Coronation Street fans heap praise on ‘masterclass performances’ in ‘heartbreaking’ episode
Coronation Street fans have heaped praise on the ITV soap after a ‘heartbreaking’ episode highlighting the topical issue of knife crime, with many calling for it to be required viewing in schools.
Last night’s instalment of the Manchester-based soap saw Mason Radcliffe (Luca Toolan) attacked by brothers Matty and Logan (Seamus McGoff and Harry Lowbridge).
Mason recently turned on his criminal brothers by handing DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) evidence from their flat that put them at the scene of the crime of her wife Becky’s murder.
Knowing that he had endangered his life, Mason planned to flee to Germany after being given an opportunity to work in Stu Carpenter’s new restaurant.
However, Mason decided that he wanted to take some family photos with him, and asked Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) to keep lookout for his brothers.
Unfortunately, Matty and Logan tracked him down before they had a chance to enact their plan.
The lads cornered Mason and attacked him, with things turning deadly when Dylan brought a zombie knife into the fight.
Abi Webster (Sally Carman) later found Mason bleeding from his wound and quickly called an ambulance, which was delayed by a hoax call.
Despite paramedics and doctors doing everything they could, Mason sadly died from his injuries in devastating scenes.
Viewers were incredibly moved by the special episode, which aimed to highlight the dangers of carrying knives.
With England and Wales having seen an 80% increase in knife crime in the last 10 years, fans have called for the episode to be mandatory viewing in schools.
There was also plenty of praise for the actors involved, as well as the powerful speech made by Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) at the end of the episode.
Radio DJ Mike Toolan, whose son Luca played Mason, took to social media to share his pride, as he looked forward to the young actor’s bright future.
Fans also called for the episode to win awards, with Twitter/X user Linda saying: ‘Luca Toolan who plays Mason in Corrie deserves a Soap Award just even for tonight’s acting. He was superb!’
Gina also praised the performances of the cast involved, writing: ‘Corrie was fantastic today. Wonderful acting from Sydney Martin and Sally Carman especially today.’
Actress Sydney Martin, who plays Betsy Swain, was ‘overwhelmed’ by the outpouring of love, sharing: ‘So overwhelmed with all the love for tonight’s ep. From the bottom of my heart thank you so much.
‘Tonight was about telling a story. A story too many are facing. If it saves even a single life, we’ve done our job.’
Dylan Wilson actor Liam McCheyne echoed her sentiment, writing: ‘Thank you all so much for your support on tonight’s episode, everyone involved has absolutely smashed it. A genuine team effort across all departments.
‘Knife crime is something we as a nation need to crack down on.’
Speaking about his exit from the show, Luca said: ‘I was sad that Mason was going to die and that means I would be leaving, but equally I was really excited and honoured to be part of this storyline because it’s an incredibly important issue that needs to be tackled.
‘I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity to start my professional career at Coronation Street and what a great time I’ve had.’
Looking to the future, the 19-year-old star added: ‘I love acting so much and I really hope I’ll continue doing it. I’ve seriously learned so much from Corrie and I’m so grateful to everyone involved there.
‘As for my future, I’m not sure what it holds but the saying I like to say is: “I’m aiming for the stars and if I miss, I’ll hit the moon.”‘
