Coronation Street’s Liam Connor to contemplate suicide in bullying plot

Coronation Street‘s Liam Connor (Charlie Wrenshall) will be seen contemplating suicide as a result of the bullying he has faced from Mason Radcliffe (Luca Toolan).

Over the past few months, viewers have been shocked to see Liam being targeted by Mason and his crew, one being Dylan Wilson.

Mason began the torment by urging Liam to vape, which caused Liam to suffer an asthma attack. Afterward, he humiliated him to the point of tears, capturing and posting it on the Internet. When Liam eventually stood up for himself, Mason pulled out a knife, demonstrating his dangerous nature.

With the bullying taking place online too, it has been impossible for Liam to escape, and his mental health has deteriorated rapidly.

In the hour-long episode on Wednesday 14th February, Liam will conduct an online search on ways to kill himself but he is interrupted by his mum, Maria Connor. When Maria suspects Liam is being bullied, she creates a fake SendPx account to keep an eye on him, which ultimately leads to her discovering the extent of her son’s suffering. As a result, Maria believes Liam’s only option is to transfer schools.

Liam’s search history will come to light when his laptop is returned to Weatherfield High and his recent search results are discovered. When Maria fails to notice a missed call from the school, Gary Windass, Liam’s stepfather, is called in. Racing to the salon he breaks the news to Maria that Liam’s been researching ways to kill himself and a terrified Maria rushes back to the flat in a desperate bid to find Liam.

Speaking on the upcoming storyline, Samia Longchambon, who plays Maria said:  

“Maria is really paranoid, and understandably so, given that Liam is from the Connor family and we have all been through similar when Aidan Connor (Liam’s cousin) committed suicide, so I don’t think she will be able to leave Liam alone without fearing the worst.

“This is going to be an ongoing issue for Liam. We are considering all options from home-schooling to counselling. Of course when it comes to mental health, there’s unfortunately a massively long waiting list. I think the great thing about this storyline is that we are doing it in real time. We aren’t rushing this at all and doing everything as it would happen.”

Coronation Street researchers and writers have been working closely with the National Bullying Helpline to ensure Liam’s story is told as authentically and delicately as possible.

 Iain Macleod, Executive Producer of Continuing Drama at ITV, said:

“We felt it was important to show the mental damage that bullying can do to people on the receiving end, especially in the modern world, when children are faced with what can seem like inescapable cyber-bullying. The aggression doesn’t stop at the school gates but can find you in the safety of your own home.

“Having said that, it was also important that across the story as a whole, we showed some hope for Liam and that by speaking up, finally, he can begin the process of escaping his nightmare and beginning to heal.

“We approached this story very carefully, consulting with a number of specialist charities, and I feel the resulting story is truthful, powerful and necessary.”

Coronation Street, Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV1 and STV