Why did Todd Grimshaw leave Coronation Street?
As the mystery deepens around his disappearance, here's a reminder of why he's on the run.
Three years after he fled, Todd Grimshaw is the talk of Coronation Street once more after making contact with his mum begging for money to get him out of trouble.
There's much discussion among the locals of how Eileen's errant son went on the run and abandoned his family when they needed him most, setting up the character's return later this autumn - with Gareth Pierce replacing Bruno Langley.
Todd was written out in 2017 when Langley was convicted of two counts of sexual assault, hence the recast, but how exactly was the character's sudden absence explained at the time? Allow RadioTimes.com to refresh your memory of why Todd is on the run.
June 2017: happy families
Todd and boyfriend Billy Mayhew gain custody of Summer Spellman, teenage daughter of their old mate Drew Spellman who passed away. Despite Drew wanting the boys to bring her up as his dying wish, Summer's nasty nan Geraldine fought to keep her grandchild but was foiled. Summer struggled with grief and her arrival initially put pressure on Todd and Billy's relationship, but they make plans to formally adopt her.
November 2017: blast from the past
Billy's bad boy past catches up with him when it emerges he accidentally killed Peter Barlow's sister Susan in a botched robbery back in 2001. Billy is arrested which jeopardises the adoption, as Todd uses his legal expertise to try and get him off the hook.
December 2017: Todd takes off
Fuming Peter tells Geraldine Billy is an unfit parent, so panicking Todd smuggles him and Summer out of Weatherfield so they can lay low until the situation dies down (although a body double was used as 'Todd' drove off under cover of darkness as Langley had already had his contract terminated). Peter abducts Billy and threatens to throw him off a cliff but stops himself, only for Billy to fall and end up temporarily paralysed. Adam Barlow finds a letter from Todd explaining to Billy he had to leave to protect Summer, but Adam burns it as revenge for what Billy did to his mum.
January 2018: on the run
Terrified Summer returns without Todd, who she says has gone on the run from the police as he assaulted an officer while they were in hiding. Meanwhile, the Barlows' revenge on Billy continued as Adam secretly got him hooked on medication leading to him spiralling into drug addiction. Patriarch Ken shut down the vendetta by striking a deal with the vicar he keep quiet about Peter almost killing him, and they don't pursue Susan's death.
Todd has barely been mentioned since, Billy carried on raising Summer and found love again with Paul Foreman. There are definitely unresolved issues around Todd selfishly turning his back on his beloved, so what kind of a welcome awaits the character when he eventually does come home to the cobbles with his new face?
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