Coronation Street fans have expressed shock after spotting actor Ben Cartwright, who played rapist police officer Neil Clifton in the soap, in Lidl's Christmas advert. The advert, which depicts a festive family dinner, features Cartwright swigging from a bottle of alcohol.
Social media users quickly took to Twitter to comment on the casting choice. One wrote: 'Just seen Lidl’s new Christmas ad. Is that the peado cop that groomed Bethany in Corrie that’s in it at the end? I know the guy was just playing a part, but seems a strange choice to promote Christmas for your company.'
Another viewer added: 'Is that the paedo policeman from Corrie scoffing down his Christmas dinner on the Lidl advert?' A third commented: 'In scenes reminiscent of one of Nathan’s parties, Corrie villain Neil has turned up in the Christmas Lidl advert waving a bottle of booze. Festive.'
Ben Cartwright's character Neil was jailed for raping Bethany Platt as part of Nathan Curtis' sex grooming ring. The actor previously admitted he nearly turned down the role due to the troubling storyline, telling ITV's Lorraine Kelly: 'I've got a young family. So I had major concerns about that and also about the impact it would have on me as a person.'
