What makes Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) such a successful Coronation Street villain? Easy. He always finds a way to sink to new lows.

The narcissistic bully has kept Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) trapped in a domestic violent nightmare, routinely subjecting his so-called fiancé to ritual humiliation, constant gaslight and horrific beatings. Scared into submission, Todd has struggled to escape this never-ending abusive cycle as his coercive partner isolated him from his loved ones.

There was finally light at the end of the tunnel when Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) started to suspect that something was wrong. During Debbie Webster’s (Sue Devaney) wedding, Billy discovered Todd’s bruises while he was getting changed. After a particularly vicious beating from Theo, Todd finally felt ready to confide in his old friend about the abuse.

Just as Todd’s salvation seemed in sight, tragedy struck. In ITV’s much anticipated Corriedale spin-off, he, Billy and Todd were all onboard the minibus which went up in flames in a devastating multi-car pileup.

While Theo had the opportunity to save Billy, he wasn’t about to risk his neck for Todd’s old flame, a man he was always supremely jealous of. In a horrifying scene, Theo made sure an unconscious Billy’s seatbelt was strapped up tight before leaving him to die in the fiery wreckage. Now Theo can add murder to his many crimes.

After finding the strength to leave his abuser, now a grief-stricken Todd is all alone and more vulnerable than ever before – leaving Theo primed to slither his way back into his victim’s good graces.

With Billy out of the picture, there’s nobody left to save Todd from his tormentor’s clutches… or is there?

Coronation Street Executive Producer Kate Brooks has confirmed that Theo’s next targets will be the closest people Todd’s go to family – Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) and George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley). Summer’s always been a mixture of the daughter Todd never had combined with the energy of an adoring little sister.

Todd and Billy were her parental guardians back when they were still a couple. George is Todd’s boss and the man who introduced him to the exciting world of Undertaking.

More than that, he’s a father figure for Todd and treats him like a son. Both Summer and George give Todd confidence and happiness outside Theo, which make them a threat.

Future episodes will see Theo begin to target Summer and George in his attempt to keep Todd close. Kate Brooks explains how the abuser’s guilt over Billy’s death and his determination not to lose Todd again has made him more dangerous than ever.

‘We’ll see Theo, who is obviously ravaged by his own guilt – yes he did something absolutely despicable but he justifies it as being absolutely necessary to keep hold of Todd. Because he does, in his own very warped, very unhinged and tarnished way, deep down love Todd, he does everything he can to be an absolute pillar of support for Todd, Summer and George.

‘He’s an absolute rock. Part of this is about masking his own guilt that he feels about his part in Billy’s death, but he also knows how close he came to losing Todd so he wants to do everything he can to make sure he doesn’t lose Todd again.’

So far, Theo’s managed to lay the perfect boyfriend routine on thick in front of Summer and George, keeping them sweet so as not to arouse suspicion. But Theo is ultimately driven by jealousy, and has to walk a fine line between keeping Summer and George close. Kate Brooks explains how thin that line becomes as Theo takes advantage of a grieving Todd when he’s at rock bottom.

‘We’ll see Theo becoming more manipulative, we’ll see him starting to draw and pull Todd back into his fold as Todd needs him and needs that support. He feels like he needs somebody to keep him afloat and Theo is that person. Not only is he an absolute lifeline for Todd, but he proves to be an absolute lifeline for Summer and George as well. Obviously we know what Theo’s like, we know what he’s capable of, we know the hell he’s been putting Todd through, but we also know that Todd is extremely vulnerable and he’s exposed at this point.’

Todd’s domestic violence nightmare has been characterized by the cyclic up and down nature of abusive relationship – the intense highs and terrifying lows. After the success of Yasmeen Metcalfe’s (Shelley) coercive control story at the hands of the despicable Geoff Metcallfe, Coronation Street must have faced a challenge to a new take on such well-trodden soap territory.

Historically, viewers have often been frustrated by the moments of escape that are cruelly snatched away at the last minute. Finding a fresh way of telling the story, Coronation Street released a special “Behind Closed Doors” episode in December exclusively using cameras, RING doorbell footage, and police bodycams to tell Todd’s story. Kate Brooks defends her decision to highlight the realism and raw truth of Todd’s situation.

‘We wanted to play the truth of this story. It’s not something that’s wrapped up after a couple of months, this is ongoing. As we go into early new year, Todd and Theo are still front and centre of the show as we continue to tell the story about this domestic abuse truthfully and realistically. It’s a hard watch at times, I’m not going to lie, as was proven by the Behind Closed Doors episode, but it’s an important story to tell.’

The secret of the story’s success? Kate is quick to give credit where credit is due – the performances of Gareth Pierce and James Cartwright.

‘I think both actors are absolutely smashing it out of the park in terms of the nuance they’re bringing to these roles. They’re making the story unmissable and captivating and hard to look away from.’