Former Coronation Street star Todd Boyce has revealed that the story of iconic villain Stephen Reid almost ended very differently. Audrey Roberts’ son arrived back in Weatherfield in 2022 and it was soon revealed that he was looking to steal his mum’s money.
As his dodgy behaviour spiralled out of control, Stephen killed three people as he desperately tried to cover his tracks. He was finally caught out in October 2023 – but was killed off when Peter hit him with his car.
Before his demise, Stephen began a romance with Jenny, despite murdering her ex, Leo. But Todd told Inside Soap’s weekly Soap Scoop podcast that this relationship was originally set to last a lot longer…
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“I know Ian McLeod [former executive producer] toyed for a little while with me being with Jenny and everything calming down,” he explained. “I was contracted at a year and a half. That was how long we thought it would take.
“And then they toyed with another six months, with the idea that I would move in with Jenny, hang around the Rovers, work at the factory, come back at night. And we would have this proper love story where everything’s forgotten at a while and then it would be even more tragic when I went.”
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He continued: “But I think the audience was just baying for blood at that point! I didn’t even dare look at [social media] – ‘get this man off my screen’ or ‘someone find him out’. I think they’d had enough, so we said let’s call it at a year and a half, which was good.”
Stephen was the most unlikely of murderers, but when asked who he would have added to his kill tally, Todd said: “If I had to kill someone, it might’ve been [Beth Tinker], just because I love Lisa George’s acting.
“I loved her character and she’s quite comedic and killing her would’ve been sadly funny – which is a terrible thing – because I know how she would’ve acted frightened. I know how she would’ve played that. It would’ve been so brutal to kill her character in the factory.”
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Meanwhile, this month Todd is starring in the world premiere of Possum Trot, a play set in Nebraska which follows a woman’s fight keep her beloved rural town on the map.
“It deals with the effects of climate change on farming, large corporations buying up farmland, and a lot of young people leaving farm communities,” he explained. “I’m playing this chap who’s had a successful business and is ready to embrace the rest of his life before it’s too late.”
Possum Trot is playing at The Tabard Theatre, London, from 12 – 29 November, details on how to buy tickets here. The full interview with Todd in the Soap Scoop podcast is available to watch here.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
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