Coronation Street star explains Theo Silverton’s ‘unthinkable’ plan amid Todd Grimshaw horror
Actor James Cartwright has given insight into Theo’s ‘unthinkable’ plan for Todd as he admits it’s going to get worse
Theo Silverton and Todd Grimshaw in Coronation Street(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street star James Cartwright has given insight into Theo Silverton’s ‘unthinkable’ plan for Todd Grimshaw as he admits the character is only going to get worse in upcoming scenes.
Those who follow the soap know that the actor joined the ITV soap in March last year in the role of builder Theo, and has quickly found himself involved in a hard-hitting, coercively controlling, and abusive relationship with Todd Grimshaw.
But as fans know, Todd had finally decided to leave Theo after Billy Mayhew discovered the full extent of what his friend and former partner had been going through. However, Billy’s plan to help Todd leave Theo was dramatically torn apart as when they prepared to head back to Weatherfield from Debbie Webster and Ronnie Bailey’s wedding in Yorkshire in the minibus, Theo arrived, making for an uncomfortable journey.
Then, the minibus ended up being one of the vehicles caught up in a horror multi-vehicle pile-up, which was at the centre of the dramatic crossover between Corrie and fellow ITV soap Emmerdale, dubbed Corriedale. While most of the passengers managed to escape, but Billy was trapped by his seatbelt.
Despite him seemingly freeing himself, when an evil Theo returned to see who was still trapped inside the minibus, he appeared to clip Billy back into his seat as he read his last rites, before leaving him to burn alive as the vehicle exploded with him still inside.
While Theo later appeared to show guilt amid Billy’s funeral, he tried twisting events to make Todd feel culpable for his friend and former partner’s death. Since then, despite facing grief over the loss, Theo has only made Todd’s life more difficult, turning to financial abuse.
During Monday’s (March 9) visit to Weatherfield, it was Theo’s birthday, and after Todd’s clear worry about making his boyfriend’s day special, Theo ended up spoiling the day for himself by provoking an argument with Todd. It started as Theo seemed disappointed by the presents he received from Todd, who hasn’t had any access to his own money for months, and Summer Spellman.
Theo’s birthday dinner at the Bistro became unbearable for Todd(Image: ITV)
And Theo’s simmering anger only grew when Todd is late for his birthday meal at the Bistro, and so to make matters worse for his partner, the birthday boy started ordering the most expensive items on the menu as well as invited Gary Windass and Maria Connor to join them for dinner.
But when Todd was unable to foot the bill, Theo humiliated him by stepping in to cover it before they headed back to the flat where a confrontation ensued, and Theo grabbed a knife looking set to attack Todd.
On the scenes unfolding, James explained: “Theo is controlling Todd’s money at this point, so he knows he’s got no money, and he’s being really manipulative. He sits everybody down, he says, ‘Come on, order what you want, don’t worry, Todd will get it,’ knowing full well that Todd doesn’t have any money and he’s trying to make a public display in his way of, ‘You need me, Todd, you’ve got no money; you can’t control your money.’
“And outwardly, he’s trying to make it look like Todd’s useless, and without Theo, he’d be no good whatsoever. When Todd’s card then bounces, Theo comes over as if he’s the knight in shining armour, and he goes, ‘Oh, what are you like, ey? You can’t manage your money. Here, I’ll get it, don’t worry.’
“So again, it’s a public show of trying to besmirch him as he feels the saviour, and without him he would be nothing. Then in private, he berates him. It’s all carefully orchestrated at this point. There’s been a lot of stuff that’s been opportunistic, but now, he’s actively trying to narrow Todd’s circle of friends and his opportunities for pleasure that don’t involve Theo. He’s trying to make him completely dependent.”
Speaking about the violence, James said: “It’s like any violence; you become conditioned to it. It takes on a life of its own and becomes more extreme every time it goes unchallenged. Violence is an awful, awful thing; in a relationship, it’s just unthinkable. And it becomes another tool of control for Theo.
“Theo’s just trying to absolutely give him the consequences of not doing his will. It’s just abhorrent. And the more Todd bites back, the more Theo is trying to knock that out of him and impose himself physically. There’s a big size difference there. Theo’s this larger, bigger muscular scaffolder; and to impose his physicality on him is a tool that he’s now using. It’s something that he’s using to his advantage to make sure he gets what he wants.”
Asked what viewers can expect from his character in the coming weeks, the actor added: “He’ll do some things that you expect and some things that you don’t. As ever with Theo, he’s a ball of unpredictability, and that’s what makes him so dangerous, it also makes him so thrilling to watch. You just never know.”
