Coronation Street is right to put its young actors front and centre
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Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including suicide.
Coronation Street recently announced that its bullying storyline involving Maria Connor’s son Liam is set to take an even darker turn, and in the coming weeks will explore suicidal ideation.
The hard-hitting story will continue to showcase the talent of Charlie Wrenshall, who has played Liam for well over a decade, alongside Luca Toolan as bully Mason and Liam McCheyne as Sean’s son Dylan.
The story is also an example of how Corrie is putting its young actors front and centre of the show.
Over the last few years, the ITV soap has created the next generation of Weatherfield residents, assembling a strong cast of kids and teens. This has been further strengthened by valuable recasting of characters like Max, Aadi and Summer, and compelling new characters like Sam, Lauren and Eliza.
Both Jude Riordan as Sam Blakeman and Paddy Bever as Max Turner won Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards in 2021 and 2022 respectively, proving that viewers have quickly taken these characters to their hearts.
As well as this, there have been some great performances from youngsters who are already experienced actors on the show. This includes Wrenshall, but also real-life twins Isabella and William Flanagan, who play fictional cousins Hope Dobbs and Joseph Brown.
The pair are already very talented actors, and as they become teenagers, it feels like they have the capacity to do some exciting things with their characters. Hope feels akin to a young Rosie Webster, and you can already imagine the chaos she will cause when she is a bit older.
Soaps are often seen as a training ground for new actors, with rigorous schedules and quick turnarounds on scenes preparing them for anything they might face in the business.
Corrie is particularly known for this, with a roster of famous actors making appearances in the show early in their careers, and future drama stars Suranne Jones, Sarah Lancashire and Sally Lindsay all portraying iconic characters.
But the trust that Corrie now has in its young performers means that they are receiving this training from an early age by getting the opportunity to tackle important stories.
A good example of this is Millie Gibson, who played troubled teen Kelly Neelan in the show for three years. During her time on the cobbles, she dealt with some challenging topics including homelessness and drug use, and her character also played a role in the attack that led to Seb Franklin’s shocking death in 2021.
While still a child, Gibson became one of the strongest actors in the whole cast, and in 2022 she won Best Young Performer at the British Soap Awards for her compelling performance. It’s a performance which also caught the eye of writer Russell T Davies, and just a few months later she was announced as Ncuti Gatwa’s new companion in Doctor Who.
There is certainly the potential for other young Corrie actors to follow in Gibson’s footsteps. After all, is there any better showcase of your talent than appearing several times a week on national TV?
However, it is just as important to mention those who joined Corrie as kids and are still in the show as young adults.
Elle Mulvaney (Amy Barlow), Tanisha Gorey (Asha Alahan) and Alex Bain (Simon Barlow) all made their first soap appearance between the ages of six and seven, and are now all in their early twenties, with decades of experience already under their belts.
The actors grew up in the folds of famous Corrie families like the Barlows and the Alahans, but are now tackling huge stories on their own. Early last year, Amy was raped, and since then Mulvaney has delivered a powerful and nuanced performance that highlights the long-lasting impact of past trauma.
Meanwhile, Asha has come to terms with her sexuality and back in 2019 led a skin lightening storyline, a topic rarely covered on TV. Plus, Simon is currently on a path of destruction after Peter left over Christmas, developing the same drinking habits that consumed his father.
The fact that these actors have effectively grown up on the show has probably made them more confident to tackle difficult topics, which only enhances the effectiveness of the storylines.
This is also true of Jack P Shepherd and Tina O’Brien, who began playing siblings David Platt and Sarah Barlow when they were young teens, and are now two of the show’s longest-serving characters.
David in particular has gone from a badly behaved teenager to a (slightly better behaved) family man during his two decades on the show – with his dry wit and one-liners reminding viewers of his tearaway past.
Only soaps can track childhood to adulthood in real-time, and although the entire genre does this well, it feels like Corrie truly understands this unique storytelling power.
As Liam’s devastating ordeal continues to play out on screen, Corrie should be applauded for nurturing its young talent and bringing these important stories to life.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
We encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Information about how to access support is available via the NHS, and organisations who can offer help include Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393.
Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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