BRITISH TV's biggest villain is all set to rise "from the grave" in York tonight.

The body of Coronation Street's serial killer Richard Hillman was seen by millions of viewers after it was fished from a canal last night.

But you can't keep a good villain down, as revellers in York are set to discover tonight, for "Tricky Dicky" himself is due to appear at a fun pub in the city.

Actor Brian Capron, whose reign of terror finally ended this week when he was killed off, will meet locals and get behind the bar at The Bedroom, in Micklegate, between 11pm and midnight.

Hopefully pubgoers will be able to judge for themselves whether Weatherfield's answer to Norman Bates is as menacing in real life, or whether he can be a bit of a charmer in the flesh.

He certainly has been showing off his nicer side while visiting Yorkshire, as on a recent visit to Creations night club, in Leeds, he left behind a crucial piece of evidence from one of his recent dastardly deeds - the spade he used on his late wife Patricia before burying her in concrete under a block of flats.

Now the "murder weapon" is all set to help raise cash for a good cause, as it will be auctioned at a sell-out ball tonight at The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate, in aid of Martin House Hospice for children and young people, in Boston Spa. Guests at the Harrogate event will have the opportunity to see, touch and then bid for the Hillman weapon, before it is sold off to raise much needed funds for youngsters with a life-threatening condition.

Updated: 09:54 Saturday, March 15, 2003