The ITV staple, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year, has been widely praised for its handling of challenging and timely issues, including a domestic-abuse storyline that mirrored a reported surge of such cases in the UK during the pandemic.
Coercive control as a form of domestic abuse was explored through Ian Bartholomew and Shelley King’s depiction of the toxic relationship between Geoff Metcalfe and Yasmeen Nazir.
In a key episode in May, the Manchester-based drama used jump cuts and other techniques to emphasise the claustrophobia and powerlessness of Yasmeen’s harrowing experience. One judge described the episode as “a real achievement” that clearly showed how a person can become trapped in a dangerous relationship.