Coronation Street star Tina O'Brien has spoken out about the dramatic revelation that her character Sarah Platt is Theo Silverton's killer, following a months-long whodunnit storyline. The actress, who has played Sarah since 1999, addressed the possibility of her character leaving the cobbles after the murder was exposed in Monday's episode.
The Dinner Party and Flashback Reveal
During the hour-long episode, which aired at 9pm, a dinner party hosted by Kit and Sarah turned deadly as flashbacks transported viewers back to the night in April when Theo was murdered. That same night, Carla Connor and Lisa Swain were celebrating their wedding. The episode unveiled Sarah as the culprit, ending weeks of speculation that had pointed to suspects including Gary Windass, Summer Spellman, Todd Grimshaw, George Shuttleworth, and Christina Boyd.
Tina O'Brien on Learning She Was the Murderer
In quotes shared with the ECHO and other press, Tina O'Brien described the moment she discovered her character was the killer. "There was a lot of debate in the green room as soon as we were told there was going to be a murderer," she said. "A lot of people were playing Cluedo, first off some of the cast got told that they were involved in the storyline, but they weren't the murderer. So by the time it got to me to go for my meeting, I was a bit like, I think it's me!"
Discussing whether this marks the end for Sarah, Tina said: "I genuinely didn't worry, at the end of the day this job is incredible, but to be an actor is not necessarily a job for life. So, I just was really excited to be given the honour of being the murderer, and then hopefully, however it plays out, I'll enjoy Sarah's arc."
Understanding Sarah's Motive
Tina expressed surprise at the twist but empathised with her character's actions. "I was really shocked, but for me, personally, I completely understand how it happened, why it happened," she explained. "For me to get into her character and her head, I feel like, in that moment, she didn't feel like she had any other choice. She'd gone looking for Todd, she rang him, she could hear this phone on the scaffolding, so she went up and there was Theo."
She continued: "She said some things that were pretty threatening so then he wouldn't let her leave. The way he was talking, it sounded like he'd done something to Todd, as in he was dead, that's how it felt to Sarah, that he'd done something awful to Todd. Then he said, if you think what I did to Todd was bad, and I loved him, think what I can do to you! He was coming towards her, and I think in that moment, as far as she was concerned, it was do or die."
Filming the Final Scenes
Reflecting on working with James Cartwright, who played Theo, Tina said: "I really enjoyed delivering that final push. James was such a lovely guy to work with, but when he was acting, filming those scenes, it was intimidating and scary, and it really did feel like she was trapped. He played it so well. For me, as an actor, to be the one to be up there on the scaffolding in that moment, it felt really good."
Keeping the Secret
Tina admitted the secrecy was challenging. "It's been so difficult, I told my mum and I just recently told Scarlett and my son Beau. It's really hard having to keep it quiet for that long, especially when you're online, you're seeing all the chat on social media." She added: "We filmed during night shoots, working from 5pm till 5am, up on this scaffolding and there's just nothing like it really. You've got all the big lights on, the cherry pickers, you've got all the cameras, all the crew, and it just feels like you're part of something really important and really good fun."
Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
