Coronation Street star Gareth Pierce has said his character Todd Grimshaw will be "reinvented" as he moves on from his harrowing domestic abuse ordeal. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror at the Inside Soap Awards, the actor said fans will see Todd finding himself again, months after the abuse he suffered at the hands of his now-dead ex Theo Silverton.
Pierce told the Mirror that the characters living at No.11 will feature in some "high stakes" but humorous scenes. He said it has been fun to explore Todd's past behaviour, with the character once more devious and ruthless, and that Todd will begin to get back all the parts of him he has lost.
Todd's Evolution and Reinvention
Discussing the "evolution" of his character, Pierce said: "We got him to somewhere where he was more vulnerable, loyal, a little less cynical ahead of the abuse story. Unfortunately, it's maybe made him a little bit too trusting, hasn't it, of Theo."
He added: "What's important now is that we get out of this storyline in a way that's true to what's happened, but also so that it has a sense of forward momentum as well. Whatever your story in soap land, the well will run dry of sympathy. So you have to find the next reinvention."
After fan concern for Todd when he hit the bottle and lashed out at his loved ones, Pierce said viewers will see Todd starting to have fun again. He explained: "A few weeks back, there was a real sense of sort of nihilism and that he was just drinking to forget, and you were a little worried about where he was going to end up. Now, I think maybe some of that fun is coming back, and it's a slightly healthier escapism."
Back in the No.11 Mix
Pierce said he is loving being back in the No.11 mix with characters such as Mary Taylor, Christina, George Shuttleworth and Summer Spellman. He praised Mary actress Patti Clare for the humour she brings to filming and to the show.
He said: "Patti is so fabulous. That was one of the more painful aspects of the story, in a way, that Todd was isolated from that fantastic group and that kind of blended family that he's got around him. We got genuinely giddy the first time I was back in No.11."
He added: "Something that Corrie does so brilliantly is it cuts through those more hard-hitting moments with some humour occasionally. What better actor to do that than Patti. Mary is a force of nature. We've got Amy Robbins as Christina now as well. We've got such a great group. Tony Maudsley as well, and Harriet who plays Summer. I love laughing with them, and therefore it tends to encourage the laughter on screen as well."
Sarah's Trial and the Blended Family
Pierce also teased what viewers might see as Sarah faces trial over Theo's murder. He shared: "It's just so complex, isn't it? Because it's been an act of love and courage, at a time when she felt great threat to her own life."
He continued: "There's a sense of some moral justice in soap land, sometimes, that might not quite play out the same way in the real world. There is also a sense that she has done something rather serious and grave. I think the people around her are all quite conflicted as well."
On what fans can expect, Pierce said: "We're going to see a certain amount of Todd's reinvention. In terms of No.11, we'll be testing that blended family unit a bit. What's great about Christina and George is that there is almost a sort of surrogate mother-father role. With Summer now, Harriet's character having moved in as well."
He added: "For them now to be thrown into a story that may well challenge that relationship, Christina and George, it'll be into another high-stakes situation. It's exciting for the household of actors and it's trepidatious for the household of characters."
Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X.
