Coronation Street has revealed it has joined forces with Baroness Doreen Lawrence on a storyline penned to shed light on the damaging effects of verbal racist abuse.
The Baroness is the mother of Stephen Lawrence, who was tragically murdered in April 1993 in a sickening racially motivated attack.
In an episode to be aired this week, Doreen worked as a script adviser on a storyline which will see Ed Bailey (Trevor Michael Georges) find himself on the receiving end of racist name-calling and abuse.
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The episode was due to be air on April 22, in honour of Stephen Lawrence Day. However, the transmission date was displaced due to the ITV soap's coronavirus pandemic schedule changes.
"It is a huge privilege to have someone of the standing of Baroness Lawrence consult with us on this episode," Coronation Street producer Iain Macleod said.
"I really believe that her input, and the contributions of the cast playing the Bailey family as we workshopped the scripts, have resulted in an episode with real weight and authenticity."
The storyline will see Ed try and rise above comments made by new Bistro manager, Don.
However, as the abuse escalates, Ed's sons Michael and James encourage Ed to rethink Don's behaviour.
Finally, Ed stand up to him once Don begins to aim similar comments at his family.
Coronation Street researchers, writers and storyliners consulted with Baroness Lawrence about the storyline. She also visited the set with her consultant on the project, Adrian Sykes, to observe key scenes.
The episodes will also explore how Don’s behaviour makes Ed rethink his own prejudices regarding James's homosexuality.
Coronation Street airs on ITV.
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