What is the background to the situation between her and Todd in the build up to the hit and run?
Inkerman St is where people go to park to get the tram into town and they have implemented parking permits so people who would normally park there to get the tram into work etc are parking on Coronation Street and Victoria St instead. Shona is fuming because even though she isn't supposed to be driving cars at the moment due to her brain injury she is angry because David is struggling to park his car outside their house.
Shona had been putting fake parking tickets on people's cars saying ‘only idiots park here, hello idiot’. Todd the little rascal keeps parking the hearse outside number 8 and it is winding Shona up and when he realises it is winding her up , he does it even more because that is Todd all over. So they start with the parking wars, she covers the hearse in shaving foam, he gets it washed and parks outside number 8 and gives her the bill for cleaning the hearse. She is at the end of her tether with him, she tries to bar him from Roy’s but Roy won’t hear of it which makes her even more angry. She is wound up good and proper, also because of her brain injury she reacts to things slightly differently now so she can’t really rationalise she gets very angry and obsessive about things.
What is the difference in the way the old Shona would have reacted and the new Shona?
There is no filter there, she can’t rationalise her behaviour, Shona has always gone from 1-100 in no time but old Shona would have been able to put certain measures in place to stop herself acting irrationally. New Shona doesn't have that ability any more. In the past if Roy stepped in to try and calm her down she would listen to him but if he doesn't back her up now she just gets even more angry and frustrated.
What happens on the night in question?
Shona couldn't sleep. It is about 5am and she goes into the living room and opens the curtains and sees that the hearse has gone from outside the house. She quickly grabs David’s car keys, even though she shouldn't be driving, and she legs it out of the house in her dressing gown, pjs and slippers and goes round the corner to get David’s car to then park it outside the house quickly before anyone else does.
She is in a hurry and the slipper got caught under the clutch, it was all very dramatic and she hit something and she is not sure what it is and she runs into the house. The viewer has not seen any of this but she runs back into the house panicking and relays what has happened to David. He tries to calm her down and says they should go outside and see if they can work out what she hit. It might be a stray dog or something. There is a massive dent in the car but they can't find anything. There is no evidence of anything being hit, no blood or anything, it puts her mind at ease but she knows she hit something. They assume it might be a dog that ran off and they kind of put it to rest, but it really shook her up, as she shouldn't be driving a car so she has committed a crime. They are having a nice drink and she has finally started to calm down when Sarah comes in and declares that Todd has been involved in a hit and run!
What goes through her mind at that point?
It is the last thing she wants to hear, this means she could be going to jail. She has broken the law, she has hit someone and left the scene of the crime.
How does Abi work out it was them?
Abi had seen there was a dent in the car and offered to fix it because David told her he had hit a bin full of concrete. So when it comes out that Todd has been hit by a car Abi is obviously going to put two and two together and realise the truth. They need to find out if he knows who hit him and they need to get rid of the dent in the car but Abi knowing is a problem.
What is the plan?
They need to know if Todd remembers and is going to tell the police. He has told Eileen that he can't remember anything so it is looking hopeful. David is arrested and Shona feels awful, it is the worst thing ever for her. It is all her fault but she can't say anything. He has dumped the car in the pub car park miles away, there have been some very heated conversations going o a number 8, a lot of panic and a lot of serious plans being made by David.
They are aware of how manipulative Todd can be - are they worried about what he would do if he remembered?
David knows of Todd’s form far more than Shona does as she doesn't remember but she knows he is a wrong un, she knows about all the Paul and Billy stuff so she is aware he’s a bad egg, but David is completely aware of the problems Todd could cause them. Shona is more panicked about what could happen to her for breaking the law but David is more worried about what will happen if they get away with it where the police are concerned they won’t get away with it with Todd
What sort of relationship has Shona previously had with Todd?
If we cast our mind back to Shona and Todd’s relationship before her brain injury they were never the best of friends. He was very suspicious of her from the outset and she didn't like him. Since then he has come back and been exactly the same with Shona as he was last time, she can't remember but she very quickly forms the same opinion as last time. Her instinct was the same this time as the last time she knew him.
What has it been like developing this whole new character over the past year?
It has been really interesting. We are starting to see glimpses of the old Shona but the new Shona is here to stay, even if we do see bits of the old Shona. As an actor I feel very comfortable about where she is since her brain injury. We have not seen her on screen for quite a while but in that time she has been recovering and learning new things about her life. Not gaining memories back but filling in some of the gaps. So when we see here discussing Bethany for example, we need to remember that Platts have been there for her recovery and filling in gaps for her. I am bringing back the essence of Shona that never left but having the freedom for her to be more outspoken which is really fun to play. She tells people things like it is and sometimes they appreciate it but other times it can backfire. Shona’s home truths can be hit and miss. She does have the ability to be sensitive with people, such as Nina when she was going through hell, but when it comes to giving her opinion there is no holding back, she is like a battleaxe in a 36 year old’s body but with an innocence as she doesn't say any of it in a calculating way! She doesn't have the ability to be devious, which is why it is interesting to see her and Todd spar as he is the epitome of devious and she is the opposite. They give each other as good as they get. That’s why the events of this week are so interesting to see unfold.
Glenda Young
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5 comments:
Back-to-back 'evil Todd' storylines are more revealing as to the writers' favourites than the viewing public. Almost every comment I've seen suggests people have had a gutful of him. If they are going to spotlight him, it would be good to see an exploration of his psychosis, just as Shona's personality is attributed to brain injury, the only issue being that a mark of such people is their plausibility. From Billy's 'psychopath' comment, it appears we are getting closer to the mark.
Please just get rid of the Todd character. So sick of Coronation St having bad guys and just keep getting away with things. It's so brutal to watch. And really? Bill can't be that stupid, like the portray him.
People on here repeatedly cried out for the return of Todd. And now like you say, the same people have turned against him. Careful what you wish for
I rest my case about people wanting rid of Todd. Fickle
As someone with a couple of brain-injured family members, finding this so very interesting. The lack of filter and the focus on a single point is so familiar. As is the anger. Early on (hospital time), I thought they did quite well showing Shona's loss of affect. Always happy to see when there's been effort put into real world research. :)
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