Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street star Ryan Russell has revealed more details about the soap's upcoming police racism storyline.
Next week, Ryan's character Michael will be pulled over by police while out on a test drive in a sports car with his younger brother James.
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When James then asks to hear the reason they were stopped, the policeman – PC Brody (Daniel Jillings) – unfairly accuses of him of obstruction and arrests him.
As PC Brody handcuffs James, the young footballer trips and injures his leg, putting his football career in jeopardy.
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Things then take a further turn when James and Michael make a formal complaint about PC Brody, leading him to put his colleague Craig Tinker in a tough spot. He asks him not to tell their bosses that he actually thought James's driving was fine and didn't warrant being pulled over.
Speaking about the storyline, Ryan said: "[Michael] feels like the reason he and James have been stopped is because they are two Black guys in a car and he also doesn’t get the answer he needs when he calls the police out on it.
"When the police don’t give Michael a valid reason for why he has stopped them, it solidifies what he is thinking."
Speaking about Craig's reaction when Michael tells him they are victims of an unprovoked racist attack, Ryan said: "Craig is initially the peace-keeper because he sees that James is under stress and he wants him to get some help and go to hospital.
"I think he naturally believes that James and Michael didn’t and wouldn’t do anything wrong because he knows their character, Michael and James are good guys.
"But Michael feels that Craig is taking the side of the other police officer and not necessarily standing up for Michael and James. Michael thinks that Craig is treating the situation like a misunderstanding and this is what upsets Michael because he thinks Craig knows them better than that, as friends."
Ryan went on to explain that Michael feels strongly that he has to make a formal complaint because the situation has happened to him before and he knows that it has happened to many Black men in the past.
However, initially, James is reluctant to make a complaint but he later changes his mind after he realises the issue is bigger than him.
The incident isn't the first time Michael has felt he has been treated unfairly because of his race and Ryan says it's come to play on his mental health.
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"He is overthinking a lot because he does not know who to trust," Ryan said. "He constantly has his guard up, especially since having his daughter and wanting things to change in the world.
"It’s one thing after another and although it’s not always necessarily affecting him, it is affecting the people around him who he loves so that is really getting to him."
Speaking about why is it important for Coronation Street to portray this storyline, Ryan said: "It is important because these things do happen. I watched Jermaine Jenas’s documentary, The Truth About Police Stop & Search, and it was shocking to find out that some people have been stopped 20 times during a regular day.
"It affects people’s mental health. Statistics show that the police tactic stop and search is biased towards Black people so it is something to have a conversation about and see how this can be changed and improved."
Coronation Street airs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week on ITV. All episodes are available to watch now on the ITV Hub.
For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.
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