Could Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) be any more of a Coronation Street hero? The witty yet weary husband of Weatherfield icon Sally Metcalfe (Sally Dynevor) has become a legend in his own right. He has come a long way from the character first introduced in 2013 as a deadbeat dad struggling to connect with his daughter Faye Windass (Ellie Leach).
The lovable, goofy taxi driver gained a new dimension when he discovered his father Geoff Metcalfe (Ian Bartholomew) was an abusive misogynist who tormented his wife Yasmeen Nazir (Shelley King) and inflicted historic abuse on Tim's mother Elaine Jones (Paula Wilcox). Having a father like Geoff shaped Tim and made him vulnerable to exploitation.
Last year, it was revealed that Tim had a relationship with an older woman named Trisha, who took his virginity when she was 20 and he was 14. While his mates hailed him as a stud, Sally gave him the support to realize what Trisha did and confront his abuser. This made him the only person on the Cobbles qualified to understand what Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale) has been going through.
Like Tim, Will was coerced into an illicit relationship by predatory athletics coach Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon). The manipulator groomed Will under the noses of his father Ben (Aaron McCusker), stepmum Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley), and grandmother Maggie (Pauline McLynn). Even when the truth emerged, Megan had brainwashed Will into believing they were in love while she planned to flee to France without him.
Fortunately, when Will jumped into a taxi to meet Megan at the airport, Tim was his driver. Tim reached Will by drawing on his own experience of sexual abuse, helping him see that Megan's actions were not love. Tim put the decision in Will's hands: escape with Megan or report her to the police. Thanks to Tim, Will found the strength to report Megan, leading to her arrest.
Sadly, Will's family has not always listened to him as Tim did. As Ben grew frustrated with Will's refusal to see Megan's true colors, Eva tried to take the law into her own hands, and Maggie threatened Megan's life. In upcoming episodes, the Driscolls remain divided. With the court case looming, Ben, Eva, Maggie, and Will's mum Melanie (Cindy Humphries) argue over whether Will should attend in person or via video link. Frustrated, Will slips out.
When he finds Tim, Will confides that none of his family asked what he preferred. Tim takes Will back to the Rovers, telling the family firmly that it is time they listened to Will. Will Tim win the Driscolls round?
