Edward Jeremy Timothy "Eddie" Yeats is a fictional character from the British ITV soap, Coronation Street, played by Geoffrey Hughes. He made his first screen appearance on 23 December 1974 and remained a regular until 1983, when Hughes opted to quit. However, he reprised his role in December 1987 to facilitate the departure of Jean Alexander as Hilda Ogden. Despite numerous attempts from producers to persuade Hughes to reprise the role, he consistently declined, and Hughes' death in 2012 ruled out a return for the character.