was the least of his problems as on 3rd May 2024, Evan is diagnosed with leukaemia which devastates Billy. He tries to be there for Evan and Dawn but she pushes him away. This frustrates Billy and he asks Dawn to go home for a while so he can look after Evan but Dawn stubbornly refuses to leave. Billy then has to take care of Clemmie and Lucas by himself, though Rose proves to be a real help. This comes to a head and Billy argues with Dawn, leading to him storming out of the hospital room. After this, they make up and do their best for Evan.
In June, the stress becomes too much for Billy and he goes out drinking with Nate Robinson. He gets drunk and Nate brings him back to Hone Farm where Kim sees them and berates Billy for breaking the social distancing that was in place to protect Evan. Billy is wracked with guilt when Evan gets an infection soon after but Kim covers for him, saying that she broke the bubble, later telling him that Evan doesn’t need his parents fighting and Billy is grateful for her help. A few weeks later, Dawn gets spiked at Home Farm and she blames Kim, believing that she was as trying to get Rose but Billy stands up for Kim. Dawn doesn’t listen and Kim leaves the house, so Billy tells her the truth about who broke the bubble but Dawn remains certain that Kim spiked her.
In August 2024, Billy helps Dawn as she tries to force the truth out of Will and Kim about Rose leaving. Then Dawn decides that they have to move out of Home Farm after discovering the truth about Rose and what happened, to which Billy agrees so they move into Holdgate Farm with the kids. They cut ties with Will and Kim as they focus on their children. The next month, Will asks Billy if he or Dawn are behind blackmail threats he has been getting but Billy tells Will that they want nothing to do with him.
In October 2024, Billy starts fighting in illegal boxing matches as his family is struggling financially. Billy hides this from Dawn but she becomes suspicious when he suddenly has extra cash, but he lies that it is his savings. Billy later confides in Mackenzie when he finds him injured after a fight. Mack volunteers to help train Billy for his next fight, getting Aaron Dingle and John Sugden involved as well. The boxing promoter, Jade Garrick, then starts coming around to the house to remind Billy that he has to fight again and befriends Dawn. On 28th October, he goes to the warehouse where the fight is being held with Mack and Aaron, where Mack recognises Billy's opponent as Ross Barton, his wife's ex. They start the fight and Ross plays dirty with a head butt, easily overpowering Billy. Fortunately, Billy gets an opportunity for a sucker punch when Ross is distracted and so Billy wins the fight. Afterwards, Jade is angry as everyone who had bet on Ross had lost their money and refuses to pay Billy. He then leaves, later telling Dawn that his injuries were from a fight with Aaron.
He is later forced to tell Dawn the truth when Jade comes around demanding a rematch between Billy and Ross. Dawn shouts at him for putting their family in danger for the sake of his ego but Billy argues he did it for their family. He arranged a rematch with Ross in a barn and is annoyed that he has to throw the fight but Mack advises him not to as Ross needs to be brought down. The fight is interrupted by the police and Billy manages to get away but Dawn is still angry with him and she shows him that she pawned her wedding ring to pay Jade. He later gets a job working for Caleb Miligan at his new depot as he tries to support his family.
2024-2025: Will's death, split from Dawn[]
In December, their landlord Jai Sharma kicks them out and they worry that they will be homeless. Billy promises to sort it but Dawn says they should move back into Home Farm. Billy objects to this as he doesn't want to live in someone else's house which causes an argument as Dawn accuses him of putting his pride before his family again. He grabbed Jai in the cafe and threatened him into giving them their deposit back, then told Dawn that they could get their own place. However, Dawn refuses and wants to move back into Home Farm but Billy tells her if she does, it will be without him. She and the kids then move in with Kim again, making Billy unhappy.
At Christmas he comes to his senses and goes to Home Farm to make up with Dawn. They spend Christmas together with their kids and witness Will and Kim's vow renewal. However, the day is ruined when Will suddenly dies of a heart attack which they struggle to explain to the kids. Afterwards, Billy is suspicious of the newly returned Joe Tate, especially when Charity Dingle tells him what Joe had done to her family in the past. However, when Dawn began accusing him of killing Will, Billy thought she had gone too far. When she turns on Kim, Billy tries to talk her down but Dawn ends up causing a scene at Will’s funeral and storming out. The next day, Dawn spikes Kim as she tries to force her to confess and Billy is horrified by her actions. He accused her of being back on drugs and they argued, though Billy later apologised for this and Dawn was quick to forgive him.
In 2025, Billy and Dawn continue to grow apart and Billy starts messaging Manpreet Sharma as she posts naked content online. However, he keeps this a secret and is uncomfortable around Manpreet when she treated a cut on his leg. Billy soon confessed to Dawn that he had been messaging women online and she was unhappy with him. Soon, they both resolved to try and fix their marriage. In April 2025, Billy thinks things are back on track and is stunned when Dawn told him it is over. He is heartbroken and becomes desperate for answers as Dawn is unclear about what exactly caused the split. After talking with Mackenzie, Billy becomes convinced that Dawn is having an affair with Ross and thinks he has proof when he finds Dawn has locked her phone. A furious Billy then grabs Ross and demands to know the truth, but this is witnessed by Clemmie and Billy instantly feels guilty. Later, they explain to the kids that they are broken up and Billy moves out of Home Farm.
A few days later, Billy is pleased when Dawn lets him move back in when Evan is ill. He thinks they may be back to normal when Dawn asks him to leave. However, he then finds an upset Clemmie, who tells him that Joe threatened her so she wouldn’t tell anyone that she saw him kissing Dawn and Billy is furious. He contains his anger until Lydia Dingle’s 50th birthday party, where he confronts Dawn after seeing her dance with Joe. Later, Joe is pushed out of a window and Billy is the police’s prime suspect. He is taken in for questioning by DS Dasari the day after the attack and is confused when Dawn provides him with an alibi. He asks her about it, making her confess to pushing Joe and Billy is stunned. He agrees to go along with her lie, but the next day he hears her say she is in love with Joe and in his anger he decides to leave Home Farm, telling Dawn he will tell the police what she did unless she gives him full custody.
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Residences[]
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| HMP Hotten | 2016 to 25th December 2018 |
| Apartment Two, Mill Cottage | 25th December to 26th December 2018 |
| Tall Trees Cottage | 26th December 2018 to 14th February 2019 |
| Friend's sofa (temporary) | 14th February to 15th February 2019 |
| The Grange | 15th February to 12th March 2019 |
| Tall Trees Cottage | 12th March 2019 to 6th March 2020 |
| Woodbine Cottage (temporary) | 6th March to 7th March 2020 |
| Pirate Ship | 7th March to 24th September 2020 |
| Tall Trees Cottage | 24th September 2020 to 20th January 2022 |
| Woodbine Cottage | 20th January to 15th July 2022 |
| Home Farm | 15th January to 22nd September 2022 |
| The Grange (temporary) | 22nd September to 23rd September 2022 |
| Woodbine Cottage | 23rd September to 8th November 2022 |
| Home Farm | 8th November 2022 to 26th August 2024 |
| The Grange (temporary) | 26th August to 27th August 2024 |
| Holdgate Farm | 27th August to 20th December 2024 |
| Home Farm | 20th December 2024 to present |
Quotes[]
"'Scuse me, mate? Sorry to bother you. I'm running seriously late, I'm looking for Jessie Grant? And the problem is, I actually don't know where I'm going." (First line, to Bob Hope)
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"'Cause you're either the hard man, or the punchbag. And that's the only option for a young black man. And that kind of thing, it destroys you."