Coronation Street's Amy Barlow will come to the horrific realisation that she wasn't able to consent to sex and was raped after spending the night with close friend Aaron Sandford.
In scenes that will air next Friday, a drunk Amy (Elle Mulvaney) and Aaron (James Craven) kiss whilst back at the flat they share after his row with girlfriend Summer (Harriet Bibby).
The flatmates move into the bedroom where Amy admits she feels sick and rolls away from Aaron but the young mechanic continues to kiss Amy who is unaware of what happens next as he makes the decision for her that they will have sex.
Speaking to the Mirror, Aaron star James opened up on what it was like taking on such a powerful storyline.
He said: "Doing something like this isn't particularly comfortable because of the nature of what it is but luckily we’re so well supported and Elle has just been amazing.
"Working with the Schools Consent Project was great because they filled us in with all the facts and figures and it was really interesting to hear about the work that they were doing and how they approach the situation and what kind of situations they're dealing with.
"It also just reaffirmed for us why we’re doing this story in the first place because it does highlight the fact that unfortunately, this is something that is far too normalised."
It is hoped the storyline will open up conversations between families and friends about the issues surrounding sexual activity amongst young people, including consent, awareness, respect and education.
"We knew that when we set out to do the story that we weren't going to change everyone or educate everyone," James continued. "But if we tried to do exactly that [spark conversation], then hopefully we're going to deliver the best story that we possibly could and deliver it with a real sensitivity and truth.
"I like to think that we haven't disappointed anyone but I think that the most important thing that people can take away from this is that no matter how you're feeling, no matter whether you've had a lot to drink, whether you're happy, you're sad, you're confused, angry, when you find yourself in these intimate situations, be it with a friend, a girlfriend, a partner, or someone you've just met - that no, no is not a yes and only a yes is yes."
Speaking about the storyline, producer Iain MacLeod said: “Since we started discussing this storyline, I have been struck by the number of people who have put their hands up to say they’ve had a similar experience to Amy. This story will be hugely relatable and we hope it will prompt important discussions among our audience about issues around consent.
"The narrative will also be an engrossing, long-running examination of how Amy and Aaron deal with what happened that night and will give actors Elle Mulvaney and James Craven the chance to showcase their considerable skills.”
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via
www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
