Coronation Street: "Nathan needs an alibi - he's in hot water" - Christopher Harper on next week's shock arrest

Creepy Nathan is to tighten his hold on an unsuspecting Bethany in next week's Coronation Street when the pair share a kiss.

"It's definitely the start of something," says actor Christopher Harper. "It’s a green light and Nathan's drawn Bethany in. The fact that she’s having her first kiss with him does mean that he’s now inside her heart."

Viewers have yet to see what Nathan's true plans for Bethany are, but there'll be new insights into the character's motivations when he's arrested in an upcoming episode on suspicion of child abduction.

Following police questioning, Nathan will make a desperate request of Bethany that puts the naive teenager in a difficult position.

"Nathan needs an alibi," reveals Harper, "and if Bethany does provide him with one, it lets him know that she’s further into his web. It’s a real knife edge for him - will she or won’t she? If she does, he’s got her. If she doesn’t, he’s in hot water."

The storyline looks set to take further dark twists in the near future, so is the actor worried about the reaction he'll get from fans once Nathan's real intentions become clear?

"It’s important to raise awareness of the issue the story is about as it’s one that affects lots of people to different degrees.

"I’m not worried about how people might take Nathan because what I really want is people to look out for Bethany and look out for the Bethanys in their lives because it is a really key issue."

Should Bethany end up being exploited, there's also the very real possibility of the Platts discovering what Nathan is up to.

And we all know that David doesn't exactly take a calm and considered approach to those that put his family in danger. So how would Nathan react should David eventually go out for revenge?

"Nathan is an expert in going sideways or backwards - he’s a slippery one. Nathan avoids contact with most of the other adults in Weatherfield, so if they’re on to him, they will have to move fast as he’ll get out of town pretty quickly."

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's episodes of Coronation Street below.

And visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEcFHZ0FI8I?list=PLbs-Pk9dtKb9wGFelp78FklquqUuTnzni