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One particular pairing on the cobbles has shown just how brilliant the writers of Coronation Street can be. Last summer, Todd Grimshaw and Billy the Vicar embarked on a brand new relationship. Whilst this pairing may seem odd to some, for many it’s genius. The two characters are at completely opposite ends of the spectrum.
Ever since his 2013 return, Todd has been seen to be manipulative, a liar, and an all-round troublemaker. Then you have Billy, the local vicar who has a heart of gold and will do all he can to help those around him. However, what’s more intriguing is the way these two have been developed, the audience can see different sides to these characters; they’re both very layered and three-dimensional.
In the last year, the audience has seen a side to Todd that would have
been more familiar before his trip to that London, a side to him that
deep down is caring and considerate. A highlight of this was shown
during Sarah’s pregnancy with Harry. Todd was incredibly supportive and
viewers were reminded of the tragic loss of their own son back in 2004.
Compared to other storylines in the show recently, I was incredibly impressed by the way the writers handled Todd and Billy’s romance. It was developed step by step with no elements of rushing. At the beginning of 2016, Billy was seemingly becoming one of the few people Todd genuinely trusted. Covering up Callum’s murder and the problems with Lee undoubtedly pushed them together, and issues began to arise when Billy ended his relationship with Sean because of the growing feelings he had for Todd.
This came as a shock to me because I didn’t read spoilers at that time and the way Daniel Brocklebank performed the build up to this was perfect. After this scene that ended with Todd throwing Billy out of number 11 viewers began to see a jealous spark appear within Todd when Sean and Billy got back together. Rather than Todd being seen as someone who was just out to cause misery, it was tremendously clear that Todd had in actual fact real feelings for Billy; something we haven’t seen Todd tackle since 2004. During the summer after Billy had originally confessed how he feels, the tension and chemistry between the two characters grew and grew until it reached breaking point when Todd finally let down his guard and told Billy how he really feels. That entire scene was superb; Todd appeared vulnerable which is not a common trait for him. He acknowledged how people perceive him due to his past actions but the overall delivering line of, “It’s not going away, and I don’t want it to”, really showed the extent of how much Todd had fallen for Billy. Of course, it didn’t take long after this for Billy to end things once and for all with Sean before sharing a passionate kiss with Todd in his kitchen.
One of the main reasons Todd and Billy work so well is no doubt down to the pure talent of Bruno Langley (Todd) and Daniel Brocklebank (Billy). Their high amount of chemistry is rare to see on a Soap and it was even there long before their relationship got underway. For me, it’s refreshing to see Coronation Street cast Bruno again for the role of Todd following his return in 2013. He came back better than ever and certainly brings the character of Todd to life, showing us that he is capable of extremely dark doings but he is also human with feelings and a sensitive side.
Daniel took up the role of Billy in 2014 and has been doing a fantastic job with him. Bringing energy and fun to the street, he is a valuable addition to the cast and I hope he sticks around for years to come.
By Sophie Williams, twitter: @sophie_jw26
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6 comments:
Its interesting that the chemistry is so good considering bruno is not gay in real life.
I can see your point Sophie but, to me, this relationship isn't a case of opposites attracting each other. It just feels like yet another ticking time bomb that Corrie is growing fond of .
Todd and Billy aren't just vastly different in the usual ways that people can compromise on.
Billy was moral enough to want to be a minister and devote his life to the community. Todd is nasty, envious and neck deep in a scam that swindled several of his neighbors out of what little they have and his brother out of all his inheritance.He's closing his eyes to Phelan's continued antics and crimes to save his own skin. Sure Todd has a good side too but I don't think his very rare flashes of vulnerability will prevent Billy from dumping Todd and maybe even reporting him to the authorities when the truth about his partnering up with Phelan comes out.
Nice to see some Tilly love! Todd and Billy definitely have fantastic chemistry and are my favourite couple not only on the Street but across all the soaps. I think the fact that they are opposites makes them all the more interesting and the build up to their relationship was beautifully played out. I really hope they stay together and we can finally see a long term gay couple (with genuine chemistry) on Corrie. As far as Todd goes - he is a multi-layered character and even when he is being devious you always get the sense that there is a real vulnerability to him. I would hope that if the truth does come out about the scam Billy would take into account that Todd was actually threatened with death when he tried to back out!
It is a pleasure to read such a beautifully-written piece. Well done, Sophie!
Given that my husband and I watch CS every night, and we have a preteen son who watches along with us, it was an excellent opportunity to explain what 'gay' is to him, something he'd heard about but never really saw any examples of in his own life.
I felt this topic has been respectfully and honestly and helped my son understand the issue better.
You sound like really great, responsible parents, C. Refreshingly different from the mob who regularly complain to the Broadcasting Standards Authority every time Todd & Billy exchange a kiss.
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