Coronation Street is workingwith a local charity to create a hate crime storyline based on a horrific real-life murder.
The ITV soap is collaborating with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation – which was set up in memory of a young girl who was murdered for ‘dressing like a goth’.
Sophie and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were attacked by a gang of teenage boys whilst walking through Stubbylee Park in Bacup in 2007.
Robert was left in a coma as a result of the attack. Sophie never recovered and died from her injuries 13 days later.
Working with members of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, Coronation Street’s upcoming story will explore the “issue of intolerance and hatred towards people from different cultures and subcultures”.
Series 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.
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“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.”
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EXCLUSIVE: Coronation Street is set to tackle the issue of hate crime when Nina and Seb are subjected to an unprovoked violent attack because of her alternative identity.
Sophie’s mother Sylvia – who set up the organisation – 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.”
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The episodes – which will centre around characters Nina and Seb – will air in May on ITV.
Featured image: ITV
TV & Showbiz
New Hairy Bikers documentary to take viewers on ’emotional journey’ in tribute to Dave Myers
Emily Sergeant
A new documentary paying an emotional tribute to late Hairy Biker Dave Myers is set to air on the BBC in the run up to Christmas.
Dave Myers – who was most well-known for being one half of the famous Hairy Bikers duo that starred in the BBC cookery and travel show of the same name, alongside Si King – died earlier this year (28 February 2024) after revealing back in May 2022 that he had been diagnosed with cancer, and was undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
The final Hairy Bikers episode aired on 19 March following Dave’s passing, and viewers tuned in in their tens of thousands to watch the beloved show that had been entertaining the masses for close to two decades.
🏍️ Si King celebrates the life of fellow Hairy Biker and best friend Dave Myers in a special one-off BBC documentary
Si picks out key moments from the past 25 years of the pair's TV careers in The Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone
But despite that being the final episode with Dave involved, there’s still one last chapter left to tell.
Set to air on BBC Two on Monday 23 December, viewers will be invited on an “emotional journey” through the Hairy Bikers story with Si King, as he celebrates the life of his best mate and former TV partner.
The documentary follows Si as he leads a motorcycle convoy to Dave’s hometown of Barrow-in-Furness, while archive material, new interviews, and previously-unseen footage is shown to help celebrate Dave’s life.
A new Hairy Bikers documentary will take viewers on an ’emotional journey’ in tribute to Dave Myers / Credit: BBC / South Shore Productions
You can relive the journey that took Dave around the world while cooking up a storm as one of television’s greatest-ever double acts.
“I’m incredibly proud of the programme because it’s a tribute to my best mate,” Si King said.
“It was an amazing experience, I didn’t quite know what to expect. That was the whole thing, none of us did. We thought at the most we’d get 10,000 bikes, we didn’t dream it would be 46,000 motorcycles and a 30-mile tail, it was just insane. I just felt enormously privileged.”
Hairy Bikers: You’ll Never Ride Alone will air on BBC Two on Monday 23 December at 9pm, and will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Featured Image – BBC
TV & Showbiz
Snoop Dogg says he wants to replace Gregg Wallace on MasterChef – and so do we
Danny Jones
With Gregg Wallace having been axed from MasterChef, one man has put himself forward to replace the long-standing presenter: Snoop Dogg.
Make that Snoop ‘Doggy’ Dogg, esquire and all-round foodie fancy pants, to you.
No, as we often feel we have to clarify sometimes, we’re not joking – the rapper and hip-hop legend apparently is very keen on the idea of becoming the next co-host of UK MasterChef.
It also goes without saying that we will never EVER get bored of writing headlines like these.
Credit: The Martha Stewart Show/BBC
Speaking to The Mirror, the 53-year-old music icon said, “You’ll best believe You better believe Snoop could be the new MasterChef judge.”
According to Snoop, his time working on Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party with well-known American cook, food writer and TV personality Martha Stewart means he already has prior experience and he also believes he has the backing of another big culinary name.
“My boy Gordon [Ramsay] judges on the US version of the show, and I know he would back me to be able to judge on the UK version”, he told the outlet, going on to add: “He knows I am not playing when it comes to food. He knows I can cook – I have even given him some tips.
“I hosted a cooking show over here and I have always been vocal about wanting to work on a UK show. I love the place – and for real, this could be the perfect opportunity.”
His bid to join the BBC show might be less likely than many others, but we’ve already seen how well getting familiar entertainment faces on works for the Celebrity version of the show, not to mention juicing up the comedy with less serious analysis as seen on Channel 4’s rebrand of The Great British Bake Off.
You can see a selection of Snoop’s on-screen cooking highlights here.
As for the latest on Wallace, he is still officially denying being involved in any inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature on the show and various other TV projects, with a total of 13 people filing official historical complaints against the long-standing host over the course of a 17-year period.
The 60-year-old is now accused not only of sexual comments in the workplace but groping and touching multiple former contestants and colleagues.
Despite sticking to his official position he has, however, come out to apologise for a response video he made following the second raft of allegations, in which his comments were deemed offensive and misogynistic by a Downing Street official.
We’re confident we already know the answer, so we’ll ask you this instead: just how much do you want to see Snoop Dogg presenting the next series of MasterChef?
The Manc -
26th April 2021 
