Coronation Street actor Ian Bartholomew forced writers on the show to re-write domestic violence scenes he was supposed to film because he deemed the writers had gone “too far”.
Th 66-year-old soap star has been leaving viewers unsettled over the past few months as his on-screen character, Geoff Metcalfe, abuses on-screen wife Yasmeen Nazir.
But Ian felt the scenes got too out of hand for family viewing, and refused to recite some of the lines he had been given.
His protest prompted writers to re-write key scenes to de-escalate some of the content.
The Daily Star reports the actor had been left unsettled when his own son struggled to watch his scenes that showed him abusing Yasmeen – played by family friend Shelley King, 64.
Ian’s son reportedly "couldn’t quite get his head around" the abusive scenes, even though he knew his dad was acting.
The actor reportedly refused to share exactly what was re-written, but he said he thought Coronation Street creator Tony Warren would have backed his decision.
Ian said: ”My job is to interpret what the writers give to me.
"Tony Warren said, 'act it the way you want them to write for you' And that is what I have tried to do."
While Corrie stars famously refuse to reveal future plot lines, Ian said it will only be a matter of time before viewers see karma catch up with Geoff.
He said: ”We love to hate a baddie and see someone like Geoff get his comeuppance.
"So I suspect that he will.
"Let’s be honest – Geoff is going to get it."
