Finally. Justice is coming on Coronation Street for child predator Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon)
Fans have been clamouring for the manipulative abuser to be exposed for insidiously grooming schoolboy Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson Wale) into a sexual relationship.
Under Megan’s spell, Will thinks he’s in a loving relationship with a sexy older woman. The truth is that Megan’s exploiting her authority as Will’s sports coach to wrap him around her little finger, right under the noses of his loving family.
But Megan’s luck will soon run out.
So nobody would ever suspect her sordid trysts with a minor, the abusive athletics coach started dating Weatherfield High headmaster Daniel Osborne (Rob Mallard) as the perfect cover, and also to drive Will wild with jealousy.
This decision may prove to be Megan’s undoing, since a furious Will brutally attacked Daniel Osborne from behind on Boxing Day after witnessing him kissing his ‘girlfriend’. The witness to this assault? Will’s grandmother, Maggie Driscoll.
Although Will was able to lie about why he hit Daniel, his secret won’t stay buried for long. Coronation Street Executive Producer Kate Brooks gives us a glimpse of Maggie’s role in Will’s story going forward.
‘Obviously the ongoing story with Will and Megan is huge. We also know what Maggie is capable of now, especially when it comes to protecting her lads. She’s got this fierce loyalty and need to protect her kids and grandkids at all costs.
‘We know that when this awful secret is eventually exposed that it’s not going to go down well with Maggie.’
That’s bad news for Megan, especially after the special Christmas flashback episode that revealed Maggie killed her husband by pushing him down the stairs during a blazing row. If she’s capable of murder, what is else is Maggie capable of?
‘Maggie is a fiery one.’ Kate teases. ‘I’d keep an eye on Maggie.’
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But Maggie’s not the only Weatherfield resident primed to take Megan down. Upcoming episodes will see fellow schoolboy Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan) drawn in to Will’s story.
As Nick Tilsley’s son, Sam has strong ties to the Barlows that will surely send shockwaves through Corrie’s oldest clan once Megan’s crimes are exposed. Kate Brooks spills the details of Sam’s role in the grooming saga.
‘‘It is just the tip of the iceberg.’ Kate teases. ‘We’ll follow the Will and Megan element quite closely. It’s a very important story to tell and we want to be as truthful as possible. As part of that story Sam will end up getting embroiled in it all. Sam is semi-related to the pub family and he potentially gets wind that something’s amiss. We will see the lengths that Megan will go to manipulate Sam into keeping quiet. It’ll be massively detrimental to Sam’s wellbeing.’
However, Sam might be the least of Megan’s problems. Joining the angry mob will be three of the Cobbles’ fiercest females, Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley), Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) and her sister Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor).
As Ben Driscoll’s (Aaron McCusker) partner, Eva’s been keen to nurture a positive relationship with Will as his stepmum. Leanne is fiercely protective of her son Sam, and Toyah would go to the ends of the earth for her nephew. Kate Brooks lifts the lid on their furious reaction to Megan’s abuse.
‘As we explore all of that we have Eva in the mix who will be naturally furious if this ever comes to light. Then you’ve got Leanne and Toyah. These three very strong, very fiery women, sisters, whose boys have been manipulated by this woman who they considered their friend. Needless to say it’ll be quite explosive when this all comes to light.’
Then of course, there Ben Driscoll himself. The down-to-earth landlord of the Rovers Return lives and dies for his son, and has been fully supportive of his dreams of athletic success – so much so, that he’s happy to let Megan have weekly one-on-one training sessions with Will.
Ben already came dangerously close to discovering the couple together when he banged on the door of their hotel room, where Megan was inside taking Will’s virginity. While Megan was able to evade being caught, it’s only a matter of time before her crimes comes to late. Kate hints at how Ben will struggle in the aftermath once the truth comes out.
‘Similarly, Ben adores his family. He adores Will and Ollie (Raphael Akuwudike). It’s a real journey for us to take Ben on as well. They all struggle to navigate this. It’s a situation none of them ever thought they’d be in and they fact they are really tests them as a family unit.
‘But they’re a really strong family unit and they love each other and the heart of it is that love. It’s just how they manage to overcome these massive hurdles, how they protect their children, how they protect Will, and what lengths they’re willing to go to.’
One thing is for sure. The clock is ticking for Megan…
