Coronation Street almost stuck the Stephen Reid landing

Touted as the next big killer, bumbling Stephen Reid (played by Todd Boyce) on Coronation Street was refreshingly bad at being a villain. He wasn't supposed to be a killer, he just accidentally fell into the role.

It's a more honest take on businessman-turned-desperado, and I liked it. Heck, I loved it.

Stephen had the potential to be one of the campest, funniest and maybe even most heartwarming soap serial killers of all time. His gentle Canadian accent mixed with his genuine desire just to be liked by his mum had a sort of Norman Bates feel to him. A serial killer of old.

As we know all too well, a villain must be found out on a soap and their reign of terror must come to an end. This week on Corrie saw the unravelling and demise of Stephen, in what was genuinely a brilliant week of acting from Boyce.

We started with a bang - Stephen was being quietly investigated by loveable Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine), and when he stumbled upon the truth, it was down to the killer to sort out more of his mess.

A fight ensued before a genuinely awful scene in which Stephen knocked his foe to the ground and strangled Tim while blocking his nasal airways. That was that then, Tim had to be dead.

While Tim lay in the back of his cab boot, the Street sort of forgot about him - they had bigger fish to fry with a suspected killer on the loose.

Sally (Sally Dynevor) and Elaine (Paula Wilcox) looked hard for their husband and son, but he was nowhere to be seen, leaving them to expect the worst.

Meanwhile, Stephen was having showdown after showdown, resulting in him being slammed into by Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) and killed by the brutal impact.

While Stephen closed his eyes, in a forest miles away, Tim opened his. And therein lies the problem.

Before you come for me, I'm not out for Tim's blood. He's a nice guy, a great comedy character, and has an important place in Coronation Street. But that's why he should've died (this week - he could still be a goner if no one finds him!).

To be great, you have to kill great, and Stephen was a good serial killer, a fine villain, but did he really kill anyone of impact?

The people who met their demise at his hands were mere C-tier characters, devices used to "be someone Stephen killed". None of their deaths were really that shocking.

Don't get me wrong, the scenes were well-done and well-acted, but the characters didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. They weren't a Tim, Carla, Elaine, or, heaven forbid, a Rita.

What is Stephen's legacy? Richard Hillman and Pat Phelan come to mind immediately when you think of an iconic soap killer. Why? Because they killed memorable characters. Because they actually had an impact.

Stephen had all the ingredients to be up there with the greats. He was genuinely menacing, a little bit silly, and always believable. As a killer, you always really felt he could turn on anyone at any given moment, with any character who wronged him unsafe.

To be counted as one of the greatest villains of all time, his legacy of killing Leo, Teddy and Rufus doesn't quite live up to his predecessors. It's a real shame.

His final week was portrayed near perfectly. The batch of episodes were filled with genuine horror, suspense in the Rovers showdown, boundary-pushing violence and a grisly end.

Boyce's acting, in particular, was the best it's ever been, with his scenes opposite the iconic Sue Nicholls a particular highlight.

Plus, there was much-needed humour provided by the on-form Platt family. The ingredients for a vintage week on Corrie were all there.

Stephen was a good villain. Well, rather, a great one. I just wanted him to be legendary.

Read more:

• 4 Coronation Street spoilers next week: Lauren blackmails Ryan and Daisy over fling
• Coronation Street's Alison King opens up on Chris Gascoyne exit
• Former Coronation Street star Melanie Hill joins cast of Casualty

Coronation Street airs weeknights on ITV. Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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