Male rape on Coronation Street

Elred I doubt any school children read the metro on their way to school they ll be way to busy giggling over their phones to pick a newspaper up So I wouldnt lose any sleep over that one

Haven’t watched Corrie for years, or East Enders, emmerdale load of rubbish.

I too stopped watching all the soaps years ago as they are all so depressing and unrealistic. I found myself getting angry over fictitious garbage and it felt liberating to get rid of them all after watching for years !!

Greciangirl I cannot agree that we should grow up & not be so prudish. I think we are trying to be responsible adults trying to work out what is & is not suitable viewing at certain times of the day & also for the target group it’s aimed at. At the end of the day the programme makers are just after ratings and are prepared to do what it takes to shock horror us in to watching . It seems to be working,sadly

Yes, what trisher said.
I used to enjoy Corrie, loved the pathos, the humour and the brilliant acting. I gave up about 3 years ago, when the 13 year old adopted child had a story line in which she hid a pregnancy. Yes, we all know, things like that happen but it was a catalyst for me that Corrie had lost its roots and its ability to make us laugh between horrors. Now it seems to be horrors upon horrors.

We can protect our children (a bit) from the news simply by not having the tv news on when they're up and about before bed time. Corrie used to be something families watched together, I'm not sure how suitable so many current story lines are. Doesn't matter that viewers weren't shown the rape scene, they'll see its aftermath. I don't believe I was an over protective parent but it isn't a subject I'd have wanted to get into with my 7 year old just before bed time.

I watch Corrie & Emmerdale, the "male rape" was implied & the plotline is to follow how David deals with the aftermath, many men in that position do not talk about it until years later if ever. If it is handled sensitively I have no objection as was the Bethany "grooming plot". These things happen in real life.

I much prefer watching Corrie & Emmerdale to so called "Reality Shows". Big Brother, I'm a Celebrity.., TOWIE etc. At least you know the Soaps are stories with actors, wouldn't do for us all to like the same thing.

I stopped watching Corrie about six month's ago. I found the story lines too depressing. I used to love it's humour and characters. I do miss it but won't be watching again.

I agree with Legs55 in the main, the rape was implied and on the later slot. I don't think any children watch Corrie nowadays do they ?. If they did see that episode there was nothing offensive.
I do miss the comedy element that was always part of Corrie, the Duckworths and the Ogdens spring to mind.

I was wondering have series like "The Durrels" taken over from Corrie in being much more light hearted and family friendly? If so it's a pity but maybe something to do with it being on so much.

I don't watch the soaps or reality shows

although I must catch up on A Place to Call Home (is that a soap or a period drama?).

Perhaps it's well-intentioned because soaps are probably quite effective in connecting with people on serious issues, possibly more so that factual programmes. It could be said to be trying to reassure men who have suffered rape that they are not alone, and possibly try to encourage more men to report these attacks.

Having said that, like others on here, I think it is not really suitable for a soap shown at 7.30 in the evening and anyway I think soaps should be primarily for entertainment with perhaps the odd "issue" covered occasionally.

It seems to me that now almost every episode is followed up with an announcement "If you have been affected by x's storyline you can ring .....". It's all getting a bit much now.

I've watched Corrie all my life but have totally lost interest in the last few years due to the poor writing and bad acting by some of the new characters. I think there's too many episodes so they struggle to fill the story lines and have made it darker and more unbelievable than ever. It's not suitable for young children in my opinion. I think they need to go back to what they used to excel in, good northern humour and believable story lines.

I haven't watched any of the soaps for a couple of years - the depressing stories about murder, abortion, rape, etc., etc. is not what I like to see. Documentaries, OK., but not in a soap. I hope none of my grandchildren see such things. (They are 9 and 7, live with their mother, my son's ex). I think children should be shielded from the news, too

There are enough gritty dramas about. Which I do enjoy. With Corrie I expect a bit of lighthearted entertainment. With some nice but mundane storylines. Emmerdale has also gone daft. They are all crooks and get away with it. I do not like the acid story line. I used to be a regular viewer but now can take it or leave it. Oh and they drink too much wine.

Corrie used to be funny, comical and sometimes with pathos. Now it's just a northern Eastenders; humourless, dark and grim. Not for me anymore.

I've never watched soaps apart from Coronation St. Although I always used to watch it (hated missing it in those days) I haven't watched it for about 4 or 5 years, I didn't like what I considered amoral/immoral attitudes being beamed into our house.

Soaps can't win it seems. If too mundane they're 'boring', if too dramatic they're 'not entertaining'. If they try to cover real life issues they're 'unsuitable for family viewing'.
Everyday life is only hatching matching and dispatching. That's what soaps cover in as wide a range of possibilities and permutations as the writers can come up with.

i think Coronation street is far to dark now ,it used to be something i really looked forward to ,but now ,well some of the scenes were downright nasty ,.all right i know this sort of thing goes on today ,however do i really want to watch this ,my answer is no ,if i wanted to see murder rapes and all the rest of the nasty things they are showing at 7.30 i would switch to another channel ,but Corrie used to be so good ,,and i miss it ,still life goes on ,and as far as i can see it wont be long before it catches up with EE

I haven't watched Coronation St or Eastenders for many, many years. When it got to the point where one or both of them were being shown 6 nights a week - sometimes twice in one night - I began to feel as if my life was being taken over by the tyranny of the 7.30pm time slot. Oh the blessed relief when I gave them both up - t was like giving up an addiction .
Of course, these days, you can just watch them on catch up, so they don't have to rule your life as they once did, but I am so over them now

*it was like.....

Not to be contrarian, but Corrie (unlike the trash fire that is Eastenders) normally handles sensitive issues very well.

Sexual violence against men and boys is a hugely underreported crime in the UK, and most victims of it are trying to stumble on without help because - mostly - of the shame they feel and the idea that it is somehow rare.

It's not rare. Every victim of sexual violence deserves the help they need, and they also need to understand that this didn't happen because they "looked gay" or such other nonsense attitudes (which are sadly common; we have not done a good job as a society on pushing back on male sexual violence myths).

If this story is able to puncture a few of those myths in the minds of the viewership, and perhaps bring to public attention that this is not the rare crime it is often assumed to be, it will do quite a lot of good for male victims.

Sorry if I am soapboxing. This issue is important to me.

I also hate to sound so strict (my friends think I am disgustingly old fashioned about some things) but I think TV (and all screens) should be off after 7pm for primary school kids. I really don't think that kind of stimulation before bedtime is good for them or their sleep patterns. Drawing, books etc I think are totally fine. I feel that wind-down time before bed is important.

I think secondary school kids are absolutely old enough to know about serious issues like sexual violence amd honestly for their own safety these issues should be geeting introduced by parents at this stage, not left to Coronation Street. If Corrie is the discussion prompt parents need, I guess that's fair enough.

Most of my friends growing up had been the subject of some sort of sexual violence by the time we were thirteen, and the more recent government figures suggets that little has changed. Personal phone access and personal internet access has made it easier for children to be taken advantage of or get into situations over their head without parents realising. Even - especially - with peers or somewhat older kids.

I think "wind down time" without the TV on is a good thing too but it's not going to happen in many houses is it.

I think it is a subject that needs airing, and, as I've said, within a fictional drama it might have more impact.

Although it was quite sensitively done and well acted on Corrie, I think 7.30 in the evening is too early for this sort of issue. I don't particularly single out this male rape storyline, I'm just a bit fed up with so many serious issues being featured, sometimes several at the same time. It seems particularly odd when serious matters such as this are interspersed with some really ridiculous, badly written and acted storylines.

Soaps used to mirror real life, so yes: sometimes boring, sometimes funny.
I live in a rough area, but I've not encountered people being buried alive, shot, etc etc.
If I'm interested in that kind of thing i'll watch a documentary.

I sort of agree that Coronation Street has changed. Whether we like it or not its all about viewing figures and a new generation. For years, East Enders has been covering controversial topics, often violent. It proved immensely popular (according to viewing figures) so I think the team at Coronation Street realised that to keep it (Corrie) alive it had to (dare I say) make the story lines jucier and cover topics that are sometimes hard to watch.

The sad fact is these things do go on and if it encourages just one person to come forward and speak up then I think it will be beneficial. I am not sure but I think the story line will show it is possible to seek help and recover (or at least I hope it does).

As for young children watching A) I don't think they should be watching (which is where parents come in) and B) there was nothing graphic shown as others have said. Very young children would probably be bored anyway.

I understand lots of people find the changes hard to take but we have to remember a whole new generation will now be watching and could sadly be identifying. Its tough to admit sometimes.