Last night, the Radio Times cover party took place at Claridges in London. And at the party, Coronation Street producer Kate Oates was interviewed by David Brown of Radio Times.
She spoke about Corrie's upcoming male rape storyline and about the issues it will address and also about how Jack P Shepherd (David Platt) is handling preparations for the storyline.
Kate Oates told Radio Times: “I can’t wait to see what Jack P Shepherd does with that storyline. I know that the audience knows what’s going to happen. What’s really key for me, in my first six months of the year, is male mental health. David’s story is initially about rape but it’s actually about male mental health. That’s what I’m really passionate about.”
Speaking about how actor Jack P Shepherd is tackling the soap’s traumatic storyline, Kate Oates said:
“Jack is the person who always says, ‘I don’t talk to the producers about the storylines’. And actually, he’s come to meetings. We’ve sat down with researchers and we’ve gone to dinner. So he’s broken his own trend with that. He’s done his research, but he’s still very instinctive. He still feels that he knows that character better than anybody and that’s absolutely right. Jack will put his own spin on it and that is key.”
You might also like to read our blog post about why we think Coronation Street is right to air the male rape storyline. It's here.
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4 comments:
We already went through a male mental health storyline with Steve's depression.
I'm not trying to minimize the issue, since it is very prevalent, but they're talking like it's something they've never touched on before.
As uncomfortable this subject is, it will be wonderfully handled by JPS. No question it will be gripping drama. I’ll be covering my eyes and peeking at the screen. We’ve known David since he was an infant and with his current face since he was about 8; thanks to his talent and longevity, he’s almost another nephew. This going to cut deep in ways that Bethany’s story didn’t, because we know him so well. If the story also raises awareness of an issue that doesn’t get much coverage or men don’t normally discuss, that will be a bonus for survivors and those who love them but don’t know how to help.
I certainly hope the show does finally get to a male mental exploration. Steve's depression was the same as anyone could have but David witnessed his wife dying and instead of seeing him properly address it the show completely lost it. Car bombing David wasn't at all what anyone been hoping for. Jack P Shepherd is too good an actor to deserve a repeat of that nonsense.
Choosing David for this story makes more sense now (although they could have explored the character's mental health without the rape, there's plenty of jumping off points to choose from). I know they did one a couple of years ago with Steve but David's a completely different character so I don't think there will be any similarities. And he completely lost it after Kylie's death with the car bomb thing so it needs addressing anyway.
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