Coronation Street Blog: Yasmeen's Battle: Interview with Corrie boss Iain MacLeod

After last week’s traumatic ordeal, you would hope poor Yasmeen would be through the worst of her year from hell, but not so according to Corrie Producer Iain MacLeod.

While the immediate danger of Geoff has been removed, for now, Yas now has to grapple with the legal implications of battering your husband over the head with a wine bottle and slashing him in the throat. But Iain yesterday promised viewers justice will be on her side in the long run.

I asked the Corrie boss whether there could be a chance for rehabilitation for the menacing magician Geoff. Afterall, it wasn’t that long ago the hospital radio DJ was making us all smile with his infectious chirpiness and adding a much appreciated extra layer of detail into lovable Tim’s story. The answer was no;

“I would hope that people like Geoff can change but more often than not they just don’t”.

Explaining how seriously they are taking the Yasmeen storyline, Iain continued:

“We would be sending out a dangerous message if we said Geoff can change. People at home who are going through this may get false hope”.

So while we will see some legal wrangling and more stress and heartache for Yasmeen as she remains under suspicious, we can look forward to the outcome we’ve all been wishing for for Yasmeen the future;

“Geoff’s comeuppance will be this year. What form that comeuppance will be is still under discussion. We wanted a redemptive ending for Yasmeen obviously and it’s going to get tougher for her over the coming months before it gets better.”

Explaining why this story needed to take such a long time to come to a resolution, Iain told us more about Yasmeen’s mindset, and how research into the issue with support groups and charities had shaped the story:

“Yasmeen will wrestle with what she has done and her friends and family try to lead her out of the darkness and show her that Geoff is not the victim, he is the perpetrator. Alya and Sally are very pivotal in the story.”

And Sally looks set to be key to the outcome of Yasmeen’s ordeal too…

“She has never been Geoff’s biggest fan and she is among the first to have seen what goes on behind closed doors – this provides huge material for her and Tim.”

Iain shared how dealing with the topic of coercive control had effected the team:

“Some of the reaction has been difficult to hear as people have been in touch directly, including with myself and Shelley, to say how it has mirrored our life. It’s sobering but I am glad it means we have approached it with some authenticity.”

Coronation Street continues tonight at 7.30pm on ITV.

@StevieDawson

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