WHAT a shame Coronation Street chose to rush through its sensational story about paedophilia in a blatant attempt to chase higher ratings. Even if we are prepared to believe Sarah-Lou really is that stupid - and given that a survey this week revealed some young people believe standing on a telephone directory during sex guards against pregnancy perhaps, as a character, she isn't that wide of the mark - the paedophile she met was totally unconvincing.

Would this presumably intelligent and wealthy man, who lived in a big house and drove a sports car, really have invited her to his home? Because he was so easily tracked down, the drama came to a speedy conclusion.

But sadly, in reality, paedophiles are much, much cleverer than that. They build up relationships with their victims over a long period. They win their trust. They cover their tracks. Paedophiles are not just sad, pathetic characters, they are all too often manipulative, scheming and highly intelligent. Most young girls who get lured into a paedophile trap will not be as lucky as Sarah-Lou.

Coronation Street seems to have dealt with more weighty issues - from rape and child abuse to medical negligence, infertility and alcoholism - in recent weeks than all the old public information broadcasts put together. But its approach has become increasingly tacky and exploitative.

The latest offering was hardly educational. It's time the scriptwriters stopped ramming so many badly-handled heavy issues down our throats and returned to the sort of character-led drama Coronation Street does best. And how about a few more laughs?

TABLOID headlines this week declared that Paul and Helen of Channel Four's Big Brother have only a few days left to have sex before one of them is ousted from The House. Given Paul's constant boasting about his size and abilities, I think Helen should relax. They have plenty of time, because I expect someone like Paul will only need a few minutes.

I AM full of admiration for the Standen family, who have just returned from a two-and-a-half year adventure, sailing around the world with their four children. Photographs show the youngsters totally nonplussed as they sit round a campfire with tribesmen in Western Papua or catching tuna with hook and line for their supper. Now they are back in suburban England and a whole new world. Although we may marvel at the Standens' story, it is worth reminding ourselves that we can all nurture the spirit of adventure in our children and broaden their horizons without travelling round the world. The Standens' will now be discovering all the excitement in their own backyard. And in many ways, this could be a greater challenge.

THE four bankers who spent £44,000 on wine with a single meal are investment bankers with Barclays. This is the bank that, because it likes to "think big", recently closed 170 high street branches. Its hard-hit customers have been warned their endowment policies are likely to fall short and that they may be hit with disloyalty charges for using other banks' cash points. Barclays says of the huge restaurant bill: "It was their own money, spent in their own time." When it comes to investment banker salaries, perhaps it's time Barclays started to think a bit smaller.

BILLIE Piper is bowing out of the music business at the grand old age of 18. She says she has given the industry her teenage years and now wants to experience life. This takes guts, but would she have had the confidence if she hadn't had the support of her multi-millionaire husband Chris Evans? There is a danger she is releasing herself from the clutches of one set of Svengalis only to leap into the arms of another.