Why Sinead had to die – Coronation Street producer explains tragic death
“Life sometimes takes an unbelievably cruel turn…”
Coronation Street fans should prepare for heartbreaking scenes next week when Sinead Osbourne (Katie McGlynn) passes away.
An hour-long episode on Friday (25th October) focuses entirely on the character’s tragic exit, a year after she was initially diagnosed with cervical cancer while pregnant with baby son Bertie.
Speculation around Sinead’s fate had been rife since she learned her cancer was terminal and had become too aggressive to treat, and Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod believes the eventual outcome, while undoubtedly upsetting, was the only way the story could have ended.
“Life does sometimes take an unbelievably cruel turn,” the soap boss told RadioTimes.com at a screening of Sinead’s death scenes in Manchester. “I spoke to Katie when I started on the show at length and we both felt Sinead dying was the most responsible way to end the story.
“Sometimes in soap, people miraculously recover from a terrible illness as if it never happened. Telling the tough version was the right version.
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“With death we secrete people away in a corner and wait for it be over, but it comes to us all in the end. I felt like the respectful, interesting and least soapy way to play it was to be in the bedroom of the Osbournes’ flat for a long period of time and see the difficulties Sinead and Daniel both experience.
“The way death is portrayed on TV makes us immune to the realities of it, we’re scared of looking at it.”
McGlynn, who previously corrected claims she was axed after more than six years in the role, is in agreement. “Life is not a fairy tale,” she said. “Sometimes soaps tend to do the happy ending, I thought we need to do the story properly to raise awareness. I hope those who have been through similar situations find it cathartic.”
In the lead-up to Sinead’s death, she will be at odds with husband Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard) who confesses to kissing Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) as he struggles with watching his wife succumb to her illness.
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