Gradually the Coronation Street audience has become aware that troubled character Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) is showing signs of controlling behaviour in his relationship with Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce).
So far, Todd has tried to excuse the glimpses he’s seen of this behaviour – after all, Theo is in an incredibly difficult position, having just come out as gay after a lifetime of trying to reject his sexuality. He’s been damaged by conversion therapy and in his present situation is also struggling to deal with the fallout of the breakup of his marriage and the reactions of his children.
In coming episodes, Theo’s behaviour becomes more overtly controlling as he tries to cut Todd off from two of his closest friends, Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) and Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien).
‘There’s been a lot of appeasing and making allowances for Theo’s increasingly controlling behaviour because of what’s gone on in the past for Theo,’ Gareth Pierce explained.
‘The fact that he is now going through a divorce, a custody battle to see his kids, means that he’s been able to convince Todd that the stakes are a little higher for him which means that Todd is feeling the need to be a little more patient than he might otherwise be.
‘But I think it’s starting to get to a place where Todd is at least internally wondering whether he is making a few compromises too many.’
Gareth described the way Theo tries to manipulate Todd.
‘He’s definitely been tiptoeing around Theo’s massive anger swings for a while by this point and he’s possibly noticing that his social circle is being shrunk slightly as he runs things by Theo rather than making his own decisions about who he sees and when.’
When Todd goes against Theo’s wishes by spending time with Billy, Theo is incensed – and his abuse of Todd becomes physical. It’s a shocking moment and Gareth said that, for Todd, a massive line has been crossed.
‘Todd has to really forcibly communicate that that is just not acceptable behaviour in any world but certainly not in this relationship,’ he said.
‘There’s a scene shortly afterwards where Todd seems to notice for the first time Theo’s pattern of not apologising. Todd challenges that, the fact that he’s going to try and carry on like that was no big deal last night. He tells him you can’t do that.’
If the audience are hoping this will be Todd’s wake-up call to get out of the relationship, Gareth explained that he’s not at that point yet as Theo manages to manipulate his way out of the situation.
‘There’ll be this moment for the audience where they’ll think Todd is finally waking up to what’s going on and that he’s going to step up and and put those lines in place, but sadly that slowly gets unpicked by Theo as he uses the effects of his past and the therapy to try explain his behaviours,’ he told us.
‘Todd’s constantly calibrating what is normal and what is acceptable in the relationship. So very slowly things that are already crossing the line, that are already massive red flags are becoming slowly acceptable.
‘That’s only going to get worse now at the point where it’s become physical and Todd is still able to convince himself that this is somehow fixable rather than a situation that he needs to walk away from.
‘There may still be a way that he can somehow convince himself that this is an exception rather than the norm of the relationship. It’ll probably dawn on him that that is what the relationship is, an abusive relationship, sooner than he finds the strength to end it.’
Coronation Street is working with the charities Stonewall and Galop in developing this storyline and Gareth told us that they will continue to provide insights into Todd and Theo’s situation as it goes forward – and becomes even more disturbing.
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‘They will also be supporting us fully in not just the physical abuse but the entire coercive control aspect of the relationship,’ he said.
‘There’s going to be areas like body image, financial control and they’ll be supporting us in the ways that might differ within a same sex relationship. One of the big things that’s been flagged is the way that it can be very difficult to convince the authorities that this is the dynamic that is actually happening.
