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Coronation Street producer explains new chapter of hate crime story

Coronation Street spoilers follow.

With Super Soap Week on the horizon, Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod has revealed what fans can expect next in the hate crime storyline.

In one of the soap's biggest storylines this year, Seb Franklin (Harry Visinoni) was killed by Corey Brent (Maximus Evans) and others, who had been mocking his girlfriend Nina Lucas (Mollie Gallagher) for her alternative identity.

With justice still yet to be served for Corey, Seb's mother Abi (Sally Carman) and Nina have recently been thinking about revenge, which may well come to a head in Super Soap Week.

Producer Iain MacLeod, speaking to Digital Spy and other media, explained: "The hate crime story has possibly been our biggest one of the year.

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

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"It has made some important points about kindness and the world we live in today. But equally, it occupies an area that lends itself to a big, dramatic week, with a high-octane chapter in it.

"I should say, it's not the end of the story. But we had to do something of this scale with that story in this week. It would have felt weird not to have arguably our biggest story in the middle of such a big week."

Corrie bosses have been planning the huge Super Soap Week action for months, and have already confirmed that not everyone will survive.

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

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The long-awaited sinkhole plot will see Abi, Corey, Jenny and Johnny all trapped underground in the Victorian sewers.

"When we designed the hate crime story, probably a couple of years ago, there was always a chapter in it where the people most affected by what Corey had done would have a huge opportunity to exact revenge – and then a huge battle to have with their own conscience about the right way to proceed," MacLeod explained.

"That aspect of this week has been in the pipeline for longer than the sinkhole, in fact. I think it was an element of the very original story that was pitched in a hotel conference room about two years ago."

The producer called the team's plans "truly massive" but the details have mostly been kept under wraps.

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

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Teasing the upcoming drama, MacLeod said: "Corey is probably one of the most disliked characters in our show at the moment, for very obvious reasons. But it's funny, because you could not meet a nicer guy than Max [Evans, who plays him]. I just have to say that it's a testament to how brilliant he is as an actor, that such a nice lad has managed to just embody this pure evil that you see from Corey.

"The scenes between Corey and Abi are emotional and incredibly tense – and they look fantastic. I think they wouldn't look out of place in a movie."

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

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Anyone who has witnessed or experienced a hate crime is urged to call the police on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit the True Vision website. In an emergency, always dial 999.

Coronation Street has worked on the current storyline alongside The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, which was set up to challenge prejudices and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures, and extend UK hate crime legislation, following the murder of Sophie Lancaster in 2007.

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