Coronation Street is set for explosive scenes, according to ITV soap boss Kate Brooks.

Kate, who joined Coronation Street in 2024, has promised “loads of twists”, soap firsts and emotional moments in the upcoming months on the cobbles.

Speaking at a Corrie press event on Friday, Kate revealed what soap watchers can expect for Todd Grimshaw amid his abusive relationship with Theo Silverton.

The producer also revealed more drama between favourites Lisa Swain and Carla Connor after Lisa’s supposedly dead wife, Becky Swain, showed up after four years following being in hiding.

Elsewhere, Kate has promised joyful moments for Debbie Webster amid her dementia diagnosis and insisted she’s got “ages” left on the ITV soap. Here is a look at the upcoming scenes ahead on Coronation Street…

ITV soap first with Todd and Theo

Kate said: “You know, it’s a really important story, this story. We’ve kind of deliberately played a bit of a slow burn with it. So, you know, we’ve seen Todd fall for this guy who is complex and has got issues and has given up everything for Todd, you know, given up his family, come to terms with sexuality.

“So by the time the story really gets going, Todd’s in a place and a position where he feels indebted to Theo, you know, because he has done a lot and given up a lot for him. And at this point, kind of Theo’s true colours really are revealed. You know, he’s a dark character. He’s really good at manipulating Todd. He’s really good at gaslighting Todd.

“Fundamentally it’s a story about domestic abuse and the same-sex relationship. And it’s a story that, and I know this story’s been told on soap before, but I can’t think of a time when it’s been told between members of the same-sex.

“And it was important to kind of shine a light given that it’s quite prominent in same-sex relationships. We’ve been working really closely with a charity called Galop. And some of the statistics are really quite shocking.

“I think it’s something like 55% of people who are in same-sex relationships have had abuse from either a partner or ex-partner or a family member. So, you know, it’s really quite prevalent.

“And we wanted to kind of take a character like Todd, who we love. He was funny and a bit wily and a bit cheeky and bends the rules and his moral compass is often quite skew-whiff. And kind of see how he would respond to a character like Theo, who just bulldozes his way into his life.

“And we’re going to slowly see Todd start to kind of strip bare who he is. And kind of his vulnerability has become very, very prominent in all the episodes as he struggles to navigate this relationship with this man who he does love.

“But this man is abusive. He’s violent. He’s controlling. He uses many kind of tactics to kind of make sure that Todd is constantly second-guessing himself and constantly questioning who he is. You know, is he good enough? Was it his fault? You know, and the red flags.”

Kate added: “We’ve still got quite a bit of a journey to go on with these two. And as I say, there’s some really quite dark episodes, but very important episodes and very raw episodes, very authentic episodes.

“We have kind of played about the format a little bit to tell these stories. I’ve just been reviewing this morning, and it’s a really, really brilliant episode, a really powerful episode, focused primarily on their relationship. And I don’t think it’s ever been done before.

“In fact, it hasn’t been done before. I don’t think anyone’s ever told a story in this format, in this way. And the impact it has, I’ve just watched it and kind of been quite stunned by it. I’ve got to go back and kind of re-watch it again, just to digest what I’ve just kind of watched on screen, because it really is powerful and it’s really emotive.”

Huge Becky twists

Kate said: “So, Becky is… she’s a bit of a villain. She’s come back. She knows what she wants. She wants her family back. She wants Betsy. She wants Lisa back.

“She wants to oust Carla from this very happy home life that she’s created. So we are watching this story develop and slowly we’ll start to peel away the layers of Becky and who she is and what she’s actually capable of. At the minute, kind of on screen, we’ve only really scratched the surface, but she is capable of many things.

“And the thing that she’s capable of doing the best is kind of reminding Lisa of the life they had. You know, they’ve been together for a long time. They’ve got a child together. There’s that history between them.

“There’s that love there. You know, and while it’s kind of, we are all very happy for Carla and Lisa, there’s a history that we can’t ignore. You know, and it’s really interesting kind of seeing the reaction from people online and kind of seeing how they’re viewing this story.

“And what I can say is that Carla and Lisa is a brilliant love story, and they’re a brilliant soap couple. And I think the journey we’re going to go on with these two as they navigate this woman who’s been, literally, dropped from a great height and landed like a bomb inside their house.

“How they navigate this, how Carla, who is bolshie and feisty and doesn’t take any messing, how she kind of struggles to kind of comprehend that this woman is at her kitchen island drinking tea. And she’s having to restrain herself from doing anything crazy to oust this woman. And she’s doing, I feel really proud of Carla, because I’m like, you’re being really mature about this situation.

“But obviously that maturity and that understanding can only last a certain amount of time before somebody’s going to flip. So, yes, there’s loads more to come. Like, it’s a really exciting story. And as I say, Becky is somebody who you don’t want to mess with Becky. Like, she’s got her sights firmly on getting that family back. And, you know, she’s clever and she’s wily and she stayed dead for like four years.

“She knows what she’s doing. She knows how to lie her way out of situations. And she also is capitalised on the fact that Lisa’s still struggling to process this. And what she’s offering is a glimpse of the past and the life they had together.

“So, yeah, loads more to come. There’s loads of twists. There’s loads of turns. There’s loads of moments where you watch it and go: ‘Oh my God.’ But ultimately it’s a really enjoyable ride and it’s really exciting.”

Kate added: “So, yeah, loads of exciting things to come. Becky’s quite a badass and she’s very capable of many things.

“The audience will discover that she is, as I say, not kind of quite the innocent and quite the hero that she’s led people to believe. And we will realise that quite soon on screen, actually.

“But it takes a while for the rest of the people of Weatherfield to realise what type of person she is and what she’s capable of. Obviously, Carla’s already got a few suspicions, but we really kind of cement those suspicions quite soon. And Carla has every right to be wary of this woman.”

Big wedding

Talking about Debbie’s upcoming storylines amid her dementia diagnosis, Kate insisted: “She’s got ages. She’s got ages. Ages! This is a story that is, we’re not galloping our way through the story at all.

“We love Debbie. Debbie is brilliant and she’s so funny and she’s so full of life and joy. And there are so many, you know, there are so many stories that are kind of happening around Debbie that are not dependent on whether she’s got dementia or not.”

Kate added: “For Debbie, she’s enjoying life. She’s living life. She’s making the most of it. She’s obviously planning for a big wedding with Ronnie, which will happen, sometime soon. Towards the end of the year. It’s going to be a really kind of gorgeous, joyful wedding.

“And it’s very Debbie like in its execution. Like it’s got its smacks of Debbie being lovable and a bit out there. And also we’ll get to see the dementia choir, the debut of the dementia choir that Debbie’s been so invested and involved in.

“And, you know, and it is kind of she’s focused on that because she wants to enjoy the time she has here. She wants to enjoy her love for Ronnie. She wants, she’s desperate for her family to kind of get back on an even keel for her brothers to be kind of united again.

“And she’s navigating all this as well as kind of still running a successful business. And so, yeah, we’ve got, you know, this story is really in its infancy. And yes, there are some times when she will forget things but she’s living with it.

“She’s still got a life. You know, she’s not just a person who has dementia. It’s Debbie Webster. She’s not defined by it at all. And her stories aren’t defined by it either, you know, for a really long time. So, we are just enjoying Debbie being Debbie.”