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Coronation Street in the clear after more than 200 viewers complain about Billy Mathew’s drug taking

Fans were not happy the the ITV soap

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Fans were left furious after Corrie showed Billy Mathew and has brother Lee taking heroin in a church back in February this year.

But despite receiving more than 200 complaints from viewers, TV regulator Ofcom has decided it won’t be investigating the controversial scene any further.

Viewers complained about these scenes back in February (Credit: ITV)

In the episode that got people riled up on social media, vicar Billy could be seen slumped against a pew in the church, with his drug-dealer brother passed out by his side.

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But, it wasn’t just the fact the soap showed the aftereffects of drug taking before the 9pm watershed that caused 211 people to officially complain.

People feared these scenes were’t suitable for pre watershed viewing (Credit: ITV)

Lee was then seen saying: “This must be what heaven feels like,” leaving fans upset that children could be watching and that the scenes were irresponsible.

At the time, Coronation Street defended its reasons for showing the controversial scenes, saying future episodes would show a “very negative side” to Billy’s drug taking.

ITV
Billy’s downward spiral began after a clifftop showdown with Peter Barlow (Credit: ITV)

Corrie bosses also pointed out that they had in no way glamourised drug use and that they hadn’t actually shown the physical act of Billy or Lee taking heroin.

With Billy’s life spiralling out of control since February, Coronation Street has certainly kept to it’s promise and showed the huge negative impact that drug taking can have.

Daniel Brocklebank, who plays troubled vicar Billy, defended the controversial storylines last month during a chat on ITV’s Lorraine…

Coronation Street has defended Billy’s drug storyline (Credit: ITV)

“Billy started off such a sweet, amiable character, and so for him to turn into that, people have been shocked by it.

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“But it’s an important story to tell. Corrie’s always been at the forefront of tackling sensitive stories, like the Bethany grooming storyline. We’re not afraid of tackling issues like this.

Corrie fans are used to seeing vicar Billy looking like this! (Credit: ITV)

“I am hoping that Billy will become a better vicar because of his experiences.”

Daniel also revealed that filming such gruelling scenes left him exhausted each day: “It’s been utterly exhausting. Soap time is different to real time. I’ve just come back off holiday and it was needed. I was pretty exhausted.”

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.

Do you think Billy’s drug taking deserved 211 complaints? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!


Claire Crick
Freelance Soap Writer

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