Coronation Street spoilers follow.

Coronation Street’s Theo Silverton went to extreme lengths to conceal his abuse of Todd Grimshaw, with the villain manipulating the situation to his own advantage once again. As Todd’s plight worsened, Theo’s claws dug in deeper.

The pair’s relationship has turned abusive over the past few weeks, with Theo’s controlling and violent nature increasing in severity. Todd installed cameras to document the abuse that he was suffering, all in the hope that the truth would eventually come out.

In Monday’s (15 December) special episode that was dedicated to the issue-based storyline, the situation escalated as a physical fight resulted in Todd being questioned by the police, with Theo subsequently discovering the cameras.

Tonight’s follow-up began in the aftermath of the incident, with Theo continuing to belittle his partner and abuse him further. He cleaned up the flat before George arrived, putting on a fake smile in the process.

Despite George thinking that everything was fine between the couple, Bernie was far more sceptical regarding the matter, and remarked that they were merely being shown what one party wanted them to see.

George and Christina headed round to the couple’s flat for dinner, with George offering Todd his job back. The conversation soon turned to the previous night’s incident, with Todd being noticeably quiet at the table.

After they left, Todd challenged Theo on the version of events he gave, and boldly stood up to his abusive partner as he said that he wouldn’t tolerate any more of his lies and manipulation.

Theo’s temper suddenly worsened and he projected all of his past abuse onto Todd, making out that he and ex-wife Danielle were using the same “playbook”. As the argument intensified, Theo made an ominous threat.

Todd attempted to make peace with Theo later on, but the latter emerged from his room with a laptop in his hand. To his horror, Todd discovered that Theo had edited the footage in a bid to shift the blame.

He used the footage to blackmail and coerce Todd into staying in the relationship, but it was evident that the latter was struggling to wrestle with the gravity of his situation. As Theo’s abuse intensifies, will Todd find a way out?