Coronation Street boss reveals ‘dark’ shift in Todd and Theo plot with ‘soap first’

Coronation Street boss Kate Brooks has revealed Todd Grimshaw’s abuse storyline is about to take an even darker turn, as viewers Theo Silverton’s true colours very soon

There’s harrowing scenes ahead on Coronation Street, as Theo Silverton’s abuse towards Todd Grimshaw is set to take an even darker turn with a ‘soap first’ on the way.

Soap boss Kate Brooks told The Mirror that viewers would see devastating but important episodes, as Theo’s “true colours” come to light, and Todd begins to lose who he is. Kate revealed there would be scenes “never done before” format wise, as the storyline continues across the coming months and towards Christmas.

Kate shared: “It’s a really important story, this story. We’ve deliberately played a bit of a slow burn with it. We’ve seen Todd falling for this guy who is complex and has got issues and has given up everything for Todd.

“He’s given up his family, come to terms with his sexuality. By the time the story really gets going, Todd’s in a place where he really feels indebted to Theo because he has done a lot and given up a lot for him.

“At this point, Theo’s true colours really are revealed. He’s a dark character, he’s really going to manipulate Todd. He’s really good at gaslighting Todd. Fundamentally it’s a story about domestic abuse in a same sex relationship.

“I know this story has been told on soaps before. I can’t think of a time when it’s been told with members of the same sex and it’s important to shine a light, given that it’s quite prominent in same sex relationships. We’ve been working very closely with a charity called Galop and some of the statistics are really quite shocking.

“I think it’s something like 55% of people who are in same sex relationships have had abuse either from a partner, an ex-partner or a family member, so it’s really quite prevalent.” Kate also revealed why they chose Todd for the storyline as a character, and what was ahead for him.

She shared: “We wanted to take a character like Todd, who we love, who is funny and a bit wily and a bit cheeky and bends the rules and his moral compass is often quite skew-whiff, and to see how he would respond to a character like Theo, who just bulldozes his way into his life. We’re going to slowly see Todd start to strip bare who he is, and his vulnerabilities become very, very prominent in all the episodes, as he struggles to navigate this relationship with this man who he does love, but this man is abusive, he’s violent.

“He’s controlling. He uses many tactics to make sure that Todd is constantly second guessing himself and constantly questioning who he is. You know, is he good enough? Was it his fault? Even now, people online go: ‘Todd, run. He’s clearly a wrong’un’. But obviously, as is the nature of people who are in relationships which are about domestic violence, it’s a lot easier said than done.”

Kate went on: “He loves this man. He feels like he loves this man. He feels like he can change this man. And he feels like everything that’s happened to Theo in the past has made him this person who is quite horrific, make no bones about it. He does some really, really vile things to Todd, but Todd’s seeing the goodness in him as well.

“He’s seeing the moments when they have fun, and the moments when he absolutely goes above and beyond to make Todd feel protected and loved. There’s a generosity there, and he’s charming to his family. Todd’s not really has a steady relationship before as well. So this is all new ground for him.

“So it was important to show the building blocks of why people find themselves in these situations.” The storyline is set continue, with unique episodes ahead. Kate revealed: “We’ve still got quite a bit of a journey to go on with these two. There’s some quite dark episodes, but very important episodes and very raw episodes, very authentic episodes.