Coronation Street aired devastating scenes which saw Oliver Battersby die on Friday, and at the centre of this storyline is Oliver’s mum Leanne, played by Jane Danson.
In Friday’s second episode (November 27) Leanne and Steve sat with their little boy. They sang You Are My Sunshine as his life support machine was turned off.
Later, Steve, Leanne and Oliver’s step-parents Nick and Tracy all returned to the street.
Oliver’s final scenes and the performance from the wonderful Coronation Street cast left viewers in tears.
It’s been really depressing to watch this storyline, but best actress in the next soap awards should go straight to Jane Danson. So incredible #Corrie
— Judy Johnson (@JudyJourno) November 28, 2020
#Corrie Just catching up..OMG I'm crying real tears..this is so sad..
— KAT (@katlove1982) November 30, 2020
https://twitter.com/mummybear1903/status/1332749560138100739
Here is what Entertainment Daily soap expert Charlotte Rodrigues thinks about the storyline and final scenes.
Coronation Street: Jane Danson in Oliver’s storyline
One thing I have learnt from watching soaps over the years is that they truly do bring awareness to all sorts of issues. I had never heard of mitochondrial disease before this storyline.
Over the last few months viewers have seen Leanne fight and give her all to try and save her little boy.
Leanne occasionally received backlash from viewers over her behaviour. But she was simply trying to save her son.
While people may have said she was being unfair at times, I think we can all agree in Oliver’s final moments, we all balled our eyes out and truly felt for Leanne.
She went through the worst thing that any parent could go through.
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Coronation Street: Jane Danson’s performance
In Oliver’s final moments, Jane Danson and Simon Gregson had the nation in tears.
Throughout the storyline, Jane has delivered a truly amazing performance.
She has told Leanne’s story so well and in the moments when she realised that Oliver wouldn’t get better, my heart shattered for her.
The actress worked closely with The Lily Foundation, a charity that supports families with incurable diseases, on this storyline.
It’s been very clear that Jane wants to do the storyline justice. And it’s so good to see an actress who is not only passionate about the storyline on-screen, but also cares about the people who are going through this in real life.
After Oliver’s death, viewers saw Leanne break down in tears and sob on Oliver’s bed on her own. This was a moment that truly showed just how heartbroken Leanne is over losing her son.
And sadly this isn’t just a storyline, it’s reality for a lot of parents will ill children.
Oliver’s family: the rest of the cast also excelled
I also think it’s worth saying Simon Gregson, Ben Price, Kate Ford, Alexandra Mardell, Alex Bain and Elle Mulvaney have also done an excellent job throughout this storyline.
Oliver has a huge family. His death didn’t just affect one person, it affected his family, his extended family and friends and neighbours.
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While Oliver’s family tree may be a bit complicated, there is no denying each and every one of his family members, blood-related or not, adored him.
The Coronation Street writing team also deserves a big mention. They have done a fantastic job with this harrowing plot.
This is a storyline that will stick with Coronation Street fans forever. And I’m glad that the soap has raised awareness for Mitochondrial disease.
For more information, please visit The Lily Foundation website. If you donate just £1, we soap fans can make a big difference to families facing this awful reality.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays and Wednesdays 7.30pm and 8.30pm with an hour long episode at 7.30 on Fridays on ITV
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