Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) had a sudden attack of conscience in tonight’s dramatic Coronation Street (18th January), as he took the fall for former love rival Paul Foreman’s (Peter Ash) actions.
The situation took a shocking turn in the aftermath of their adoptive daughter Summer Spellman’s (Harriet Bibby) ordeal. The teen was left trapped and unconscious by Mike Hargrave (Tom Lorcan) after she discovered that he had a secret lovechild through cheating on wife Esther (Vanessa Hehir).
Summer’s decision to pull out of their surrogacy plan tipped twisted Mike over the edge, and she was only rescued when Esther arrived home and called an ambulance. The aftermath saw Esther find out the extent of Mike’s lies, while Summer recovered in hospital.
But when the police spoke to Summer, they informed her that Mike and Esther had accused Summer of extorting money from them by lying about her pregnancy. Summer, her other dad Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank), Todd and Paul were stunned – but there was worse to come.
When Summer sent Billy home, Mike approached her bed and menacingly threatened her to drop the charges against him, and he would do the same over his own accusations. Terrified Summer was only saved when Todd and Paul returned, and Todd ordered Mike to leave – but Paul was furious over the man’s behaviour as he followed him out, and Summer urged Todd to go after them.
They followed Mike home, and Paul confronted him over his treatment of Summer, but when Mike retaliated by implying that Paul’s interest in Summer was inappropriate, Paul saw red and gave him a shove. Mike fell to the ground and was knocked out, and Paul panicked as Todd called an ambulance before ushering Paul away.
Mike was seen waking up, while Paul and Todd headed to the Rovers to process the situation. When Todd realised that Paul had been reminded of his past trauma at the hands of abusive Kel (Joseph Alessi), he was left genuinely concerned.
Paul admitted that he could only go hours at a time without thinking about what happened to him – but when he was happy with Billy, his life was much brighter. Knowing that he was the reason Paul’s relationship with Billy had imploded, Todd was looking very guilty.
Outside, the police approached the two men, revealing that the van Paul was driving had been spotted at the scene of an assault that day. Just as it seemed Paul was about to be arrested, Todd jumped in to lie that he was responsible instead.
As Todd was taken away, Paul was in turmoil. Will he confess?
Read more:
Visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Soaps hub.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.