Dylan and Mason will be caught up in a bullying storyline (Picture: ITV)
Coronation Street has revealed a new, hard-hitting storyline involving some of its teen characters, as Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) comes under the sinister influence of a boy at his school, Mason (Luca Toolan).
Dylan lived for most of his life in London so he’s relatively new to Weatherfield and as such he is soon singled out by Mason. At first Mason seems like just your average bully, making fun of Ruby Dobbs (Billie Naylor) and incurring the wrath of her sister Hope (Isabella Flanagan). But quickly a seriously nasty side starts to emerge as he enlists Dylan’s help to target Liam Connor (Charlie Wrenshall).
Luca Toolan told us that, although he knew that his character was ‘a bad guy,’ it fell to co-stars Liam McCheyne and Charlie Wrenshall to reveal how dark things were going to get.
‘I found out about the extent of the storyline on my first day through Liam and Charlie as they were given a lowdown as to what’s happening,’ he said. ‘They told me it was going to get dark.’
Luca described his character as ‘a very angry and disturbed soul,’ and said he was interested in going beneath the surface of the character to find out what was behind his bad behaviour.
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‘People are like that for reasons,’ he mused. ‘Hopefully in the future, we might be able to explore a little bit more of why he’s become the way he’s become. But the advice I would give to him is go to therapy and get the help that he needs.’
He said there was one film in particular that influenced his performance. ‘My favourite film is The Joker, so I like looking at characters that are damaged. One thing I really want to do with a character is show the vulnerable side. So there’s a lot of room and a very high ceiling for the exploration of the character.’
Newcomer Luca will play Mason (Picture: ITV)
When Mason recruits Dylan Wilson to help him carry out his hateful campaign against Liam Connor and others, he’s targeting someone who is vulnerable because of being fairly new to Weatherfield.
‘It’s almost like a new start for him and he can have a bit of freedom so I think that would make him very easily influenced,’ Liam McCheyne said. Although Liam has portrayed Dylan on and off since 2011, this will be the first time that the character has made a permanent move to live with his dad Sean Tully (Antony Cotton) in Weatherfield, having moved from London where he lived with his mum.
Liam McCheyne has returned to the soap after a break (Picture: ITV)
‘I think Dylan is very naive in what he’s going into,’ Liam reflected. ‘I think Sean realises how dangerous Mason’s influence is but Dylan ignores him quite a lot. Mason isn’t a true friend to Dylan, but as I’ve said he’s very easily influenced so I don’t think he realises what he’s getting himself into. He wants to fit in with the cool kids and be like them.’
He described Dylan as being both scared of Mason and wanting to fit in.
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‘I think there’s an element of both especially when we start hearing of what Mason has done and we don’t actually know what else he’s capable of doing. Ultimately, we’re not going to go against him,’ he said.
Over the coming months the story is set to escalate and inevitably the boys’ parents become involved, with Maria (Samia Longchambon) and Gary (Mikey North) on one side and Sean on the other. But will they all ultimately be able to come together and support their sons against the troubling influence of Mason?
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One character is under a sinister influence.