Every Todd needs a George

Done right, a soap partnership has the potential to be hilarious, heart-warming, and all-round excellent. The best of them will be able to have a laugh, rip each other to shreds, fall out over trivial things and make it up again over a hotpot. It's also worth noting that the actors must have exceptional on-screen chemistry to tie all this together. 

Friendship is at the heart of Coronation Street, and I believe they have struck gold with the latest duo: Todd Grimshaw and George Shuttleworth. 

An unlikely pair, the friendship of Todd and George snuck up on us, but that's where the best erupts from, isn't it? The most unexpected are usually the most wonderful. 

As soon as I read that Todd would be working in the undertakers with George, I knew we were in line for some great comedy. However, while we have undoubtedly had comedic scenes, especially with Eileen thrown in, we've also had some truly heartfelt and wonderful conversations between the two. 

A notable scene which comes to mind is from a few months ago. George had sacked Todd for taking advantage of the bereaved and besmirching the Shuttleworth name. To give Todd some hindsight, George orchestrated a meeting where Todd would have to accompany a parent visiting their young child in the chapel of rest. However, George was unaware of Todd's own loss, and thus ended with Todd opening up to George about his son. 

I loved this scene because for starters, Todd doesn't talk about his son very often, so it's a nod to his history, and nice to see that his past hasn't been forgotten. On top of this, Todd doesn't like to show vulnerability, so when we do see him pull his walls down occasionally, it's like a gut-punch, and an essential reminder that he is capable of human emotion. Still, this scene created a bond between George and Todd, and they vowed to not only be colleagues, but friends. 

Most recently, after his psychopathic behaviour was revealed to the world, Todd was ready to pack it all in and flee Weatherfield (again). George offered him his wages and an ultimatum: take the money and run, or stay and try to make amends with everybody he's hurt. 

I'm not being dramatic when I say this was one of my favourite scenes in Corrie for a long time. Gareth Pierce and Tony Maudsley, paired with a wonderful script, created a superb, character driven scene that was full of gut-wrenching emotion. Despite everything he'd done, my heart broke for Todd, and I loved George for not kicking him to the curb like everybody else, even if he did deserve it. George's ability to see through Todd's forcefield, made up of sarcastic quips and hurtful comments, is so interesting. Paired with his comment about not always being an "upstanding gent", I can't help but wonder what on earth did George do in his past? 

A part of me now believes that George once used to be like Todd, and that's why he's always challenged his behaviour and doesn't take any rubbish from him. It could also explain why George is quick to be sympathetic. He's under no illusion the seriousness of Todd's actions, but he knows it comes from a place of pain and unhappiness. 

I really hope this means we'll learn more about George's past, and who he is. It doesn't need to be anything deeply traumatic, but it's a wonderful thing to understand a character on a deeper level and learn about their lives pre-Weatherfield. Tony plays George with such heart and great comedy, and he has so much potential for a long and rich life on the cobbles. 

With a character like Todd, there must always be a character who calls out their questionable behaviour, but who is also in their corner, even when nobody else is. George, on more than one occasion, has been this person for him. 

A two-hander episode with Todd and George would go down brilliantly, in my opinion. Imagine it: they spend the day working at the funeral parlour, and they talk a bit about George's past, a bit about Todd's past, as well as squeezing in some high-camp, high-comedy scenes. The idea of Todd Grimshaw working in a funeral parlour is still comical to me, so even some scenes of George training Todd up would've been well-received. 

I can't believe it's taken 17 years, but I'm so happy that Todd now has somebody like George to bounce off. In previous interviews, Gareth has explained how George has become a somewhat fatherly figure for Todd, and I can definitely see that. I also expect some high-comedy scenes if George and Eileen do eventually get together and George literally becomes Todd's stepdad. 

We're still in the early stages of Todd and George's friendship, but I absolutely adore them together. Now that Todd is crashing on George's sofa, I expect regular updates on how they tolerate each other in a social capacity. 

There's unlimited potential with Todd and George, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they continue to interact with each other. 

Sophie Williams 

I'm on Twitter @sophie_writer1

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Gareth Pierce interview: Todd stoops to new lows as Will returns

Todd Grimshaw has finally got everything he wants after getting engaged to Billy Mayhew. However, Todd's living on borrowed time as Will returns and threatens to destroy everything. We chatted to Gareth Pierce about how Todd tries to keep Will at bay, and what this means for Todd's future on the cobbles. 

We've seen Todd do some horrendous things since his return, but Gareth told us that Todd does have a bit of a guilty conscience. "We've tried where possible to give little glimpses of that. He's not enjoying the game, he's not in control of the game in quite the same way as maybe earlier on. I think there is some guilt there, but I also think that Todd is very good at putting that to one side and still being able to function and carry on.

"I've got to get down to the 'why' he's doing some of these things. There's a core of sadness to Todd. He's 35 now, he's heading towards the years where he needs to grow up a bit, and that scares him. In terms of finding a more sympathetic read of some of what he's doing, I think he was at his most settled and happiest when it was him, Billy, and Summer.

"That's what he wants to get back to, because he was able to almost let the mask slip and not have all that front going on, so that's what's motivating him. He really wants to get back to that safe, happy place, but he can't see what he's doing to get there is going so dark."

In an effort to prove his commitment, Todd made the grandest of gestures and proposed to Billy. While the end result is positive, the route to get there didn't go quite as Todd had hoped. "[Todd] still doesn't feel like he's got it over the line to being back together as a happy family, so in almost true Todd style, he thinks he has to do something big and fabulous. That plays out very differently in his head. [He thinks] it's going to be a movie proposal and a happy moment, because he is very much self-centered, and he's used to getting his way. He gets quite a shock."

In the background, Paul has been stewing for some months now, sure that Todd has been scheming behind the scenes. After the proposal, Todd receives a letter with a warning scrawled on it, and he assumes the sender to be Paul. "I think he's definitely underestimating Paul," Gareth said. 

"In the back of his head, he knows that Will is probably the only person that can really sink him, and he thinks he's out of the way. I think there's been so many incidents that Todd couldn't have had all this planned out. Occasionally, there's been opportunities that have arisen from the way Paul has reacted to things. Those have given him a sense that Paul's pretty oblivious and easy to manipulate. I really do think that Todd's underestimating Paul and doesn't really expect him to put anything together or unpick what Todd's achieved so far."

Todd believes he can handle Paul, but he is not prepared for the return of Will, the boy he paid to help manipulate Paul. Will starts to blackmail Todd, and Todd knows he has to do whatever it takes to get rid of him. "That jolts him. That's the only loose part of the jigsaw that could come back around. It's a definite threat.

"I think you see Todd almost at his worst in some of his interactions with Will, because he needs Will to be scared. He's absolutely petrified of what Will could do to him if he's not scared."

Keen to really get under Todd's skin, Will befriends Summer, another move that panics Todd. "When he starts to install himself on the inside of their family and domestic life, it is terrifying. Taking aside from how Todd might react to that, that sense of somebody invading your space, what you consider your safe place, it's going to be horrible. Certainly, we've tried to imbue those scenes with a real sense of stress and of Todd being rattled, which you don't necessarily see from Todd that often."

In the midst of his desperation, Todd resorts to stealing money from a customer at the funeral parlour. Seeing Todd hit an all time low, Gareth told us how important it is as an actor to fully commit to the character. "You have to really trust the writers on a show like Corrie with their long-standing characters. 

"If you back away from the ugliness of some of the character's actions, then that's your ego as an actor getting involved. You've got to trust and commit fully to showing a not very nice side of someone. It's uncomfortable sometimes for the audience, especially if they also then have a scene where they perhaps like that character. For me, that's the most interesting territory to play, and to watch."

When his first plan fails, Todd resorts to theft again, but this time it's a little bit closer to home, and Paul lands himself in the top suspect position. "It's an opportunity that presents itself again. Todd is clever and he'll manipulate as much as possible, but he's got this awful habit of landing on his feet. That's not anything that Todd's intended, but he's certainly not going to step in and go: 'It wasn't Paul.' It wasn't part of his plan, so he can slightly unburden that guilt because he's got plenty of other guilts to deal with."

Todd is a great example of a character who we love to hate, and lots of viewers are very much still on Team Todd. "It's really lovely and really heartening to see that the audience are split because I think that when I first arrived, we were contending slightly with getting people used to a new actor playing Todd, while also seeing Todd kind of at his worst. 

"You get those opportunities to make a more rounded character, and then I think audiences can go on that journey with you a bit more, and also that villainy. There is something sometimes enviable in watching a character that will say some of the things that you might think, but not always have the courage to say yourself. I think people like watching Todd do the devilry for them sometimes."

Todd is in for a rough few weeks as his secrets come dangerously close to being spilled, but might he actually feel better for the truth being revealed? "It's almost like that thing of a criminal wanting to be found out. It'll be awful, but there'll be some actual freedom in everything being potentially out there.

"It might make him re-examine himself because there's a self-awareness that's creeping in with Todd anyway, and he's certainly very self-centered, so maybe he can turn that around to being a bit more aware of some of those reason he is how he is.

"I'm really enjoying playing the undertaker stuff with Tony [Maudesley, who plays George]. I feel as though the absence of a father for Todd can definitely explain a lot of why he is the way he is, and so I like the sense of there being a slightly fatherly connection with George, and he does have the measure of Todd a bit more than Todd thinks, but with a kindness there."

However, fans of Todd's darker side can relax as Gareth assures us he isn't going to become all sweetness and light. "I don't think we're going to see Todd's moral compass completely reset. I think he's always going to be a bit of a player and a bit of a someone who's able to get what he wants out of a situation."

Todd's downfall has been long time in the making, and as it all comes to a head this summer, Gareth told us how people are still rooting for Todd and Billy to work as a couple. "I really hope we've done the brilliant scripts justice. It's really lovely that already we have some people conflicted in terms of rooting for the relationship because like Dan [Brocklebank, who plays Billy] and I were saying the other day, we've been doing it all from two metres. There's only so much eyebrow tension you can give in the sense of how you seduce a character, how you show that closeness without being able to have that tactility and that proximity. 

"It's really lovely to see that the audience really have gone on this journey with us, and so hopefully the payoff is greater as well because they're there with you."

As everything unravels for Todd, will he able to get Billy down the aisle, or will he lose everything for good?

Sophie Williams 

I'm on Twitter @sophie_writer1

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Gareth Pierce interview- Todd invents twisted scheme as his manipulations accelerate

Since his return, Todd Grimshaw has been trying his best to drive a wedge between Billy and Paul. However, after each sly trick, Billy and Paul are showing no signs of splitting. In a virtual press event for Christmas storylines, Gareth Pierce discussed the motivation behind Todd's scheming, and whether there's any sign of Todd giving up. 

As Christmas looms, Todd's plotting ramps up a gear as he stops at nothing to get what he wants. Hearing about the helpline where Paul volunteers, Todd grabs this as an opportunity to get inside his head a bit more. Gareth said: "Being at Underworld, it's already put him in one of Paul's workplaces, so when he finds out about the helpline, he wants to get on the inside of that as well". 

Paul is oblivious to Todd's true intentions as he fits himself in wherever he can. "It's just another way to get into Paul's orbit", Gareth told us. "[Todd] doesn't know quite where he's going with this yet. 

"Increasingly, you'll see that Todd's actually getting on the inside of Paul, Billy and Summer's household relationship as well. He wants to be in there so he can see these opportunities and then have some fun playing around". 

Todd's involvement in the helpline has huge potential for damaging consequences, but Todd is willing to stop at nothing to get what he wants. "[Todd]'s a bit of a chameleon. He's able to present different faces to the different people in his life and I think that's why sometimes manipulation can be quite subtle. 

"For me, there's a sadness to Todd as well at his core. I think a lot of that is probably from feeling let down at times in his early life. You have to find motivation for why he is how he is because he's certainly not a sociopath. I don't get the sense that he doesn't feel for other people. I just get the sense that he's always putting himself first and therefore able to turn on and off those emotions, a bit like a tap". 

Todd's motivations in the past have almost all been entirely selfish, so does Todd have real feelings for Billy or does he just want what he can't have? "He absolutely does want Billy back", Gareth explained. "I think it's just something of Todd's character that he can very much enjoy the game-playing while doing that. 

"Those reunion scenes show that the feeling's absolutely genuine, but I think if he can cause a bit of chaos along the way then he absolutely will and he'll have fun doing that". 

Despite Todd's scheming, his feelings towards Paul aren't completely negative. "He likes Paul to some extent. He can see that this is someone Billy's fallen in love with, he can see that he's good with Summer". 

Jealously always manages to rear its head, though, and Todd isn't just jealous of Paul's relationship with Billy, but Summer as well. "If you can see someone that feels almost like a replacement in your previous life, then that's always going to smart and hurt a little bit more. I think that's definitely motivating some of that game-playing and some of that cruelty. Oddly, it's still coming from a place of love, in a way". 

Todd definitely carries the gift of the gab, something which helped him land a sales job at Underworld. "He's a blagger", said Gareth. "I think those skills have been used a lot in his three years out as well, if he has been in this kind of Manchester underworld, you know, some slightly shadier circles, then I think he'll have added even more to his list of tricks". 

However many devious tricks he has up his sleeve, Todd is without a doubt the cat with nine lives. "In terms of why he gets away with it, I suppose, and this is down to the writing as well, you've always got those scenes where you see a sweeter side to Todd. Those scenes with Billy, that reunion, we saw a vulnerability to Todd there that you don't see very often. 

"He's very good at keeping the mask up and self-protecting". 

It won't be all plain-sailing for Todd's manipulations, however, as he soon discovers that Paul isn't as easily swayed as he first thinks. Gareth told us: "If you're someone that thinks you're made of Teflon, then to see that somebody else that you thought you could push aside very quickly and easily is also Teflon in their own kind of accidental way, then yeah, it's going to be hugely frustrating. 

"It's probably quite a nice pay-off for the viewers as well because I think the way that they'll see Todd's more devious side, they will feel slightly complicit, really, because the audience will know what's going on a lot sooner than some of the people he's manipulating. They need, in a way, to see it foiled on occasion as well". 

Todd and trouble often go hand-in-hand, and Gareth revealed that Todd won't be slowing down in 2021. "My advice to Todd as a human would be, take your foot off the gas mate, and relax a bit- be a bit nicer and more empathetic. But no, I don't think that necessarily makes the kind of drama we want on Corrie. 

"If [Todd]'s foiled along the way, it won't make him give up. He'll definitely find other ways to stir and set the cat among the pigeons". 

Todd has been back on the street for a little while now, and Gareth told us about the complexities of playing a character like Todd. "You do get to explore a full range of your acting abilities because he's got those very funny, sarcastic quips, so you're using some of your comedy chops there. But then equally, that reunion with Billy was very emotional and there's all that meddling and manipulation and that more devious side to Todd.

"I think most viewers are recognising that, as I set out to do really, was do my research on Todd up to the point that I've taken him over, but equally bring my own instincts as a performer to it as well and make the character my own going forward". 

Of course, our chat with Gareth turned to Christmas, and he told us how he usually spends his Christmas. He said: "My wife and I have got a daughter, so I suppose now it feels as though we're setting up our own Christmas traditions.

"On Christmas morning, we've started having pastries and Buck's Fizz. We live by the sea so we'll go for a nice, blustery seafront walk. I'm the cook so then I've got to get my apron on and get going for the Christmas dinner". 

With Todd dangerously stepping into the helpline and encouraging Paul to break the rules, just how far will Todd push to get what he wants? 

Sophie Williams

Read some more of my general natterings on Twitter @soph_writer. 

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Getting to know Gareth Pierce - Interview

Not so long ago I had the pleasure of sitting in a Zoom call where Gareth Pierce talked all about Todd's big return- you can read that here. As well as discussing all things Corrie, Gareth also told us all about his professional career, and how he landed the coveted role of Todd. 

Starting with his time in theatre, Gareth said, "I've always had a varied career. I did a season at The Globe doing some Shakespeare. But telly wise, I suppose I've played a lot of Welsh characters, really. 

"I was in Ruth Jones' series Stella as Lenny Mack, so quite a sort of nasty piece of work to be honest. Before that, I was in a lot of Welsh language stuff and playing much nicer, more naive characters." 

Gareth also had a part in Ordinary Lies playing Karl, and up to now he has a regular gig on The Archers. All of this has led up to Gareth landing the role of Todd Grimshaw on Coronation Street, who returned last week. 

Gareth was at home during lockdown, but he had already set the ball rolling for auditioning for Todd. He said, "I self-taped before lockdown, and then obviously all of that happened and I kind of thought, 'Oh, I probably won't be hearing from that one for a while'. 

"I was at home like a lot of people, homeschooling my four-year-old daughter which was an adventure. I suppose it was early July then that everything came back onto the radar and Corrie got in touch, said I was still in the mix, then I was very suddenly heading up the M4, M5, M6 for screentests."

Like many people around the country, Corrie was a big deal for Gareth growing up. "It was a massive show for us as a family growing up in North Wales. It's strange, it felt quite nostalgic, quite comforting, a bit like coming home in a weird way to get the gig and to start working here. I can already tell what a lovely place it's going to be to work." 

It really is a small world when you bump into an old friend. This happened to Gareth after one of his screentests when he saw Ian Bartholomew, who plays Geoff Metcalfe. "He's a good mate of mine, actually", Gareth told us. "I bumped into Ian at my final screentest for the show which was a really beautiful moment because you know, the stakes are high when you know you're down to the last few actors for a role so to see a familiar face in the corridor was really lovely."

Every first day at a new job can be stressful, but Gareth said that his co-stars Dan Brocklebank and Sue Cleaver made him feel very welcome. "Dan and Sue in particular have been brilliant", he said. "That relationship started early, actually. It was a real masterstroke on the part of Corrie to ask for that second screentest because that was more of a chemistry test, really, for us as actors because you can be the best actors in the world but sometimes it just doesn't quite click. It is a bit like Lego pieces and it's not even really in your control. 

"It did just immediately click with both of them at that screentest. It just felt very much like we were just shooting those scenes and that it wasn't me trying to get a role. From then on they've just been beautifully welcoming every step of the way. They told me they were rooting for me to get the role after that screentest and we've become fast friends really quickly and that's helped cement those onscreen relationships as well."

Sophie Williams

Read some more of my general natterings on Twitter @soph_journo.

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Sue Cleaver Interview- Eileen's stuck between a rock and a hard place

Whilst Eileen Grimshaw has been in Thailand, the search has been frantic for her son, Todd. Upon her return back to the street, she becomes more determined than ever to find out where Todd is but she isn't prepared for the kind of trouble he will involve his mum in. I found out from Sue Cleaver where Todd has been and what this means for Eileen. 

The search for Todd has been going on for quite some time before Billy and Sean tell Eileen. "She's not best pleased with them and can't understand why they've kept it a secret from her, knowing that she's spent the last couple of years absolutely desperate to know where her son is", says Sue. 

Sean then finds an intruder in No.11 but they manage to get away. Surveying the house later on, Eileen discovers a note written by Todd asking her to meet him. "She keeps it very quiet and she goes to meet him where he tells her that he's in terrible trouble, but not the kind of trouble she imagined", said Sue. 

"She then finds herself back in a world where she thought she'd never have to get involved with; gangsters and the underbelly of the world, and here he is, her own son, saying that he's in danger and that a big, bad man is after him." 

During a meeting with Todd, Eileen lets slip that she's due at the morgue to identify a body, and that's when Todd tells her to identify the body as him so that he can disappear again. Sue said, "[Eileen] is absolutely gobsmacked at this. It's the most disgusting, horrific thing she's ever heard of.

"But then, obviously she starts to think, 'this is the only way I've got to keep my son alive', so she's stuck between a rock and a hard place." 

Billy and Sean both want to accompany Eileen to the morgue but she has to insist she goes alone as she thinks of this shocking plan. However, things don't go accordingly. "She realises that there's no way she could go through with it. She couldn't deny another family the chance of knowing what happened to their child, that their child has died and she thinks back to all that time she's been worrying about Todd being missing, so no, she doesn't go through with it." 

Although Todd is furious that Eileen backed out, she confides in Mary about her predicament, of which Mary and George come up with a solution of sorts- plan Todd a fake funeral. "Eileen turns up outside the florists and there is the coffin and the flowers with 'Todd' written along the side. Mary's in a veil and they're saying, "Come on, we're going to the funeral now". It's the most stupid, horrific idea she's ever heard and she tells them. They were very funny scenes to film."

Todd has really pulled a blinder this time and gotten himself wrapped up with a notoriously dangerous gangster which lands himself and Eileen in terrible danger. 

"She finds herself with a gun being pointed at her and it's like her whole life is in this bizarre world again", said Sue. "She's really certain that she can make everything okay and Todd's saying, 'You're not going to make everything okay, keep your nose out of it". But Eileen being Eileen, of course she's not going to keep her nose out. She's well versed in dealing with the underworld, isn't she?"

Despite the hardships Todd brings along with him, Eileen also meets George Shuttleworth, played by Tony Maudsley. Eileen isn't sure about him to start with, but Sue has high hopes for this budding relationship. "I think there could be some fun storylines. The fact that he's an undertaker, I mean, the world's your oyster really, isn't it? Tony and I have worked together before, years and years ago we played husband and wife so it's nice to be back in each other's realms again." 

As well as all of this going on, Sue was involved in the casting of Gareth Pierce, who will play Todd. She said, "The minute [Gareth] got on the set, there was an essence of him that I knew I could relate to and there was the essence of Todd; the bad boy with a very lovable side, and the vulnerable side as well. 

"He just hit the nail on the head and it was just so easy and since we've been working, it's just felt like we've been working together for ages. Our very first scene, we were having problems trying to keep a straight face. He's so good, he's such a subtle actor and just a really good performer and has just slotted in perfectly."

While Eileen may be relieved to see her son alive, how will they escape the grave danger that Todd brings to her door? 

Sophie Williams

Read some more of my general natterings on  Twitter @soph_journo.

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License