Corrie’s cast are never out of the public eye

Real life events off screen on Coronation Street are threatening to be even more outlandish and scandalous than the fictional goings on in my favourite soap.

This week Chris Fountain who plays mechanic Tommy Duckworth was revealed to be a masked “rap artist” who spouted horribly offensive lyrics spattered with obscenities and sick references to rape.

He immediately apologised but has been suspended by bosses who must be as baffled as the rest of us as to why he would ever do such a thing.

Fountain said he made the music videos a year ago as an experiment and would never do anything similar in the future.

I should hope not.

Like it or not, actors and actresses especially on soaps like Corrie, EastEnders, Emmerdale and River City are role models and people admire them.

Fountain has let himself and his fans down by his incredibly stupid actions.

He must have known the footage would eventually surface on the internet and that even wearing a mask and calling himself “The Phantom” wouldn’t stop him being identified.

All he can do now is hope that bosses forgive him and decide to keep him on.

Earlier in the week Michelle Keegan, who plays Fountain’s girlfriend Tina in the soap, made a gaffe by tweeting a photo of a co-star with scripts clearly visible on a table apparently revealing a major storyline.

She tweeted the photograph of Jack P. Shepherd, who plays David Platt, smoking a (perfectly legal) shisha pipe in a Manchester cafe, but didn’t realise their scripts were in full view.

I haven’t seen the photo because I don’t want to know future plots, but apparently it gives away a crucial storyline about who is the father of Kylie’s baby.

It was a genuine mistake by Michelle, but bosses won’t be happy.

Corrie has been hit by a string of scandals recently. Street stalwart Bill Roache, who as Ken Barlow is the longest serving member of the cast, was arrested over sexual assault claims, and Michael

le Vell, who plays Kevin Webster will stand trial later this year accused of 19 child sex offences.

Both men strenuously deny the allegations and they have been off our screen for months.

It has been explained away to viewers that Ken is apparently in Canada visiting one of his many offspring, and Kevin is in Germany taking care of his sick father.

It must be a nightmare for the scriptwriters to try to reshuffle storylines thanks to external happenings beyond their control.

This week’s revelations highlight once again how the younger members of the cast really have to be careful when using social media.

Fountain’s video appeared on YouTube and Michelle’s gaffe was made on Twitter.

I think they tend to forget that among their followers will inevitably be a gaggle of freelance journalists watching and waiting for a tweet they can spin into a story.

And it is surprising just how often the real life happenings make the on screen events look rather tame.