Coronation Street villain Theo Silverton will make a surprising new ally next week, in his quest to isolate Todd Grimshaw from his loved ones. With George Shuttleworth becoming concerned about Todd’s wellbeing, Theo seizes the opportunity to stir up trouble for the funeral director.

Last month’s episodes saw Theo continue to push Todd to the limit, as he berated his physique and forced him into gruelling exercise. Todd tried appease his fiancé by going on lengthy runs, but he collapsed in the street due to exhaustion.

Luckily for Todd, his boss George and Christina Boyd were nearby and helped him recover in the undertakers. The pair were shocked to discover his sore and bloodied feet, and expressed their concern about his recent behaviour.

Meanwhile, George has been dealing with his own troubles after being accused of defrauding an elderly client by her daughter Annie. In next Thursday’s episode (12 March), Theo decides to stir the pot as he approaches Annie, pretending to be a fellow disgruntled customer.

“Theo’s trying to isolate Todd because he doesn’t want anyone else’s opinions getting into his head. And so, the last person who really has Todd’s ear is George; he’s his closest ally. Seeing this opportunity to get George out of the picture is too good to miss,” explained James Cartwright, who plays Theo.

“So he sees it, and he thinks, ‘Do you know what, with a little bit of Machiavellian manoeuvring, I might be able to get George out the picture, which is the right thing to do because then me and Todd can be together, and George is an old fusspot anyway, we’ll be happy then.’”

The actor revealed that Theo “makes up a complete lie”, telling Annie that George “tried to fleece them” when he organised his mother-in-law’s funeral. He added: “It’s a complete lie, but he’s doing what he thinks is necessary to get George out of the picture.”

Addressing what’s next for his character, Cartwright teased that Theo will “do some things that you expect and some things that you don’t”.

He continued: “As ever with Theo, he’s a ball of unpredictability, and that’s what makes him so dangerous, it also makes him so thrilling to watch. You just never know.”