There’s panic on the cobbles in Coronation Street soon as teenager Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan) suddenly collapses. Will he make it to the hospital before it’s too late?

The pressure is finally getting to the smallest amateur detective on Coronation Street. Sam is the only one in Weatherfield able to see through the web of lies spun by predatory teacher Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon) and realise that she’s been grooming fellow schoolboy Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson Wale) into an illicit underage sexual relationship.

Ever since he discovered an incriminating tracksuit in Will’s possession which Megan had claimed belonged to boyfriend Daniel Osborne (Rob Mallard), the plucky school boy has been determined to bring the predator down.

However, manipulative Megan isn’t going down without a fight. She used her position as a teacher to threaten Sam by hitting him where it hurts – his grades. The abuser has been deliberating sabotaging his academic performance in school to discourage him from the speaking out.

This is particularly insidious, as school means everything to this loveable lad, so viewers were shocked to see him start to abuse Ritalin in a misguided attempt to boost his concentration. The effects of the drug combined with Megan’s relentless targeting has caused a worrying decline in Sam’s mental health, which his family and friends are starting to notice.

Sam’s adoptive mum Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), dad Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) and aunt Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) have already noticed a change in Sam’s behaviour, but so far, they’ve just put it down to exam stresses.

Leanne even confided in the worst person possible, Megan, who assured her that she was worrying over nothing. This of course suits Megan down to the ground, as the more she pushes Sam into silence, the safer her dirty secret is. It’s worked well… until now.

We all know it’s impossible to keep a secret buried forever on the Cobbles, and it looks like Megan’s about to finally be exposed when Sam collapses in shocking scenes.

In Roy’s Rolls, Nina Lucas confides in Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) that she’s worried about Sam; he’s barely touched his food and appears very shaky. But just as a concerned Eva heads over to investigate, who should arrive but the devil herself, Megan. Clearly terrified, Sam pushes past them and dashes out.

Eva chases after Sam to find out what’s wrong. But as she calls out, Sam suddenly feels unwell….and collapses on the pavement. While a horrified Eva rushes to his side, Megan pulls out her phone to call an ambulance. Will Sam be okay?

Whatever the outcome, this can only spell bad news for Megan. Once the doctors have run their tests, surely they will find evidence that Sam has been taking Ritalin. Will Sam keep quiet? Or will he speak out?

Coronation Street has long teased that Megan’s downfall would be at the hands of an unlikely character, and they don’t come much more unlikely than an overachieving schoolboy. Beth Nixon, who portrays the villain, spoke to us earlier this year about how her character perceives Sam and how her overconfidence just might be her undoing.

‘Everyone tells her how smart Sam is, but she thinks she’s smarter. She views him as just a kid and assumes she’s in total control’.

‘She’s been incredibly mean to him because she sees him as weak, and she’s actively manipulating him through his grades. For now, she’s staying cool as a cucumber.’

‘Her cleverness is her downfall, but so is her self-righteousness. She thinks she’s God’s gift and that she can get away with anything. I think she’d stay and fight until the bitter end, telling as many lies as possible’.