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Thread: Nathan Curtis (Christopher Harper)

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    Nathan Curtis (Christopher Harper)

    Coronation Street: Christopher Harper on sinister Nathan's plans for Bethany - "It should be making your toes curl"
    The new Corrie star talks about the soap's disturbing grooming storyline
    If the sinister flattery of Coronation Street’s Nathan is currently sending a chill down your spine, then you’re definitely not alone. Even those who work on the ITV soap have been left unsettled by the newcomer’s interest in teenager Bethany.
    “There was a scene in Roy’s Rolls where Nathan told Bethany that she looked hot and it made the whole camera crew squirm,” admits Christopher Harper. “In every scene, he’s giving her compliments, but they’re always a little too warm. The guy’s charming, but I’m hoping that you can see something reptilian in his eyes.”
    Despite only being on screen since Christmas Day, it’s already implicit that Nathan’s plans for Bethany aren’t exactly benign. So far we’ve witnessed him giving her attention, building trust and using insincere praise to find favour. And Corrie fans can certainly expect the plotline to take some worrying twists over the coming months:
    “This is a story about someone who is making a teenage girl fall in love with him. It’s not about online grooming - he’s doing it face to face. It’s not some weird, ugly bloke on the other side of a computer,” adds the actor, “this is a tale of somebody who is not behaving as he should be doing and a girl who can’t read the signals in the way that someone who’s a bit older would be able to.”
    Harper, 39, has come to Corrie by way of training at Bristol’s Old Vic and a number of theatre and TV roles, the most high profile of which – playing Victoria Wood’s screen son in Housewife, 49 and Cecil Beaton in the revival of Upstairs Downstairs – being a world away from conniving Nathan. So how much did he know about the character when he signed up?
    “I knew at the audition that he wasn’t a nice guy. I could see that he was very manipulative and was homing in on the vulnerability of Bethany, who has had a hell of a time recently.
    “But I was really attracted by the opportunity to play this duplicity. He’s not your normal alpha male and even his sexuality is fairly unclear – is he gay, is he straight, is he into anything at all? I love how slippery he is, certainly at the beginning.
    “What you’re seeing is Nathan building this relationship with Bethany using what appears to be kindness, friendship and generosity. But already, it should be making your toes curl.”
    For Harper, it was also important that those at risk of exploitation got to see that not every abuser fitted the eccentric Jimmy Savile mould: “I think that’s vital. When I was growing up, these guys were all described as having comb-overs, bad teeth, dodgy fingernails and be living at home with their grandmas. And that’s simply not the case.
    “A report from the National Crime Association in 2014 was quick to point out that this image of sexual exploitation coming from just one age group, race or class of man is completely untrue. It happens throughout our society and is rearing its head more and more."
    And, of course, tanning salon-owner Nathan’s choice of victim is no coincidence –16-year-old Bethany being outwardly confident and mature, but plagued by doubt and insecurities beneath the surface. Having recently taken an overdose following the exposure of her crush on mum Sarah’s boyfriend Gary, it seems that the troubled teen is unfortunately susceptible to Nathan’s malign influence.
    “The pattern is to pick on somebody who’s alone for whatever reason,” agrees Harper. “Bethany appears smart and mature – and, yes, she has experienced an awful lot. But she’s also a little bit of a loner. And it’s important to show that it’s not just naïve people who fall for guys like Nathan. What you see is the skill and manipulation that a vindictive adult male can use to control a younger female.”
    At the moment, Nathan’s real mission remains hidden in the shadows, his focus currently being to ingratiate himself upon Bethany through what appear to be acts of benevolence. But is Harper braced for brickbats from fans once his true intentions become clear?
    “There is such a thing as a ‘good’ bad guy. Connor McIntyre has recently found out that builders now refer to someone giving bad service as ‘doing a Phelan’. But I really don’t think that kind of thing is going to happen with me. Nathan is going to take Bethany to some dark places, so I’m very definitely holding my breath. have no idea whether I’m going to get pelted with eggs.
    “All I hope is that the storyline raises awareness that it’s not just younger children being targeted. Intelligent, educated, informed 16- and 17-year-olds are also vulnerable. For me, it’s a joyous part to play, but it's also an important message to spread.”

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    Coronation Street spoiler – Nathan arrested for child abduction
    Coronation Street’s dodgy newcomer Nathan is arrested next week as part of a police investigation into a missing school girl.
    Nathan has been getting his claws into Bethany Platt and her feelings for him at put to the test next week when he’s arrested on suspicion of the abduction of Annabel Adams.
    The week kicks off with Bethany in a good mood having been buoyed by the compliments Nathan has been showering her with.
    He approaches her at the school gates and kissing her tenderly invites her to the salon at lunchtime to make another video, leaving her thrilled.
    On Nathan’s instructions, his partner in crime, Mel, continues to flood the internet with negative comments about Bethany’s last video attempt.
    In the salon Mel sets to work on Bethany’s makeup and Nathan admires the necklace he bought her. However they’re interrupted by the police who arrest Nathan on suspicion of the abduction of Annabel Adams.
    Later, appearing upset and shaken, Nathan approaches Bethany on the street and makes out he’s been wrongly accused of abduction.
    He begs her to lie to the police for him and provide him with an alibi, but will she agree?
    Chris Harper, who plays Nathan, explained: “First of all he needs an alibi as this thing with the police has come against his plans but also if she does provide him with one it lets him know that she is further into his web.
    “It’s a real knife edge for him; will she or won’t she. If she does, he has got her. If she doesn’t, he’s in hot water.”

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    Coronation Street's Chris Harper has revealed he has spoken to sex abuse victims to research for his controversial plot with Bethany.

    This week, viewers will see Nathan Curtis lure Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) to bed and then start to groom her for sex parties. To ensure the storyline is accurately portrayed, the NSPCC introduced the actor to a child abuse victim.

    "She was just 10 when she was groomed online by a man claiming to be 21. She was very intelligent but vulnerable. Her parents were abusive to each other," Harper told the Sunday People.

    "When people investigated, it was her word against his. Who would believe her against a 30-year-old father?"

    He has also met another victim through Voicing CSA, a charity which helps the abused, as well as speaking to friends in social services and to a police contact who worked on similar cases.

    Harper is hoping the chilling storyline will help more victims to come forward.

    "Nothing can desensitise you to what survivors of sexual exploitation have gone through. It's the most important storyline I've ever had," he explained.

    "It's massively important I get this right for them. We want to reach out to people to let them know help is out there, and to tell abusers they can't get away with it. Half the problem is getting people to come forward."

    Friday's (February 17) first episode will see Nathan's friend Mel ply Bethany with alcohol before he takes her back to his flat, offers her a spot on the sofa but leaves his bedroom door open.

    "It's not about showing pornography - it's about seeing how callously he manipulates her. He makes none of the first moves. He leaves it for her to do that every time and that is very clever," Harper outlined.

    "Because it's 9pm there could be teenagers watching - young people going through it themselves. We want them to start talking about it. That's one of the biggest messages from the charities. They are pleased that we are raising awareness."

    Nathan and Rana both want to help Bethany Platt in Coronation Street
    © ITV
    Harper has agreed to be an ambassador for Voicing CSA and will be running the London Marathon to raise funds for the NSPCC.

    Coronation Street continues on Monday (February 13) at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.

    Digital Spy

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    NSPCC reacts to Coronation Street's dark grooming storyline as Bethany Platt's scenes unsettle viewers
    "Soaps play an important part in highlighting abuse."
    Bethany Platt's controversial new Coronation Street storyline may be dividing the show's own writers - but the NSPCC has now spoken out in support of the dark scenes.
    Vulnerable teenager Bethany is currently being groomed by sinister newcomer Nathan Curtis, who was first introduced to the show at Christmas.
    Bethany is excited about the prospect of having a boyfriend who's much older than her, but viewers know that it's building up to a shock sex ring storyline which sees Nathan try to "pimp her out" to his friends.
    Earlier this week, Corrie scriptwriter Jan McVerry admitted that even some of the show's team have expressed concerns that the storyline is too dark for the ITV soap.
    Some fans on Twitter have also mentioned how unsettled they feel while watching the scenes play out.
    However, an NSPCC spokesperson told us today (February 17): : "The NSPCC has worked with the writers of Coronation Street to ensure this storyline gives an accurate reflection of how abusers groom their victims.
    "We are very grateful to the bravery of Lucie, a victim of child sexual exploitation, who shared her experiences with the writers and actors involved as part of their research for this sensitive storyline.
    "Soaps play an important part in highlighting abuse, in giving victims the courage to speak out and in signposting them to help and support."
    ITV has also defended the storyline, saying: "We worked very closely with the NSPCC and Greater Manchester Police to get the story right.
    "If the story was shown post-watershed then it would not be accessing the young people that we are actually targeting."
    Viewers will see the storyline continue to progress over the next few days as Bethany spends the night at Nathan's flat.
    Bethany's mum Sarah is later concerned to hear the worrying news and tries to take action by banning her from seeing Nathan again.
    Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany, recently explained: "Sarah goes mad. She wants to know where Bethany has been and why she stayed out all night. At first Bethany lies and says she stayed at Mel's and slept on the sofa, so when Sarah finds out from Rana that she actually went off with Nathan, she goes mad about Bethany lying.
    "But then Sarah doesn't want to push her away. So even though she tries to ban her from seeing him, she's forced to backtrack and try and talk to Bethany more in order to get through to her."

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    The Bethany grooming storyline has been well written so far. I hope it continues that way and that the writers don't succumb to the temptation of sensationalism. It's bad enough that such sickening things go on in the first place.

    Christopher Harper is doing a very good job at playing Nathan - every scene of his makes my skin crawl.
    Last edited by Dazzle; 19-02-2017 at 00:59.

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    Coronation Street: "scary" twists ahead in Nathan and Bethany's grooming storyline, reveals actor Christopher Harper

    Co-star Lucy Fallon also says that there are "horrible" and "uncomfortable" scenes to come




    Coronation Street actor Christopher Harper has revealed that Nathan's sexual exploitation of Bethany is going to make for dark viewing.

    "Bethany is gradually falling in love and Nathan will stick around while he can get something out of it. And that's where it's going to get pretty scary."

    Corrie fans have already seen creepy Nathan manipulate Bethany into bed after boosting her self esteem. But this is just the start of a campaign to lure the vulnerable teen further into his web.

    Teasing a future plot twist on ITV's Lorraine this morning, Harper added: "We filmed a scene where the two of them are in Nathan's flat, which is where they've been spending a lot of time, and suddenly they're just surrounded by men."

    Added co-star Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany: "That was so uncomfortable. It was horrible."

    Next week's episodes of Corrie will see Bethany fall further under Nathan's spell when his two-faced friend Mel tries to convince Bethany to get a contraceptive implant, which she then does in secret.

    Commenting on why Bethany is especially vulnerable to Nathan's scheme, Fallon said: "Bethany was so vulnerable to begin with. She’s gone from being bullied and then falling in love with Gary and she tried to kill herself.

    "She’s just so vulnerable and Nathan has been so charming - he’s told her that she’s so talented and she's just really latched onto that.

    "Plus she doesn’t really have a father figure in her life, so she just hangs on every word that he says and believes him."

    Said Harper: "Bethany's bright and comes from a good family but she’s very open to the confidence building and the manipulation that Nathan pours on her to build her self-esteem.

    "What she doesn’t realise - and what I think the viewers can realise - is that she doesn’t read the signals."

    Source: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-...stopher-harper

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    Mel looks a bit like Shona who I think will help save Bethany

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    I hope she does not come to any harm

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    he looks older than sarah what age is he?

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    Evil Nathan turns violent in dark teen sex ring story
    Sinister Nathan has shown another dangerous side to his personality when he violently lashed out at his intimidated assistant Mel in unsettling Coronation Street scenes as his plot to groom and exploit teenager Bethany Platt hit a snag.
    Coronation Street is tackling the issue of sex rings through Bethany’s story and viewers have become aware that Nathan intends to pimp her out among his older friends, while posing as her caring boyfriend.
    But he worried that his despicable plan is falling apart when Bethany Platt stormed away from him after seeing a picture of him kissing Mel on her laptop. Nathan tried to manipulate Bethany by making out that she was being childish but his bluffed was called when she walked out.
    Fearing that all of his sinister groundwork had been undone, Nathan turned on Mel and trapped her hand in the cash register before hissing that she would take Bethany’s place if she made any more mistakes.
    The frightening scene confirmed that Mel was also under Nathan’s cruel spell and that she is also painfully aware of the fate that lies in store for Bethany. And it painted an even darker picture of the way Nathan grooms and controls vulnerable young women to exploit them.
    But things are about to get even worse with Bethany set to find herself being pushed to have sex with one of Nathan’s friends.
    Can she be saved from her nightmare before her life is completely destroyed?

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