Coronation Street’s Stephen Reid hiding ‘darkness’, says Iain MacLeod

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other media, MacLeod has plenty to say about Stephen, who will be making an impact on not only Audrey's life but that of Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews), too. And the key detail we are picking up here is: Stephen is going to be a sinister presence on the Street.

"He will continue to get more and more desperate and more and more dark as the story unfolds," says MacLeod.

"He’s a bit of a blank canvas. If you think back through his archive scenes, we don’t really know a lot about him. So we thought, ‘Well actually, if we’re going to fill in those blanks, and we’re going to learn more about him, shouldn’t we make him dark, dangerous, interesting, scheming?'

"Mischievous is probably too light a term; but certainly, Machiavellian may be a stronger word."

The producer adds that he's seen Corrie's audience picking up on Stephen's behaviour, and it seems their predictions have been spot on!

"Our viewers are so canny as well," the producer continues. 'As soon as [Stephen] arrived everyone was like, ‘Ah, I’ve got him marked, he’s gonna be a wrong’un,' and they’ll prove to be right in no small measure.

"I’m excited to see the audience’s reaction to the unfolding story when they realise that he’s every bit as desperate and dangerous as they predicted."

Full of praise for returning cast member Boyce, MacLeod concludes: "Todd is such a brilliant cast member, I love his performance.

"He’s so completely over the moon to be back in this role and back in the show, and is really embracing some of the more dark and dangerous elements of what we’re asking him to do. It promises to be a really brilliant story for us, I think."

At the moment, fans have only seen Stephen on a mission to raise cash in any underhand way he can, so just how much is he going to spiral? You'll just have to keep watching, as September promises to be a dramatic month on the cobbles.

Read more:

• Who is Stephen Reid? History explained as he returns to Coronation Street
• Coronation Street's Sue Nicholls hints at Stephen's real motive behind return

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.

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