Coronation Street to screen hate crime storyline inspired by Sophie Lancaster murder
Producers have been working with The Sophie Lancaster Foundation
Last updated 27th Apr 2021
ITV soap Coronation Street is running a hard-hitting storyline about hate crime inspired by the brutal murder of Sophie Lancaster 14 years ago.
The long-running TV show will tackle the issue when characters Nina Lucas (played by Mollie Gallagher) and Seb Franklin (Harry Visinoni) are viciously assaulted in an unprovoked attack simply because of Nina’s alternative identity.
The story mirrors the murder of 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster who was attacked in a park by a group of youths in Bacup, Lancashire in 2007 and died 13 days later. Her boyfriend Robert Maltby was also injured in the attack.
Coronation Street producers worked closely with The Sophie Lancaster Foundation on the story. Sophie’s mum Sylvia set up the organisation in her daughter’s memory to focus on creating respect for, and understanding of, subcultures in our communities.
She said: “I know first-hand the abuse, harassment and violence that alternative people suffer. Hate crime is usually directed at already stigmatised and minority groups and Sophie was assaulted three times before that final, sustained and brutal attack that took her life - but she never reported the earlier assaults.
“Coronation Street covering this issue means such a huge amount to me. We want alternative people to know that they shouldn’t be putting up with this prejudice and intolerance, and they should report it.
“We want the wider community to really appreciate the horror of this violence and understand that difference in itself, is not frightening, it just makes us all who we are.
“We will also use this platform to continue raising awareness of Sophie’s case with the police and judiciary to make sure that hate crime against alternative people is recognised and treated with the degree of severity that it deserves.”
Actress Mollie Gallagher comments: “I hope this storyline raises awareness and educates. I hope it sends out the message that we should be free to be who we want to be, and that we should all be accepted in society for being ourselves, and that we shouldn’t feel like we have to hide for being who we are. Everyone should feel free to express themselves.”
Coronation Street Producer Iain MacLeod said: “The issue of intolerance and hatred towards people from different cultures and subcultures is arguably more relevant now than it’s ever been.
“This incredibly hard-hitting storyline, which centres on a senseless act of violence, will draw in characters from all corners of our narrative universe and will, we hope, leave the audience with a clear message: everyone, regardless of how they look, how they dress or any aspect of how they live their life, should be treated with tolerance and respect.
“The story will run across the rest of the year and beyond, with many twists and turns, and will be heartbreaking and dramatic in equal measure. In the end, the story will see an optimistic outcome emerge from the traumatic attack.”
The hate crime storyline will be screened on Coronation Street in May.
The second stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival at Catton Park in Derbyshire has been named in Sophie Lancaster’s memory since 2009.
For more information about The Sophie Lancaster Foundation and the work they do, visit the official website.