No more getting away with it. No more close calls. The vile crimes of child predator Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon) are finally exposed on Coronation Street. However, for her victims, the nightmare is far from over…
For months, the insidious Megan has been grooming and gaslighting underage schoolboy Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale) into believing that they are in a loving relationship.
In reality, she’s been using her position as an athletics coach and a teacher to isolate the vulnerable minor and abuse him, sexually and emotionally, right under the nose of his dad, Ben (Aaron McCusker), stepmother Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley), his brother Ollie (Raphael Akuwudike) and grandmother Maggie (Pauline McLynn).
She’s even secretly pregnant with Will’s baby.
Like many abusers, Megan hides in plain sight by presenting a respectable public face within the community, even going so far as to date Weatherfield High teacher, Daniel Osborne (Rob Mallard) as the perfect cover. It was an act that fooled the whole of Weatherfield…
…except one. Enter Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan).
The plucky young bookworm suspected something was a little off about Megan’s dynamic with Will when he discovered that his schoolfriend owned an incriminating tracksuit which Megan had sworn was Daniel’s.
Ever since, he’s been like a dog with a bone determined to expose the predatory Miss Walsh’s true colours.
Megan, of course, has fought back, abusing her power as a teacher to sabotage Sam’s grades, his academic performance and reputation at school. This caused poor Sam to spiral and abuse unprescribed Ritalin in a desperate attempt to do better. When he tried to plant cameras in Megan’s flat to catch her illicit affair with Will on camera, she discovered his plan and threatened to make the poor lad look like a pervert.
The whole Megan ordeal has caused him serious psychological distress, as Corrie viewers up and down the land have been rooting for him to bring Megan down.
Finally, finally, they are about to get their wish. Sam is about to expose Megan as a paedophile to the entire street.
While Coronation Street fans will be delighted to see the villain finally getting her just desserts, it’s sure to be far more complicated for Will. A victim of grooming, he is completely in Megan’s thrall. Actor Lucas Hodgson-Wale explains his character’s headspace.
‘In Will’s mind, he’s not a victim. He thinks a victim is someone who has suffered intense hardship, and since he thinks he’s enjoying this, he doesn’t see the harm. He even tells people I’m not a victim, he’s naïve to the fact that Megan is scheming and taking charge of everything. He’s just tagging along, not realising how much of a toll it’s taking on his mental health or his family.’
That toll is about to get a lot worse in upcoming episodes of Coronation Street, when the truth finally comes out. This is sure to have colossal consequences for Will and his family, as well as Sam and his mother Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson). Lucas teases the epic fallout facing Will.
‘It’s getting dangerous. Leanne is essentially family, so he has to be on the ball, but Will isn’t always the most cautious – he’s taken risks with PDA and kissing in cars. He doesn’t comprehend the full gravity of the situation.’
‘When it eventually blows up, I think he’ll be deeply ashamed – not necessarily for the relationship itself, but for the web of lies he’s told his family and Ollie’
What about Megan? Her exposure may not necessarily be the end of the story.
The damage she has done to Will psychologically will surely ensure his loyalty. Jude gives us a sneak preview of Will’s reaction when the cat is out of the bag.
‘At first, he’ll definitely jump to (Megan’s) defence. It will take him a long time to accept the idea that it wasn’t a mutual thing and that he was actually being manipulated.’
Coronation Street has worked on Will and Megan’s grooming storyline with support from Barnardo’s. Jude reflects on what he would like viewers to take away from this dark and emotional story.
