Coronation Street’s shock double murder scene is being looked at by Ofcom after 390 people complain about dark storyline
The regulator revealed to us they were flooded with comments from concerned viewers. The board will assess them before taking action
CORONATION Street producers could be investigated by watchdog Ofcom after the soap's shocking double murder scene drew in almost 400 complaints.
The Sun Online can exclusively reveal that a total of 390 viewers complained to the TV regulator following the two chilling episodes on Friday - which saw thug Pat Phelan force his prisoner Andy Carver to kill Vinny in an empty factory, before turning the gun on him.
While some praised the performances of Conor McIntyre, who plays Phelan, and his co-stars, it seems others thought the sordid action - which has been building up for months - went one step too far.
We previously reported how Twitter users blasted the script as "too dark", while one suggested that Phelan was "Corrie's answer to the Grim Reaper."
An Ofcom spokesperson told The Sun Online: “We will assess these complaints before deciding whether or not to investigate.”
During Friday's dark and dramatic scenes, construction worker Phelan was seen persuading a brainwashed and mentally-unstable Andy to kill fellow prisoner Vinny in a dilapidated paper factory.
Fans compared the scene to the gruesome horror movie Saw as Phelan's sick torture of Andy reach a horrifying climax.
Coronation Street certainly seemed darker than usual - with Nicola Rubinstein also learning her dad Phelan actually raped her mother rather than, as he claimed, having a fling with her.
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But the most disturbing moment came when the twisted villain was heard telling the sobbing wreck Andy to kill Vinny, whispering: "It's the only way, kid."
As he's spent months as Phelan's prisoner, failing to escape his grasp on numerous occasions, Andy had by this point lost his mind and seemed to believe Vinny had killed his dad Michael.
After driving the men to a terrifying warehouse, Scouse psycho Pat eventually gave Andy a gun and persuaded him to kill Vinny.
But then, when Andy turned the gun on him - and started saying that Pat has "changed" and is not capable of killing - Pat snapped and shot Andy himself, bringing the body count to two.
Phelan then dumped the bodies in a river - and planted jewellery as evidence at wife Eileen's taxi firm office.
The episode's ending, that saw Phelan rejoin wife Eileen and pals in the Rovers, suggested he will frame former rape victim Anna Windass for attempted murder.
This is the first time Pat has shot a Weatherfield resident dead - though we have seen him rape, kidnap, cheat and torture people.
Just hours before the murders Pat he was lying through his teeth - denying raping Nicola's mum during a tense row in the park, calling the night he conceived Nicola a "transaction".
When Nicola walked a way, calling him an "evil rapist", Phelan screamed and seemed more unhinged than ever before.
Many viewers were so put off by the murder scenes they tweeted that they would not be watching again, with one viewer branding the episodes "predictable, boring and nasty".
Things looked like they were only going to get more insane - with at least one person dying - as Phelan seemed to be losing his grip on reality after Nicola's rejection.
- Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights on ITV
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