Coronation Street star teases Todd’s future post-Theo | Soaps

Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) is dead. The abusive monster’s demise might have a nation of Coronation Street fans cheering, but what does this mean for his victim, Todd Grimshaw?

Finally, the identity of Coronation Street’s ‘Murder Week’ victim has been revealed. After a nail-biting final showdown between victim and abuser, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensued.

An unhinged Theo chased Todd down. If he couldn’t have Todd, nobody could…

The next thing we know, the scream of Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) rang out into the night. Theo was dead, struck down by an unseen assailant.

Now a murder investigation is about to kick off on the street, Todd’s future looks more uncertain together. Actor Gareth Pierce, who portrays Todd, shares insight into his character’s emotional headspace after learning that his abuser is dead.

”It’s a real cocktail of emotions,’ shares Gareth. ‘In a similar way to what you’ve already seen in the police station immediately after the last really bad beating. He was there to report Theo but there was still that real conflict of emotions where he’s almost defending this person, even though he’s at least woken up enough to realise he has to get out of the relationship in that moment. This is very similar.’

‘ Upon finding it’s Theo that’s died, there must be some relief, but I think there’s also a great deal of shame. It had got to that stage where there’s some self-blame for Todd, it must be a horrible feeling when you know something has suddenly got so much more serious and so beyond your ability to control the situation. He must also be really, really scared as well.’

It’s easy to understand why. After months of relentless abuse, Todd finally found the strength to leave Theo with the courage and support of his friends, only for the vile bully to beat him so badly that it put him in hospital. Then, just as Todd was about to fly off to Thailand to stay with his mum and brother, Theo broke into his flat, refusing to let Todd go.

As Theo’s death is now an active murder investigation, both DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) and Kit Green (Jacob Roberts), who initially interviewed Todd when he reported his partner for abuse, will be taking on the case.

Gareth reveals Todd’s feelings about the investigation:

‘I think there’s quite a mix of emotions there as well. There’s some determination to find out who has done it on Todd’s part, because this was still someone that he loved and had a strong connection to in spite of how dangerous and horrific the abuse had become.’

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‘But I think Todd is very intelligent and he also knows that he is a likely suspect.
So I think there’s also that situation where as soon as you know that you are having to convince someone that you had nothing to do with it, then you start acting in a way that could very much read as suspicious’

Does this mean Todd killed Theo? After months of terrifying bouts of violence, emotional manipulation and gaslighting behind closed doors, it’s safe to say that Todd has more motive than anyone to want Theo dead.

But this is Todd Grimshaw we’re talking about. Is he truly capable of murder? Gareth isn’t ruling anything out.

‘I think definitely our audience will have those suspicions and actually we see that Todd certainly has plenty of motive, some might even go as far as to say justification after having to remain stoic in the face of such sustained provocation. It’s interesting to think is anyone capable of murder in extreme circumstances.’

‘I think we all hope to think of it as far more black and white or good and evil, but I think it’s probably often much more grey in real life. Certainly in a show like ours you get a sense that, maybe Theo really did push him that far.’

But Todd is not the only suspect. His friend, boss and mentor, George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley), was the first of Todd’s loved ones to become aware of his partner’s disgusting abuse. And he’s an undertaker. He’s got the motive and the know-how..

The of course there’s Todd’s other friends, Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins), Glenda Shuttleworth (Jodie Prenger) and Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien). Most notably, Todd’s adoptive daughter Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) is a serious contender for suspicion, since Theo left her adoptive father Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) to die in a blazing carcrash.

Then there’s Gary Windass (Mikey North), Theo’s former best friend. Outraged to discover he’d employed an abuser, Gary not only fired Theo, but threatened his life and smashed his van with a mallet. Not an encouraging sign, given that Gary’s already killed two people in his time.

Let’s not forget Carl Webster, who knows that Theo left Billy to die and was trying to trick him into a confession in order to extort Summer out of her late adoptive dad’s life insurance money.

We know that Todd’s nearest and dearest would go to the ends of the earth to free him from Theo’s clutches, but would any of them go full vigilante. Gareth Pierce thinks it’s a distinct possibility.

‘Just as the audience will say that Todd has plenty of motive, they’ll also know that lots of other people have motive as well, especially due to the way that Theo has actively isolated Todd from his closest friends and family. We’ve seen them start to join the dots and reconnect with Todd and try to extricate him from the relationship over these past few weeks’.

‘So I think that those are the people that the audience will have been willing to swoop in as saviours, and they will definitely have the spotlight on them. The audience will be wondering if, rather than just save Todd from the situation, they’ve actually gone as far as taking the law into their own hands.’

As suspect number one, the police will be watching Todd like a hawk. And not just the police. We all know how Corrie residents love a good gossip. Todd won’t be able to buy a paper from the Kabin without being scrutinised for any sign of guilt. Gareth explains.

‘I think he definitely has all of those emotions; grief, hurt, anger, even relief. He also knows that he very much has a lens on him and his reaction for many reasons. His friends will be watching him thinking, this man was abusing you, he was being awful to you, how can you even grieve for him?’

What about the future? Will we ever see the old Todd again, the sharp-witted devil-may-care trickster who delighted in taking the mick out of his fellow Street residents? Gareth Pierce hopes so, but points out the reality of overcoming such psychological trauma.

‘I think, even when speaking to people just day to day when I’m out, one of the more painful aspects of the story has been witnessing Todd’s spark really leaving him. It’s been very effective and painful, but I think that’s definitely something that the audience have said to me that they really do want to see, his playful side returning. So we’ll be hoping that we get Todd back to that place eventually.’

‘But I think, consistent with coming out of a relationship like this, it will take some time. I think that when Todd is feeling rubbish about himself, that’s when quite often he masks his vulnerability with a spikiness, a sarcasm  and maybe a lack of patience for the people around him. Maybe we will see some of that returning in the immediate aftermath just as a method of self-protection.’

While Todd escaped his abusive relationship, many people aren’t so lucky. Gareth Pierce emphasised the importance of this issue story, and how proud he was to do it justice.

‘I think that I’m the type of person who would have put a fair bit of pressure on myself when first asked to carry a storyline like this to do it justice and to do survivors justice and ensure that they feel seen in what goes out on screen.’

‘But now there is that sense that we’ve depicted it truthfully, and to hear how invested and on the journey our audience have been with us, then yeah absolutely I’m proud. 
I’m hugely proud of the work that every single member of this team has done and it really is credit to everybody’s dedication.’

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