FANS BACKLASH AT CORRIE RAPE PARTY
Shock scenes ‘too much’
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CORONATION Street fans claim harrowing scenes showing schoolgirl Bethany Platt about to be gang-raped by three men as part of the soap’s sex grooming plotline made them “feel physically sick”.
Thursday’s shocking episode drew a peak of 8million viewers and gave the ITV soap its best ratings for 18 months.
However, the scenes of Bethany – actress Lucy Fallon – about to be raped and a younger girl called Lara being dragged into the sex story proved too much for some.
They flooded social media with comments such as: “This storyline makes me feel physically sick”, “This is making me puke, it should not be on mainstream TV” and “I just can’t bear these scenes”.
But TV watchdogs Ofcom have had just 13 complaints about the episode.
Corrie boss Kate Oates defended the scenes, saying: “Bethany’s story has been crafted over many months to create an awareness for viewers about the dangers of grooming.”
But she admitted that broadcasting the soap after the 9pm watershed throughout the past week had allowed her to deliver even more shocking scenes for the controversial sex grooming story.
She said: “I was mindful of the later time slot. I did feel more of a sense of comfort thinking it would largely be a 9 o’clock audience.”
On the introduction of an even younger victim into the story, Kate added: “That was another 9 o’clock decision really – picking someone who was apparently underage – as they would be very much part of that circle.
“We will see Lara again. I am happy to tell you she is slightly older than she looks but it was a conscious decision.
“You don’t see her for very long there but she has got a very haunted look. She makes a massive impact.”