Coronation Street fans see Sam Blakeman’s mental health reach crisis point next week, as he enters into a state of psychosis and begins seeing two versions of Roy Cropper.

It’s a deeply distressing scenario for the youngster, who can’t differentiate between the real Roy and the malevolent hallucination who is encouraging him to take violent action.

After locking them both in the café together, Sam spirals into a terrible state as the real Roy tries to calm his increased agitation. But as dad Nick Tilsley desperately tries to convince Sam to unlock the door, it looks like the volatile situation could lead to tragedy…

“Sam has never been dangerous, but Nick sees a part of Sam that he’s never seen before,” reveals Ben Price, who plays the shocked parent. “When Sam locks himself in the café, what happens for Nick is that the situation suddenly bridges the gap into becoming a bit dangerous. He won’t let Nick in, and he becomes aggressive towards Roy.”

For weeks, Sam hasn’t been himself and Nick has been increasingly worried about his boy, especially given the conflict between him and grooming victim Will Driscoll. Both Nick and Leanne Battersby – the closest person that Sam has to a mum – have had concerns but have been trying to reassure themselves that this is just teenage angst, and nothing more sinister.

What neither Nick nor Leanne realise is the severity of Sam’s mental state. He’s been seeing an illusion of Roy who tries to convince him to use violence against his supposed enemy, Will.

Sam is disturbed as ‘Roy’ insists that he needs to ‘rid himself’ of Will, despite the terrified teen’s insistence that he’s not violent. But the fear of ‘Roy’ could push Sam to take unthinkable measures.

As the situation inside the café escalates, Nick is joined by Toyah Battersby and Leanne. Together they join forces to beg Sam to let them in so they can help him. This united approach doesn’t seem to cut through, and they are left worried sick as Sam continues to spiral.

Worse still, following the café stand-off, Sam goes missing and a search begins in earnest. However, it’s Carla who rushes to the rescue when she encounters Sam and quickly realises he’s showing signs of severe psychosis.

“What’s good about a character like Carla is that, because of what she’s been through, she’s very black and white,” explains Ben.

“If Carla is saying it, and Carla has seen it and gone through it, there is a moment where Nick knows Carla enough to go, ‘She’s seen something properly’. When she does break that hard shell, you sit up and take notice.”

As Sam’s loved ones realise just how serious the situation is, there’s a difficult road ahead. Is it one they can navigate together as they try to get their son the help he so desperately needs?