Coronation Street’s Daniel Brocklebank has defended an ongoing storyline, which has seen his character, vicar Billy Mayhew, descend into heroin addiction.

Billy was shown trying the drug for the first time last week and, with the scene having aired before the watershed, more than 80 complaints were made to Ofcom.

Speaking on Tuesday’s (13 March) ‘Lorraine’, Daniel defended the storyline, and highlighted the positive impact it could have.

“To tell the story, to show that hard-working moral people can fall into that state, is an important story to tell,” he said. “People have been shocked because Billy started off such a sweet, amiable character, and so for him to turn into that…”

He continued: ″Corrie’s always been at the forefront of tackling sensitive stories, like the Bethany [Platt] grooming storyline. We’re not afraid of tackling issues like this.

“I am hoping that he will become a better vicar because of his experiences.”

As is standard procedure, Ofcom is assessing the 84 complaints received, before deciding whether to investigate.

Daniel’s ‘Corrie’ character isn’t the only one at the centre of a serious and sensitive storyline at the moment, and Jack P Shepherd recently spoke out about what David Platt is experiencing.

In recent weeks, viewers have seen him become friends with Josh Tucker but in Friday’s (16 March) episode, Josh will drug and rape David.

In the wake of the assault, David will “remain quiet because he feels ashamed about what has happened”, a reaction Jack described as “not uncommon”.

“David thinks he has made a new friend in Josh,” he said. “He hasn’t really ever had a male friend and no male role models, because his dad is not around and [brother] Nick has moved away.

“He’s been trying to impress Josh with his training for the fight and he is enjoying his company. He has no reason to think Josh is anything other than a mate.”