Coronation Street star Tina O'Brien has revealed why her character Sarah Platt was chosen as Theo Silverton's killer and opened up about the moment she discovered the shocking twist.
Dramatic scenes aired on Monday (June 22) confirmed that Sarah was responsible for ending Theo's reign of terror in Weatherfield, after he subjected her friend and partner Todd Grimshaw to months of physical and mental abuse.
The reveal came during a tense dinner party hosted by Sarah and her partner, DC Kit Green, where flashback scenes showed what actually happened to Theo. Sarah dealt the blow that sent a drunk Theo tumbling off scaffolding outside his flat, leading to his death.
How Tina O'Brien Learned About the Plot
Speaking on Inside Soap's Soap Scoop podcast, O'Brien recalled the moment she discovered her character's fate. "I was told in the green room by a few cast members that, apparently, Theo was going to be murdered," she said. "Everyone was being called in one at a time who was involved in the storyline."
Initially, O'Brien didn't think Sarah would be the killer. "I genuinely didn't. When I was told this, I was like, 'Oh my god, it's going to be Summer!'" she added. After other cast members were ruled out, producer Kate Brooks sat her down and revealed the truth.
"She said, 'We've got this storyline coming up and we really feel that the way things have been going with Theo that we want him to leave, but we want there to be a real element of whodunit and it's going to be Sarah.' I was really shocked, but really excited," O'Brien explained.
Why Sarah Was Chosen as the Killer
OBrien elaborated on why the writers selected Sarah for this pivotal role. "I think there's a lot of history there with Todd," she said. "In the moment that she was in, when she went up onto the scaffolding to try and find Todd and instead found Theo, I feel that she genuinely did fear for her life."
She also referenced Sarah's traumatic past with Callum Logan, who attacked her years ago. "Maybe with the backstory as well of being in a situation where Callum attacked her, I think she, in that situation, it was triggering, and she just was like, 'I've got to survive this!' And it was she who felt it was him or her."
Theo's body was discovered by a horrified Betsy Swain back in April, on the night of her mother Lisa Swain's wedding to Carla Connor. The storyline had been teased in flash-forward scenes aired in February, where Betsy was being interviewed by police after finding a dead body. A week after the wedding, it was confirmed that Theo was the victim, triggering a murder investigation with six suspects: Todd, George Shuttleworth, Summer Spellman, Christina Boyd, Gary Windass, and Danielle Silverton. However, as viewers now know, Sarah was the true killer.
