Coronation Street: Asha's traumatic shift and Aadi's departure

A special episode of Coronation Street this week put trainee paramedic Asha Alahan at the centre of a dramatic storyline that saw the character suffer a panic attack, turn to drink and confront the emotional fallout of a traumatic shift, while her twin brother Aadi Alahan bid an emotional farewell to Weatherfield as he left for India. The two episodes, broadcast early in the week because of live sports coverage, unfolded across Monday and Tuesday evening on ITV1 and the streaming service ITVX.

Viewers were shown Asha, played by Tanisha Gorey, coping with a gruelling 12 hour shift that included attending a serious bicycle crash, assisting an injured elderly woman and treating an intoxicated woman who became verbally and physically abusive. The episode depicted Asha reviving the young cyclist and transporting him to hospital, only for her to learn later that the patient had died. Some accounts of the broadcast described the effort as unsuccessful on scene. The abusive bystander spat at Asha, hurled a wine bottle at the ambulance and scratched her arm, leaving the trainee paramedic visibly shaken.

The aftermath played out at a family gathering for Aadi, who has been portrayed by...