Coronation Street star Gareth Pierce has spoken about his involvement in Corriedale for the first time — and it sounds like his character Todd Grimshaw is about to face even more turmoil. The show announced the full cast list for the highly-anticipated crossover episode yesterday, with Todd and his abusive partner Theo Silverton both included in the line-up.

Fans have watched in horror over the past few months as Theo has made Todd’s life a misery behind closed doors. The story is now building up to explosive scenes which will air in the hour-long special event on 5 January.

We attended the press screening for Corriedale this week and had an exclusive chat with Gareth on the red carpet.

“Todd and Theo are one of the strands from Corrie running into the Corriedale episode,” Gareth explained. “So we’re jumping ahead two weeks, really, from what went out [on Monday].

“Todd obviously is already in a very volatile, dangerous place. Most of the other storylines in Emmerdale and Corrie are reaching peaks in this episode. And obviously it’s trumped then by a massive crisis, because worlds collide and there’s a crash.

“It’s always interesting in real life, isn’t it, how people will respond to a crisis? Some people might shrink away, some people might run towards. It’s very interesting to see how the different characters will respond.”

Show bosses have revealed that the episode will focus on a multi-vehicle crash, which takes place on a country road near the village of Hotten. This brings the worlds of Corrie and Emmerdale together for the first time, with multiple characters in the danger zone.

Discussing his character’s role in the carnage, Gareth teased: “Todd’s definitely in jeopardy! He’s in jeopardy going into this episode anyway. I think most characters involved in the crash are probably injured to some extent. So without giving too much away, yes, he is potentially in peril.

“But happily he was knocked unconscious initially, so that was an easier bit of acting for me!”

It’s been a big week for the Todd and Theo storyline, as their special episode aired on Monday (15 December) night. The powerful edition explored Theo’s abusive behaviour through the lens of various in-universe cameras, including Todd’s hidden spycams, CCTV, doorbells and police body cams.

Asked about the fan reaction, Gareth replied: “It’s been quite overwhelming, to be honest, it really has. I’m having to engage with it in stages a little bit! I went on This Morning this week so it’s been a busy couple of days!

“I want to reassure everyone that I’m reading everything and taking it on board and it’s very heartening and lovely. But I may take my time to respond!”