Viewers Are Divided By Coronation Street’s Grooming Storyline

This week has seen Bethany Platt and older fiancé Nathan Curtis in some incredibly hard-hitting scenes...

For the last couple of months, Coronation Street has been building up its Bethany Platt grooming storyline with extremely hard-hitting scenes.

We’ve seen the character be abused by older fiancé Nathan Curtis, as well as his wider circle of friends and acquaintances.

See: Coronation Street’s Tina O’Brien Definitely Isn’t Pregnant, People

While it’s clearly an important and relevant topic, the nation seems split on whether such graphic scenes should be shown on the ITV soap.

Character Bethany Platt with her older fiancé Nathan

Ofcom have confirmed that 13 complaints have been made so far, and that they’ll ‘assess these complaints before deciding whether or not to investigate’.

Many have also taken to Twitter to express their views, with comments including: ‘Bethany storyline is too distressing,’ ‘This Bethany storyline on #coronationstreet has got to be the most horrific one they have ever done ,’ and: ‘I’m not sure i can watch #coronationstreet bethany storyline is sickening [sic].’

However, despite the explicit nature of the plot line, others have praised Corrie for getting the message out there on how to spot the signs when it comes to grooming.

And while yesterday’s episode did feature a particularly disturbing allusion to gang rape, it was shown after the 9pm watershed, to make way for Britain’s Got Talent.

Lucy Fallon – who plays the role of 16-year-old Bethany – has spoken out about the criticism.

During a recent interview on ITV’s Lorraine, the 21-year-old said: ‘Even though it’s uncomfortable to watch, I think it’s so important. I’m determined to do it justice.’

She also explained that the NSPCC put her in contact with women who’d been through similar experiences, continuing: ‘It helped me understand how people get into those situations, because obviously I’ve never been through anything like that and neither has anyone I know.’

See: Is Giovanni Pernice Now Dating Coronation Street’s Katie McGlynn?

What are your thoughts on the storyline? Let us know over on Twitter @lookmagazine.

By Lois Pia North

The post Viewers Are Divided By Coronation Street’s Grooming Storyline appeared first on Look Magazine.