Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) is one of Coronation Street’s more complex characters. After a lifetime of grappling with his sexuality and trying to deny to himself and others that he’s gay, meeting Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) turned his life upside down.
He and Todd have just moved in together, but the backdrop to this is that Theo has been waging a custody battle with his former wife for access to their two children. Just as he was granted access, there was tragedy when his wife’s partner, Noah (Richard Winsor), died suddenly.
Noah was someone who was involved in the traumatic conversion therapy that Theo was put through when he was younger, but Theo’s reaction to this death wasn’t relief. He told Todd that he and Noah had been best mates to begin with and Noah only changed in later life.
In upcoming episodes it seems that Noah’s death has only made Theo more insecure – and we’ve seen previously that when he’s feeling insecure he often takes it out on Todd, trying to control him and manipulate him.
Announcing that his children, Miles (Lewis William Magee) and Millie (Kaitlyn Earley), are coming to stay, he orders Todd to get the flat looking perfect for the visitors. Todd does his best, and masks his unease at Theo’s attitude by trying to look happy.
The visit ends up going badly when Millie says they’re only there because the courts have ordered it and she wouldn’t be there out of choice, leaving Theo despondent.
Later, Theo is annoyed when Todd tells him he’s helping Billy (Daniel Brocklebank) out at the soup kitchen.
Theo can’t cope with the idea of Todd spending time with Billy, whose friendship with Todd makes him very jealous and uncomfortable, so he heads to the community centre himself pretending he wants to help with the soup kitchen.
He’s helping Mary (Patti Clare) dismantle a table when he suddenly cries out in pain, after trapping his finger. As Todd hurries off to find the first aid kit, Theo gives a sinister smirk. He’s got Todd running around after him, just as he likes it.
‘I think the audience are becoming more aware that of Theo’s anger management issues and they’re also party to certain glances of Theo taking some sadistic pleasure in the ways that he’s able to manipulate and control Todd,’ Gareth Pierce told us.
‘Very slowly things that are already crossing the line, that are already massive red flags are becoming slowly acceptable. That’s only going to get worse now.’
