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
From musician to Manchester’s world-famous physicist | Brian Cox – Manc of the Month September 2022
Danny Jones
You could see his distinct and unshakeable smile from space and recognise that softly-spoken voice anywhere. September’s Manc of the Month is none of other than Oldham’s very own Brian Cox.
The world-renowned physicist is the proud holder of an MBE and an acclaimed member of the Royal Society Fellowship whose fascinating but accessible work in science and particle physics, specifically, has seen him become a beloved TV personality and pop-culture icon.
Brian Cox: the physicist and celebrity astronomer
He’s been a familiar face on our TV screens for over a decade now. From Wonders of the Universe and Wonders of Life to Forces of Nature, Stargazing Live and more, Brian Cox has helped bring the world of science to millions watching at home.
His TV appearances aren’t just limited to documentaries though. He’s been on everything from late-night talk shows and Dr Who to becoming one of the very few Brits to appear on the controversial Joe Rogan’s podcast. He truly is the Carl Sagan of the 21st century.
The 54-year-old might share his name with another familiar TV face, but there’s no mistaking his quiet yet captivating ruminations for anyone else. Have you ever ever heard him explain time?
Speaking of podcasts, his award-winning show, The Infinite Monkey Cage Podcast – co-hosted by comedian Robin Ince – is now into its 24th series and has become one of the most successful audio series not just in the UK but on podcast platforms across the globe.
The informative but entertaining concept has become a live show and has featured special guests such as astronomy colleague Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sarah Pascoe, Eric Idle and many, many more.
The former musician
Though many people will have seen his face on the box or heard him on the radio in the past decade or so, there are plenty that are still unaware he has been on the airwaves long before he was the science guy.
Yes, that’s right, before he was Britain’s favourite brainbox, Mr Brian Cox was a rather successful musician in not one but two bands throughout the mid to late 80s and well into the 90s.
First came Dare, a rock band formed in his native town of Oldham by former Thin Lizzy keyboardist, Darren Wharton; they went on to record two albums during his time in the band. Look out for the guy in the back.
Beginning his studies shortly after, he then took another run at music fame by joining pop-rock and dance outfit D:Ream in 1993. Having contributed on two albums, the group eventually disbanded in 1997 playing with them until 1997 and he began his journey to becoming an instantly recognisable pop physicist.
Cox had already secured a first in physics from his alma mater back in 1995 and in 1998, not long after leaving the music biz, he got his PhD in High Energy Particle Physics for his work at the Hadron Elektron Ring Anlage (HERA) in Hamburg.
An academic through and through
All that being said, his various entertainment exploits have never stopped him from making a direct impact on the world of academia, as he remains a Professor of Particle Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester, running courses every year.
During the pandemic, specifically, he also did his part to keep students, kids and those stuck at home in general engaged with his Lockdown Learning and Lecture series. Very cool and very digestible; we might be back to walking free and learning normally but they’re still well worth giving a watch.
Just a year before he was made a lecturer at UoM in 2005, Brian even had the privilege of working on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland (you know, the Big Bang machine), acting as a senior physicist and co-spokesperson for a key research and development project between 2004 and 2009.
He played an important role in the ATLAS experiment which is still running and investigating everything from the Higgs Boson particle discovered in 2012, to dark matter and even alternate dimensions. In case it wasn’t abundantly clear at this point, the bloke is very smart.
In fact, Cox’s influence on the UK’s intellectual reputation across the globe and efforts to improve interest in subjects like physics is so strong that in 2016, he was recognised by the Royal Society and named the Professor for Public Engagement in Science.
Still making moves in Manchester
It’s not an exaggeration when we say Brian has already done a lot for both UK and global science, especially in helping bring it further into the public eye. But more importantly for us Mancunians, he’s continued to be an active and important presence in the 0161 area.
As well as continuing to lecture hundreds of domestic students at the university that helped launch his career, his international and celebrity appeal draws thousands of applicants from all over the world to the Russell Group institution every year.
Moreover, his ‘Brian Cox: Horizons’ World Tour – which expands on his intellectual, highly entertaining and often comedic lecture format with an immersive audio-visual experience – came to Manchester earlier this week, much to the delight of his fans.
Taking the stage in front of thousands of people at massive arenas like the AO, he and podcast partner Ince dive deeper into astronomy and cosmology in a way that brings you closer to some of the most mind-boggling concepts in the universe.
Better still, even amidst a world tour, he somehow managed to find the time to speak to global news outlets on the biggest news in science, such as the stunning new images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Over 37,000 people sign petition to axe Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby from This Morning
Danny Jones
In a moment of controversy no one could have predicted, more than 35,000 people have signed a petition to have Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby removed from This Morning.
The two otherwise beloved daytime TV presenters were seemingly spotted jumping the queue to see Queen Elizabeth II‘s coffin during her state funeral on Monday, 19 September and people have been left outraged.
It didn’t help their case that footage circulating on social media showed the ITV duo being escorted around the gates lining the 13-hour-long queue and straight into Westminster Hall.
The Change.org petition has now surpassed 37,000 signatures, with the description stating that ‘ITV should be ashamed of exploiting the situation’ and allowing the pair to ‘push pass thousands’ that had been waiting overnight.
Phil and Holly had been airing special episodes of This Morning throughout the official period of mourning and issued a special message of clarification denying the accusations, insisting they would ‘never jump a queue’ and that they were obviously given access specifically for press coverage.
Those online are even unhappy with their so-called ‘apology’, arguing that they could have delivered a more sincere piece to camera.
With respect, I’m not impressed with this explanation of why Phil and Holly were there. You couldn’t do a piece to camera in there so what was the point? Stating it was the most profound moment of your life made it worse. You could have queued for that, surely? #ThisMorningpic.twitter.com/EbxmRYxytL
Speaking on Tuesday morning’s episode, Phil and Holly stated: “Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists, we were given official permission to access the hall.
“It was strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event for millions of people in the UK who have not been able to visit Westminster in person.”
They went on to explain that hey had to be quickly escorted around the edges of the platform where the Queen’s casket was displayed rather than being given time to pause and reflect like others, adding that ‘none of the broadcasters and journalists there took anyone’s place in the queue’.
That being said, the two acknowledged that the footage didn’t look great, whether they had special journalistic dispensation or not.
More specifically, around 250,000 people queued up to see the Queen lying in state, with some reports suggesting people waited as long as 17 hours to say goodbye to the late monarch.
Laura Harrison, who created the petition, concluded that people’s ‘feelings on the monarchy’ shouldn’t matter and that the anger is more about ‘the TV show being toxic’ going so far as to suggest it ‘humiliated’ others ‘in the same way Jeremy Kyle’s show did.’
The Manc -
26th April 2021 
