Coronation Street fans believe they know what Max Turner will do next after he discovered his so-called friends had catfished him into sending a nude selfie on the ITV soap.
Monday’s hour-long episode saw Max preparing for his date with Shona when he received a text from her, asking him to send her a picture of the ‘whole package’ so she can see what to expect.
A slightly stunned Max decided to play ball and was seen returning home unbuttoning his shirt.
But then as the couple sat down to dinner, a perplexed Sonya revealed that she had never received any messages from him, nor sent any back.
Max and Sonya were horrified to realise someone had set them up and moments later outside, Max's phone pinged with a message demanding £1,000 or his naked picture goes viral.
Many ITV viewers guessed the culprit could be the group of friends he was seen chatting to, and in Wednesday’s episode they revealed themselves by nastily quoting his text messages – before a fight ensued.
As the three boys edged closer for a punch-in, Shona tried to intervene and ended up being whacked in the face.
But given troubled teen Max’s history on the soap, many believed he could be the one to have the last laugh in the situation.
Taking to Twitter, one wrote: “Oh dear… Max is gonna become a psycho now!” as another echoed: “Yeah, Max is going to kill them at some point.”
A third wrote: “I don’t like Max but even I’d love it if he finished off these 2 t***s!!”
Other fans believed Max could end up telling the Weatherfield police of the boys’ identity in a form of revenge.
One said: “But then they’ll be distributing an indecent image of a child. Think about it Max ffs.”
“Surely the little berk knows he can report those catfishing gimps to the cops now,” another wrote.
A third asked: “Why didn't Max just tell them if they put the picture out he'd tell the police who did it?”
Actor Paddy Bever, who plays the 15 year old, told the Mirror that his ordeal will prove to be a "turning point" for the character, who will be left struggling over feelings of "shame" and toxic masculinity.
"I think it was very important to me to be very focused and to get it very right because this genuinely affects so many people," he said. "I even know tens of people this has happened to at a very young age and it really does happen. What could make someone more vulnerable than a photo of that? I don't know. I think it's a turning point, I really do."
He explained that it would differ from Asha's storyline as it would focus on the element of toxic masculinity and shame.
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
