Coronation Street plunged into male rape row as 122 viewers complain to Ofcom over David Platt storyline

CORONATION Street has been plunged into a male rape row as 122 viewers complained to Ofcom.

Friday night’s 8.30pm episode saw David Platt become the victim of a rape at the hands of pal Josh Tucker.

The fiend dropped a date rape drug into his drink on a night out and took him back to his home.

David, played by Jack P. Shepherd, was thrown into Josh’s bed before slamming the door shut behind him.

An Ofcom spokeswoman told the Sun's Bizarre column: “We would assess any complaints under our broadcasting rules, before deciding whether or not to investigate.”

David was seen chugging down pints as he had a heart-to-heart with Josh after a row with girlfriend Shona Ramsey.

Josh spiked his drink with GHB, which has sedative and anaesthetic effects on the receiver, when he went to the toilet.

A clearly sozzled David was encouraged to down the rest of his drink by Josh before going back to his house and bedroom.

As David laid passed out face down, Josh said: "It's gonna be lights on tonight I reckon," before undoing his belt and jeans.

The harrowing storyline sparked outrage from viewers on Twitter.

One wrote: "Switched on to #corrie for 1st time in ages. That shouldn’t have been shown before the watershed, raising awareness yes, but it’s adult content."

Another added: "#corrie. And who thinks scenes like this are appropriate before the watershed? #corrielosttheplot"

And a third said: "Coronation Street is just going too far now for a soap that is before watershed. #corrie."

Corrie boss Kate Oates has previously defended the storyline.

Last week she said: “We decided to cover the topic of male rape to help try and highlight the culture of silence that surrounds male sexual assault, and issues surrounding male mental health in general.

"Survivors Manchester have been so generous with their time and knowledge, working with Jack, Ryan and the team, and I’m in awe of the work they do.

"Over the next few weeks of Corrie, our message is to talk: it’s hard to speak out, but if you’re suffering in silence, there are people out there willing to listen and support you."

A spokeswoman for the ITV soap said: "Coronation Street has a long and successful history of tackling serious and thought provoking issues alongside the balance of drama, romance and comedy that the soap is famous for.

"We are mindful of our transmission time and therefore the attack was implied rather than explicit, there was also a warning issued before the episode and info about how to access help at the end.

"Subsequent episodes will focus on David's mental health as he keeps what has happened to him a secret and struggles to come to terms with the attack."