It has been one of the most harrowing and talked about storylines of the year, as Bethany Platt’s abuse at the hands of twisted Nathan Curtis gets more and more disturbing.
However, it seems there could soon be a light at the end of the tunnel for poor Bethany, as Corrie boss Kate Oates has assured viewers that Nathan will get his comeuppance, and Bethany will finally realise that she is being exploited in the most horrific way.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Kate revealed: “What is nice about where this storyline goes is that when the scales do fall from Bethany’s eyes, and she does realise it’s not right, she takes some power back. We see Bethany being active in saving herself rather than just being told – it’s a story for feminists, I really wanted her to take some of that power back.”
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Coronation Street viewers will no doubt be delighted to see Bethany get justice following her terrible ordeal, as many have been deeply affected by the upsetting scenes, taking to Twitter to describe the plot line as ‘sick’ and ‘brutal’, with some even making complaints to Ofcom.
Despite this good news, Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany in the soap, pointed out that Bethany’s troubles are far from over, as they want to stay true to real-life grooming victims and the support they need to deal with such horrifying abuse.
Lucy explains: “It’s going to be a really long road to recovery for Bethany. Speaking to various people that this happened to and charities, it was clear that people haven’t got over it. It’s important to show that it will be a long road for Bethany to come to terms with it.”
As for why Bethany sticks around and allows herself to be treated this way, Lucy highlights how vulnerable and naive the character is.
“She knows that things are dodgy and wrong but she doesn’t know that she is being groomed – she might not even know what that means,” Lucy explains.
“He has said to her: ‘Why should I be jealous if you sleep with someone else? This is what a relationship is. It makes me want you more.’ I think she’s just really confused – she believes that they’re going to get married and she can’t see anything past that.
“Even after what we see on Friday of the Platts coming into Nathan’s flat, Bethany doesn’t believe that she is being groomed for quite a long time.”
Over the coming weeks, we will see Mary become a driving force in helping Bethany face up to the position she is in, after it was revealed at the end of last year that she too is a victim of sexual abuse.
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Kate Oates continued: “The storyline that we set up at Christmas where we learned that Mary had been raped when she was young and had this forgotten son – I think people might think we have forgotten about that but we always knew that we wanted to build a bond between Bethany and Mary which you’ve seen us gently seed in over recent weeks.”
“It’s that outside voice, I think – she trusts Mary in a different kind of way so maybe Mary can help break down some of those walls.”
Kate echoes the sentiments of a number of viewers who have praised Lucy Fallon’s portrayal of the troubled teen, adding: “I definitely want to keep Lucy central to the show as she has shone through this and Tina has just been amazing. We have some plans.”