Coronation Street gruesome twosome revealed as bullying thug Mason finds love with blackmailer

CORRIE viewers will be on the edge of their seats as more drama is set to unfold in Weatherfield.

Fresh from prison, Mason Radcliffe – played by Luca Toolan – is grappling with homelessness.

ITV

ITV

ITV

He continues to sleeping rough in the ginnel and has been reduced to stealing food with his newfound love Betsy (Sydney Swain).

To try and help him off the streets, Stu Carpenter (Bill Fellows) offers him a bed at No.6 but proud Mason tells him to “Stuff his charity.”

But undeterred, Stu tries another approach offering him a job as a pot washer at Speed Daal.

Mason accepts and takes pride in telling Betsy he’s prepared for trouble.

She then warns Dylan that he’d better not mess with Mason as working in a restaurant he has access to some very sharp knives.

With Dylan’s fear of Mason evident, his dad Sean resolves to sort it out and barges into Speed Dahl to confront Yasmeen and Stu.

Betsy – who is currently blackmailing Lauren Bolton’s attacked Joel Deering – admits to Mason that she told Dylan that he carries a knife.

Annoyed, Mason asserts he can fight his own battles.

When Dylan spots Mason in the precinct, is trouble brewing?

Mason was imprisoned earlier this year, and the residents of Coronation Street breathed a sigh of relief.

Maria’s son Liam could finally recover from the trauma of being bullied to the brink of suicide by Mason.

Viewers will have little sympathy for Mason as he made life a misery for Maria’s (Samia Longchambon’s) son Liam Connor (Charlie Wrenshall).

But it looks like he is trying to mend his ways as actor Luca revealed to reporters that there are even more layers to Mason following his return. 

“You’re going to see a different side to Mason,” Luca told reporters at The Radio Times Soap Awards.

Darkest soap storylines

Over the years the likes of EastEnders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street have all tried to try outdo each other with their outlandish plots in a bid to keep us tuning in each week. But here are some of the darkest that had fans in shock…

EastEnders: Tony grooming Whitney (2008-2009) – Tony King first appeared in Albert Square in 2008 as the boyfriend of Bianca, played by Patsy Palmer. But it was quickly revealed he was a paedophile who had been grooming vulnerable Whitney, Bianca’s adopted stepdaughter from a previous relationship, since she was 12. The shocking storyline attracted more than 200 complaints within a week of it beginning. Whitney waited until her 16th birthday to reveal the truth to a horrified Bianca, who called the police.

Emmerdale: Holly’s drug addiction and shock death (2010-2016) – In 2010, Holly Barton (played by Sophie Powles) became Emmerdale’s first teenage drug addict. The shocking storyline saw her taking cocaine on a night out before developing a deadly heroin habit. Parents John and Moira desperately tried to help get their daughter clean but when Holly returned in 2016, following a four-year absence, she quickly relapsed. Fans were left stunned and heartbroken when distraught Moira found Holly dead in her bed from a heroin overdose.

Hollyoaks: Luke’s rape (2000) – Actor Gary Lucy was just 17 when he took on this groundbreaking storyline, which saw his character Luke Morgan become soap’s first male rape victim. Luke had endured a long-running bullying campaign by football rival Mark Gibbs – who raped him after Luke stood up to him. Luke was left suicidal following the brutal attack, before opening up to his brother Adam. Gibbs was sentenced to eight years in prison. Gary won the Best Actor gong at the British Soap Awards in 2000 for his performance.

Coronation Street: Evil Richard Hillman (2001-2003) – Just a mere mention of ‘Richard Hillman’ is enough to send a shiver down the spines of soap fans. He is often ranked one of the most evil soap villains and it’s not hard to see why. The smooth-talking financial adviser bashed his ex-wife Patricia over the head with a shovel. In a bid to keep his mother-in-law Audrey quiet, he set fire to her house. And when Maxine caught him trying to murder Emily Bishop, he took a crowbar to her head. He made his exit from the cobbles in 2003 when he drove Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth, and her family into the canal. They survived, but he didn’t.

“You might get to see a bit more of the three-dimensional discovering why he’s the way he is.”

He said that his first stint, while ‘fun to play’ was focused on the ‘horrible, evil’ side of the character. This time around we would see more of Mason’s vulnerability.

The character’s back-story will be explored a lot more.

“We’re going to see family situations, dynamics, jobs, careers, friendships. Just rounding him out as a person,” Luca promised. 

ITV

ITV

Coronation Street is available to watch on ITV1 and ITVX.