Mason Radcliffe’s tragic death earlier this year left a mark on the Street, and on the viewers too. His character’s journey from menace to redemption had only just begun when it all came crashing down. But it turns out what we saw on screen wasn’t always the plan. In fact, Joe Parkinson from Coronation Street has revealed that Mason’s fate was nearly something else entirely.
Mason Wasn’t Always Meant to Be the Focus
If you’ve been following Mason’s storyline, you’ll know it started off dark. He landed himself in prison for threatening Liam Connor with a knife. But when he got out, things looked like they were changing for the better. He had a job lined up in Germany, and for the first time, it felt like he had a real shot at starting over. Before he left, though, Mason made a big decision. He agreed to help DS Swain gather evidence against his brothers, Matty and Logan.
Swain suspected they were behind the death of her wife, Becky, and Mason, perhaps feeling the weight of everything he’d done, chose to speak up. It didn’t take long for things to turn. Matty and Logan, furious over Mason’s betrayal, cornered him. Dylan Wilson, trying to defend Mason, brought a zombie knife into the mix but it was taken from him, and used by the brothers to stab Mason. Just like that, Mason was gone.
The Writer Shares What Might Have Been in Coronation Street
At a recent event hosted by the Royal Television Society, called Deep Dive: Writing for Soap, Coronation Street writer Joe Parkinson gave fans a look behind the scenes, and what he said might surprise you. He revealed that the original storyline idea was quite different. It was first pitched with another writer a while back, and was meant to centre on Liam’s bullying experience.
In fact, the first version had Liam stabbing Dylan. But Parkinson said the team didn’t feel comfortable with that direction. They didn’t think it was right to take either of those characters down that path at the time. Instead, over the course of several months, and many story conferences, the plot was reshaped.
Slowly, the focus shifted to Mason, and what eventually played out on screen was the result of careful revisions. Parkinson said it was a story they’d refined again and again until it felt right. In the end, the consequences stretched far beyond Mason. For more on what’s happening behind the scenes in Weatherfield, keep following Soap Opera Daily your go-to for all the latest Coronation Street updates and spoilers.
