Coronation Street fans are only just realising Mason actor Luca Toolan has a famous dad who works with soap legend
CORONATION Street fans are only just discovering that Luca Toolan, who plays Mason, has a famous dad.
The actor – who played Mason Radcliffe in the ITV soap – has left the soap in a dramatic knife crime storyline that has seen his character brutally murdered.
Luca has become a regular face on Coronation Street since his debut last year the bad boy student who was at the center of the heartbreaking bullying storyline that saw him relentlessly targeting Liam Connor.
The campaign of terror escalated dramatically when Mason pulled a knife on a terrified Liam, leading to his eventual sentencing at a Young Offenders Centre.
Mason has completed his time, sparking fear in fellow Coronation Street character Dylan, who worried about his safety upon learning of Mason’s release.
Earlier this year, Dylan showed incredible courage by standing up to Mason and testifying against him in court, ensuring justice was served as Mason faced the consequences for his threatening actions.
More recently, Mason was taken in by Sally and Tim and had turned his life around as he got as a chef at Speed Dahl and apologised to both Dylan and Liam for his treatment towards them.
However, his brothers hunted him down for grassing them up for murdering Betsy’s mum Becky.
Shocking scenes saw Mason attacked by his brothers and flee – but the thugs chased him down.
And when Dylan tried to intervene – bringing Mason’s knife – it was taken from him and used to stab Mason.
Rushed to hospital with a weeping Betsy and Abi with him, the doctors battled to save his life.
But sadly there was nothing they could do and Masson died in the hospital leaving Betsy devastated.
The storyline aims to raise public awareness of the dangers of knife crime.
But Luca isn’t the only famous face in the Toolan family.
His father, Mike Toolan, is a well-known radio DJ, currently hosting a weekday afternoon show on Hits Radio.
Mike works alongside Coronation Street’s Brooke Vincent and Hollyoaks‘ Gemma Atkinson, bringing star power to the airwaves every day.
Most devastating soap deaths
SOAP viewers are frequently left heartbroken after watching some of their favourite characters bite the dust.
Here is a list of the most devastating deaths that have taken place in soapland over the years.
EASTENDERS
Barry Evans – Evil Janine (Charlie Brooks) lured her trusting fiance to Scotland for a quickie marriage after learning he was dying.
Her plan to inherit Barry’s fortune was thwarted when Barry told her that the doctors had mixed up his medical files.
Furious that she was no longer set for a windfall, she pushed Barry off a cliff after telling him their love was “fake”.
Bradley Branning – Bradley was accused of killing Stacey Slater’s rapist Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) after he punched him twice on the night he died.
He was spotted in the Square by a police woman who chased him up a fire escape.
Bradley lost his balance and tragically plunged to his death.
CORONATION STREET
Tina McIntyre – Tina was getting it on with Peter Barlow – despite him being married to Carla Connor.
When she threatened to reveal the truth, Carla’s brother Rob got into a physical altercation with her.
Tina lost her footing and fell off a balcony – then warned Rob she was going to tell the cops he pushed her.
In a panic, Rob brutally clobbered her over the head with a metal pipe.
Molly Dobbs – Molly was one of the victims in Corrie’s 2010 tram crash, alongside Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold).
Married to Tyrone (Alan Halsall), Molly had been having an affair with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell) in the months before her death.
This resulted in the birth of their son, Jack (Kyran Bowes), who was named after Jack Duckworth.
As fate would have it, Kevin’s wife Sally (Sally Dynevor) was by Molly’s side in her final moments.
Sally was stunned as Molly confessed Kevin was Jack’s father, before dying of her injuries.
Vera Duckworth – Having appeared regularly in Corrie since the 1970s, there was no denying Vera Duckworth was an iconic character.
Alongside her husband Jack, the pair formed one of the soap’s most beloved couples.
Viewers were heartbroken when Vera was killed off in 2008, being discovered having passed away peacefully in her chair.
Liz Dawn, who played Vera, made a brief return two years later for Bill Tarmey’s exit as Jack.
Paul Foreman – Fans were heartbroken when Paul Foreman succumbed to his illness after battling motor neurone disease.
Introduced in 2018 as David Platt’s (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate, he later embarked on a romance – and marriage – with vicar Billy Mayhew.
The MND storyline was announced in 2023 – with the expectation it would result in the character’s death.
EMMERDALE
Sarah Sugden – After the family got into financial problems, Sarah’s son Andy (Kelvin Fletcher) decided to make some quick cash from an insurance company by setting fire to the Sugden barn.
He didn’t realise his mum was inside the building, and she got trapped in the blaze.
Nine villagers – The shocking 1993 plane crash episode brought in 18 million viewers for Emmerdale.
Mark Hughes was killed by a falling wall, Archie Brooks was burned by jet fuel, Elizabeth Pollard was killed by debris and newcomer Leonard Kempinski died in a car crash caused by the crash.
Five other non-recurring characters from the village also died.
HOLLYOAKS
Carmel McQueen – The talented singer died in shocking scenes when a train crashed into a her family’s car.
Carmel managed to free her cousin Theresa from the rubble – but got stuck in it herself.
Moments later the train exploded and Carmel died in the arms of her family members, promising to be their guardian angel.
Following Mason’s dramatic court scenes, Luca’s dad, Mike Toolan, who co-hosts Hits Radio’s drivetime show, took to social media to share a proud yet humorous post.
Posting a picture of his son as Mason receiving his verdict, Mike captioned it: “Guilty! I knew it!”
He then added: “What an episode @coronationstreet Bloody amazing acting all round [clapping emojus]. And Liam’s face in the 2nd pic.”
Luca replied: “Thanks Dad.”
But Luca’s co-star Simon Gregson, aka Steve McDonald, was quick to joke: “I blame the parents here looks wrongun.”
When Luca appeared on This Morning back in February, presenter Rochelle Humes also pointed out his famous connection.
She said: “I know your dad! Sorry, I didn’t know it was that Mike! When we were in [The Saturdays] we used to do radio tours and we always used to see your dad. Sorry, that took me by surprise.”
Corrie fans weren’t aware of the family connection until recently, and took to social media to share their surprise.
One wrote: “Would Luca Toolan have gotten the Corrie gig if his dad wasn’t famous?”
Another added: “He’s Mike Toolan’s son, the radio DJ. You may not have heard of him, but he looks like his dad.”
A third penned: “I knew it!!! I said to my wife sure that’s Mike Toolan’s son. Well done all great to see!”
Luca plans to continue working after Corrie, adding: “I love acting so much and I really hope I’ll continue doing it.
“I’ve seriously learned so much from Corrie and I’m so grateful to everyone involved there. As for my future, I’m not sure what it holds but the saying I like to say is: ‘I’m aiming for the stars and if I miss, I’ll hit the moon’”.