Sarah Platt
Sarah Platt is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 2 February 1987. She was played by Leah King in 1987 and by Lynsay King from 1987 until 8 October 1999 when King opted to leave to focus on her education. Tina O'Brien took over the role on 31 October 1999; she opted to leave in 2007 and made her final on-screen appearance on 30 December 2007, although she made some brief voice-over appearances the following month. A number of false rumours about O'Brien returning to the role surfaced during her absence from the serial. In October 2014, it was announced that O'Brien would reprise the role, with Sarah returning on 30 March 2015.
Sarah is the daughter of Gail Platt and Brian Tilsley, sister to Nick Tilsley, half-sister to David Platt, granddaughter to Audrey Roberts, Ted Page and Bert and Ivy Tilsley and mother to Bethany, Billy and Harry Platt.
Creation and casting
The character of Sarah was created as the daughter of Brian and Gail Tilsley. The character was born on screen. Sarah was played by Lynsay King from 1987 to 1999. Lynsay's twin sister Leah, who died of cot death in 1987, alternated in the role of Sarah with Lynsay for a brief period until her death. In 1999, Tina O'Brien was recast in the role. O'Brien was given the part when she was 16, playing the character who was still only 12 at the time. She left the role in 2007, but has said that she would consider returning to the role in the future. O'Brien confirmed her return to the serial in October 2014, with her returning to filming in February 2015, and appearing on-screen from March 2015 onwards.Development
Teenage pregnancy
The character's teenage pregnancy storyline was created to highlight the risks of teenage pregnancy. However, the storyline was highly controversial, as it was suggested that it glamorised the issue. Despite this, it has been praised for its message. Actress Tina O'Brien has revealed that she was "naive" over the plot at the time of filming, oblivious that it would create much controversy. The storyline has been discussed in Television and criticism published by Intellect Books, which talked about the character and the storyline's impact.Internet grooming
In May 2001, it was revealed that Coronation Street would feature a storyline in which the issue of paedophiles "grooming" kids over the internet would be played out with Sarah. In the storyline, Sarah turns to the internet in her bedroom as a way of meeting people. While visiting chatrooms, she is befriended by a 16-year-old boy who shares her interests and sends her a photo of himself. It turns out, however, that it is a man posing as a 16-year-old and when he persuades Sarah to meet him face-to-face, she finds herself in a very dangerous situation. A spokeswoman for Granada confirmed that the writers would be talking to the Home Office regarding the story. "We have been in touch with the Home Office," she said. "But it is very difficult at the moment with the election on and the government in purdah. We hope to work with it afterwards though." The spokeswoman said they hoped to highlight the issue of internet crime, given recent publicity by the Tonight with Trevor MacDonald show and TV presenter Carol Vorderman. The show should also prove a far more effective measure in tackling concern over internet chatrooms than either the melodramatic outpourings of celebrities or the authoritarian and legislative approach of the government. "Sarah is hugely popular and a great role model for teenagers," the spokeswoman said. "No matter how many politicians talk about the problem, they will never beat a peer in getting the message across. Plus, we know that many parents and kids watch the show side by side. Hopefully, we will spark some debate and then we would have done a good public service." It's hard to argue with that logic. However, while the show should do more to make kids aware of the potential dangers of chatrooms, we remain concerned that it could also be used to kick up a storm that will see unnecessary and draconian legislation pushed through on a wave of public worry.Relationship with Todd Grimshaw
Sarah begins a relationship with Todd Grimshaw after he ends his relationship with Sarah's best friend Candice Stowe, portrayed by Nikki Sanderson. Sarah later ends their relationship because she wants to date Ade Critchley. O'Brien and Langley were in a relationship and she told Frances Traynor from the Daily Record that acting out their break-up was not strange. Todd then resumes his previous relationship with Candice. However, Sarah soon returns to Todd, and she decides to sleep with him on her sixteenth birthday. The storyline was controversial, and nine viewers contacted the Independent Television Commission. The organisation investigated the scenes, and cleared Coronation Street of breaching guidelines. They praised them for building a relationship between the two characters and viewed it as a mature decision. O'Brien told Steve Hendry from the Sunday Mail that Sarah is "a bit dependent on Todd". In June 2003, Alex Tate from The People reported that Sarah-Louise would dump Todd. Sarah fears that she and Bethany are preventing Todd from succeeding at Oxford University. However, Sarah and Todd move into a flat together. Sarah's daughter Bethany Platt electrocutes herself, and Todd finds her unconscious. The accident prompts Gail Platt to involve the social services.In March 2003, Polly Graham from the Sunday Mirror reported that executive producer Kieran Roberts wanted Todd to become the show's first gay character. The show confirmed that they had discussed the possibility, but nothing had been decided yet. On 22 August 2003, it was reported that Todd would befriend Sarah's brother, Nick Tilsley and kiss him, however, he does not reciprocate. A show spokesperson said that the storyline was a "groundbreaking move" and predicted a varied and "huge reaction" from viewers. While kissing Karl Foster, Todd sees Sarah approaching, and is "mortified", but she fails to notice Todd and Karl's kiss.
The storyline sparks a fight between Sarah's mum Gail and Eileen Grimshaw. Gail brands Todd a "two-timing, twisted, lying pervert" and the two proceed to pull each other's hair out in the street.
Relationship with Jason Grimshaw
In late 2005, Sarah began dating Todd's half-brother, Jason Grimshaw. They had an on-off relationship and were due to marry in 2006. Speaking of the storyline Ryan Thomas said: "Jason was thinking about getting married in four years rather than four months. It was just a gesture, and that's all he wanted it to be. He thought they would just get engaged and they didn't have to get married for ages yet. It was more of a stepping stone for him. It has come round quickly for Jason, and he is sort of being pushed into it. He doesn't want to lose Sarah so he is going along with it because he does actually love her." Asked if Jason would settle down, Thomas also said: "He's had a bit of a past and he's a bit of a Jack The Lad around Charlie but on this occasion, for once, he's actually showing some grown-up qualities and, when faced with the prospect of losing Sarah, he chose to bite the bullet. There's no grey area with Jason because there's not that much grey matter! Everything's in black and white. It's either marry Sarah and keep her or don't marry Sarah and lose her forever." Speaking about if Jason will also be able to handle Bethany, Thomas said: "He certainly will – he pulls her to one side during the ceremony and makes her a pledge. He realises he can't have Sarah without Beth – they come as a package." The storyline resulted in Jason leaving Sarah and also resulted in Sarah leaving the street for a new life abroad with Beth.Departure
In April 2007, it was announced that O'Brien had quit her role as Sarah. Speaking of her reason for quitting, O'Brien said: "This has been an extremely difficult decision to make. I love playing Sarah and have had an amazing seven-and-a-half years in Coronation Street. But I feel that the time has come to see what else is out there for me as an actress". She also thanked the producers and the writers for giving her fantastic storylines during her stint on the show. She also revealed that she will miss everyone. Producer Steve Frost commented on her departure: "Tina is a fabulous actress and we will be sorry to see her go. However, we fully understand her ambition and desire to play other roles". O'Brien's departure scenes aired on 30 December 2007. Sarah's voice was heard on Jason's phone on episodes broadcast on 4 and 6 January 2008. In February 2011, O'Brien revealed that leaving Coronation Street was the right decision, she went on to say: "Leaving Corrie was the hardest decision I ever made, but it was the right one," she said. "I'm really glad I've had the opportunity to do different things. I still watch the show occasionally and get sucked in instantly". O'Brien later reflected on her decision to leave, saying: "I was very young when I started. If I'd have stayed much longer I wouldn't have had the confidence to ever go," she explained. "At Coronation Street, you are protected – it's very much a bubble. That's lovely, but I'd never been a jobbing actress and I really needed that."In March 2008, it was reported that O'Brien was "seriously" considering a return to the soap just three months after leaving as she "struggled" to find acting work since an appearance in a Christmas pantomime. Ryan Thomas, who was O'Brien's boyfriend at the time, stated that he would "love" her to make a return to the soap so that they could work together again. It was reported again in July 2009 that she was to return to the role of Sarah for an "explosive" Christmas storyline in December 2009, but O'Brien denied these rumours, saying that she was not going to make a comeback "anytime soon".
In November 2011, the Daily Star revealed that Coronation Street producer Phil Collinson was planning on bringing back O'Brien and Nikki Sanderson who played Candice Stowe between 1999 and 2005 in a bid to fill the gap left by the departures of Helen Flanagan who played Rosie Webster and Katherine Kelly who played Becky McDonald. A source told the paper: "He's aware that Sarah-Lou and Candice were hugely popular characters. He thinks it would be a ratings winner to bring them back. Losing Katherine and Helen is a big blow to the show, so Phil wants to beef things up a bit with the return of a couple of big names." O'Brien revealed in January 2012 that bosses had not approached her about a return to the soap. O'Brien has since revealed that she is worried that another actress might take over the role of Sarah. In December 2012, a reporter from The Sunday Mirror reported that O'Brien would reprise her role in 2013, but the actress later denied the report.