I’ve struggled with this historic sexual abuse storyline for Paul on Coronation Street. I can’t help but feel that the issue has been covered in greater depth on other soaps, most notably on Emmerdale.
Vicar Billy managed to intuit Paul’s traumatic, long-buried secret with ridiculous ease. And little has been done to depict Kel as a malevolent character; in fact, I reckon the number of scenes in which he’s actually figured barely hits double figures. Thankfully, it as though we might be able to move on from this misfire soon, what with Paul making a statement to the police and returning home feeling that a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.
Long-time Corrie fans will recognise the “vengeful nanny” drama currently playing out for Fiz, Tyrone and Jade, as it’s very similar to what happened back in 1992, when Carmel Finnan inveigled her way into the Platts’ house.
But the other problem with any plotline like this is that, in order to generate tension, it needs to tap into the guilt felt by working parents whose kids are cared for by childminders during the working day. And now that Jade will be seen accusing Fiz of being a bad mum, Corrie is set to exploit another fear: that if another woman is given responsibility, they’ll soon try to usurp the mother.
Having said all this, I do get a weird kick out of home-invasion movies, so I’m hoping that Jade goes full Rebecca De Mornay and lamps Tyrone with a shovel. Though the back yard at No 9 is so small that there’s not even a picket fence for Jade to land on should she eventually get pushed from an upstairs window.
