Male rape victim helps Coronation Street producers with controversial storyline

A male rape victim who has helped Coronation Street producers with a hard-hitting storyline said he hoped it would help others to speak about their experiences.

Sam Thompson was consulted by the show over a story in which regular character David Platt is drugged and raped by Josh Tucker.

It is the first time in the show’s history that male rape has been covered on screen.

The storyline is particularly relevant to 23-year-old Sam, who was sexually assaulted by two men he did not know at the end of a night out in Manchester on September 2, 2016.

Although he tried to cope after the attack, Sam suffered a breakdown in January last year. He turned to Survivors Manchester, a charity that helps male survivors of sexual abuse and rape and has since spoken openly about how “breaking the silence” can help victims.

Once producers on the ITV soap opera contacted Survivors for their help, Sam was asked to contribute.

“The most important thing for me was making sure that they (the producers) understood how alone I felt after I was attacked,” said Sam, who lives in Newark.

“The silent survivors are the people this is talking about. They will feel alone when watching this but that’s not the case.

“You can go from feeling alone to then breaking the silence.

“As the next few weeks unfold (on the soap) for me it is important for people to see this storyline for awareness.

“David is desperate to talk to somebody, (he has) real struggles that I went through myself.

“It is something that will affect us for the rest of our lives.

“Keeping it a secret — how must that feel? But hopefully men will find their voice.”

The storyline, which began on Friday, has already attracted criticism. More than 100 complaints were made to regulator Ofcom, with several viewers complaining that it should not have been shown before the 9pm watershed.

“It is still seen as such a taboo,” said Sam.

“Once that taboo has been broken, we can move in the right direction.

“Until it happened to me I wasn’t aware of it happening. It is not something that was on my radar.

“I think that the general public assume that rape is of women and children — that’s a large proportion, but it happens to men as well.

“I had initial concerns about how the producers were going to take it on but you cannot fault them at all. They have wanted to get it right, and properly wanted to understand it.”

Sam, who regularly DJ’s in Newark, said he still experienced ups and downs in his recovery but found that speaking about his experience — and setting an ambitious challenge to pass three exams — was helping him to cope.

“Every time I get that message out, it helps me,” he said.

“I have good and bad days. Things change all the time. I have got a new girlfriend who is incredibly supportive.

“I am currently studying for A-levels in economics, law and psychology.

“I am trying to fit two years’ work into five months and I am studying at home. The exams are in May and June.

“I study ten to 12 hours a day and it is proving to be a mammoth task but I like a challenge.

“If it doesn’t work out then that is not a problem either.”