Coronation Street star Liam McCheyne has revealed what’s next for his character Dylan Wilson following Mason Radcliffe’s tragic exit storyline.

Dylan’s world has been turned upside-down after a knife that he’d secretly purchased was used against Mason in a fatal attack earlier this week.

The troubled teenager bought a zombie knife last year, believing that he was protecting himself amid Mason’s bullying and threats.

Monday’s episode saw Dylan bring out the knife to scare off Matty and Logan Radcliffe, who were attacking Mason at the Weatherfield Precinct.

Mason’s dangerous siblings grabbed the weapon and Mason was stabbed in the chaos. Sadly, he later lost his life after being rushed to hospital.

Show bosses recently confirmed that Dylan will make further bad decisions next week as he starts secretly downing vodka. He’s then hauled back down to the police station and charged with possession of a bladed article.

Speaking about the scenes for the first time, Liam explained: “Dylan is absolutely petrified. He’s been arrested once before for having possession of a knife, which he was holding for Mason, whereas this time it was absolutely his. So Dylan was scared the first time he got arrested but even more so now.

“I don’t think Dylan copes well in new environments. He’s gone from Weatherfield to London and back a couple of times, so he was really hoping to be settled somewhere. When he was finally feeling a bit more settled somewhere, he may have completely jeopardised that and could end up locked up.”

Explaining why Dylan turns to alcohol, Liam continued: “I believe it’s his first time drinking. I think his decision to drink is just pure escapism. His intention isn’t to get absolutely plastered, he just doesn’t know how to deal with this.

“There’s not really an adult figure Dylan can speak to. He doesn’t entirely trust Sean because they’re still building up their relationship. I think Dylan has probably seen people turn to drink when something bad happens and has copied that to try a coping mechanism.”

Liam also hinted at a difficult journey ahead for father and son, as Sean was the one who handed Dylan over to the police this week.

He said: “It’s interesting because I actually asked my mum if she was ever in that situation, what would she do. She said she absolutely would do the same, which was great from a parent’s point of view. At that moment when Dylan realises, it’s now him against the world – even his dad has betrayed him.

“I don’t think he understands because Dylan is a 17 year-old self-orientated lad, just like most 17-year-olds are. His initial thought is: ‘Oh, my dad’s going against me now, this is it’. He now thinks he’s all on his own.

“I think Dylan struggles with a fear of abandonment though, especially after his childhood of never having two stable parents living together, or anywhere near each other.

“Now Violet is in London and his dad has betrayed him so Dylan feels entirely alone. I hope eventually that Dylan will be able to forgive Sean, but the dynamics between them now will be really interesting to play.”

Corrie‘s cast, producers and writers have been in close contact with The Ben Kinsella Trust while working on this storyline.

The show’s team are hoping to highlight the dangers of carrying a knife, as Dylan’s decision has had such terrible consequences.

Liam said: “It’s an absolute privilege to be able to do this storyline and of course it’s great as an actor to have one as important as this. The power of soaps at the minute is that we target social issues and different audiences within one episode.

“This storyline I’m currently involved in is predominantly aimed towards younger people, and if we can get even just one person to stop carrying a knife, then the storyline has done its job.

“I would say I went into this storyline quite naive to knife crime so working alongside a charity was really important and we worked closely with The Ben Kinsella Trust. We had calls with them which were invaluable and hearing their facts, figures and real-life stories helped shape the storyline.

“Unfortunately with this storyline, you don’t need to research far because knife crime is sadly so common now and it was at the forefront of the media which shows how important it is to educate people on this horrific crime.”