This article contains details of Monday January 6’s episode of Coronation Street which is available on ITVX. It also contains discussions around knife violence.
Coronation Street has confirmed the death of a leading character in harrowing scenes, with teenager Mason Radcliffe’s stabbing having the worst possible outcome.
The youngster, played by Luca Toolan, was attacked by zombie knife wielding Logan and Matty while protecting Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) who had intervened to help his former bully.
It sparks the show’s exploration of the devastating impact of the knife crime problem in the UK.
The aftermath of what has happened will hit Weatherfield hard and hit many locals with ripples, not least of all Dylan himself as well as Mason’s girlfriend Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) and also Abi Webster (Sally Carman), whose own son Seb died in similar violent circumstances some years ago.
Mason had been making plans to leave Weatherfield to escape his brothers.
Betsy was disbelieving when Mason says he had nothing to do with Becky’s death and Sally (Sally Dynevor) implored her to see how hard it was for him to call the police on his own family.
Mason apologised to Liam Connor (Charlie Wrenshall) for the bullying before heading back to the precinct with Dylan. After being quizzed by Kit about the WWII Helmet, Matty and Logan come looking for their brother.
As Dylan made his escape he screamed at them to stop their subsequent attack, but to no avail. Abi found Mason bleeding from a stab wound in the children’s play area and did her best to stem the flow of blood whilst shouting for help.
In the back of the ambulance, Betsy held Mason’s hand as she and Abi did their best to reassure him that he was going to be okay.
Mason went on to enter a dream state, where he made up with Betsy and settled old scores with Liam. He thanked Dylan for saving his life and ignoring his advice to dispose of the knife.
But the reality was much worse, with further details of the attack showing the more heart-wrenching outcome.
Mason was rushed into A&E where the doctors did everything possible to save his life, but without success.
Meanwhile, Dylan described to Sean how Mason’s brothers attacked him with a knife, but he fails to mention that the knife belonged to him. When Sean took a call from Abi, Dylan was horrified to realise Mason is dead. Kevin arrives in A&E and Abi breaks down, reminded of Seb’s death.
Now a guilty secret weighs on Dylan as he knows the zombie knife belonged to him, but what consequences might he face? And will Matty and Logan pay the rightful, heavy price for the murder.
With the street in shock at the events on their doorstep, the show has been working with the Ben Kinsella Trust to sure authenticity to the hard-hitting storyline.
Show boss Kate Brooks explained: ‘It’s vitally important to shine a light on this topic, and really show the impact knife crime has on not only the victim and their loved ones, but also the wider community.
‘With the alarming statistics, we want to do anything we can as a show to combat this violent endemic. After watching this harrowing, but important story unfold, if one person thinks twice about bringing a knife to a fight, then we’ve achieved our aim to raise awareness.’
England and Wales has seen an 80% increase in knife crime in the last 10 years. According to a *study compiled up to June 2024, there have been 50,973 police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument.
The same study highlights that there have been 225 murders involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales in the 12 months to June 2024, 78 of the victims were aged under 25, and 10 of the victims were aged under 16.
