Toyah Habeeb (Georgia Taylor) promised to stand by undercover police officer Spider Nugent (Martin Hancock) in tonight’s Coronation Street (23rd December).
Spider has been secretly investigating Griff and his gang, but had to walk away from Toyah in the process when she assumed he was just as racist as his ‘pals’. However, this week Spider finally confided his true motives to her.
When Griff’s (Michael Condron) evil plot resulted in Max Turner (Paddy Bever) being injured and hospitalised, Spider’s situation grew more urgent. He visited Toyah in the aftermath of his confession, and revealed the reason behind his decision to join the police.
Spider’s ex-wife Layla had a brother, Ali, who joined them on anti-fascist protests. One day, a racist rally took over an event and as the trio were trying to escape, Ali was attacked. He ended up in a coma but eventually passed away.
This distressing situation led Spider to decide that protesting just wasn’t enough, and he planned to make a difference within the police force instead. But the long hours away from home ended his marriage, and Spider hoped not to lose Toyah through the same thing.
After learning that Max had been hurt, Toyah needed time to think and she sent Spider on his way once more. Meanwhile, Spider, Griff and Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) visited Max in hospital, and Griff threatened Max to stay silent about the bomb when Max realised that Lauren was clueless about it.
Max complied, and Griff calmed down. Toyah saw David (Jack Shepherd) and Shona Platt (Julia Goulding) in the café and planned to tell them about Max’s ordeal, but when she spotted Spider she changed her mind, and simply warned them about Griff again.
Spider was tormented, and told Toyah he didn’t think he’d be able to protect her. But Toyah refused to abandon him and insisted that as long as they loved each other, they could get through this together. Will Spider be able to carry on with the undercover operation with her support?
If you are concerned that someone you know might be being radicalised, you are not alone. There is advice and support available via www.actearly.uk. If you’ve seen or heard something that could potentially be related to terrorism, trust your instincts and report it. Your actions could save lives. Report via www.gov.uk/ACT or call 0800 789 321.
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.
The Christmas double issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.