like Coronation Street‘whoisit’ turned into a ‘whodunnit’, we were left with one big question: who killed theo silverton? (James Cartwright)
It was a hard case to split copper for cobblestone, Lisa Connor-Swain (Vicky Myers) and The Green Kit (Jacob Roberts), with halfway through looking for Theo dead.
The “official” list of suspects was extensive: Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce), the victim of months of extreme levels of brutality and abuse, The wizard of wine (Harriet Bibby), adopted daughter of Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank), WHO Theo had killed, Danielle Silverton (Natalie Anderson)Theo’s bitter ex-wife, George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley), Todd’s father figure, Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins), Gjergji’s girlfriend and Gary Windass (Mikey North), Theo’s best friend turned bitter enemy.
In the weeks since the beastly builder was finally whacked over the head and consigned to the graveyard of soap villains, Summer has had a spell behind bars, with the police thinking they’ve found their perpetrator. When Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) finally gave her an alibi, however, the case was reopened.
Gary and Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) were clearly hiding something, with their respective partners, Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon) and Kit believing that they were, in fact, hiding a relationship.
However, they were not. They were trying to cover up the fact that it was, in fact, Sarah, Todd’s best friend, who offended Theo and immediately turned to Gary for help.
Shocked? So was Tina: “I was really shocked, but for me, personally, I completely understand how it happened, why it happened.
“To get into her character and her head, I feel like at that moment she didn’t feel like she had any other choice.”
After Kit and Maria press charges against Sarah and Gary, accusing them of being involved in some illegal scam, we’re shown in a flashback that Sarah received a suspicious text from Todd’s phone. Going to investigate, she met Theo.
True to form, Theo spat venom at Sarah, referring to Billy, the son Sarah and Todd had lost as teenagers.
As things got more heated and it became clear that Theo was more than prepared to physically hurt her, Sarah grabbed a metal pipe and slammed Theo straight into the shaft, sending him crashing to the ground below with a terrifying thud.
“I think at that point, as far as she was concerned, it was do or die,” Tina explained.
Sara called Geri, in a desperate panic. Hugging myself in a place of murderhe ordered her to wash her hands, then make sure someone else saw her to give her an alibi, which ended up being a treat when she was brutally attacked by Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown).
Don’t miss a spoonful of soap! Add us as a favorite resource
As a loyal Metro Soaps reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories. We have all the latest soap news, spoilers, videos and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.
Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to make sure you see stories from us first on Google Search.
But why Gary and not Kit? “I think she absolutely went into panic mode, shocked, stunned and numb,” Tina mused.
She obviously didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to react, and I think at that point she thought I couldn’t call Kit because of his police work.
“And so at that point, she thought who could I call and it was Gary.”
How did Sara learn that Tine was going to be a killer? “There was a lot of debate in the green room as soon as we were told there was going to be a killer.
“A lot of people were playing Cluedo, first some of the cast were told they were involved in the story but they weren’t the killer. So by the time I had to go for my date I was a bit like, I guess that’s me!
Soap justice is one LOT true thing, and no crime goes unpunished, especially one as serious as murder. Is Tina worried that Sarah’s actions have given her a life span?
“Absolutely, she could go to jail. If she had called the police right away and explained what happened, she would have been in a much better situation because it was clearly not premeditated, it was a situation where she felt she had no choice.”
“But to cover it up, to actively cover something up, she knows she’s crossed a line of no return.”
“At the end of the day, this job is incredible, but being an actor isn’t necessarily a job for life. So I was very excited to be given the honor of being the killer, and then hopefully, whatever happens, I get to enjoy Sarah’s arc.’
So how does Sarah feel now, in terms of her relationship with Kit?: ‘It’s just a constant guilt, guilt that she didn’t just call the police when it happened, guilt that Kit thinks it’s Gary and she knows she’s responsible for it.
“It’s a fault that a man died, it’s a fault that Summer spent time in prison.
“There’s a lot of guilt and I think also, selfishly, she feels like she’s ruined her chance with Kit because if he knows what she’s done, he might not love her anymore and she wanted him to be her future.”
…and her friendship with Todd?
“It’s weird, does she regret doing what she did? I actually don’t think she does.
“It’s not that I think she wanted to kill him, it’s the fact that I don’t think she thought she had a choice at that point.
I think she feels very guilty about what Todd is going through, very guilty that she’s lying to him because it’s one of those situations where once she starts lying, she can’t stop.
But I think if she could go back and be in that moment again, would she still do what she did? I think she felt so threatened that she would do it, it was self-preservation.’
Sarah and Gary are determined to keep her guilt a secret and Tina explains the driving force behind their determination: ‘It’s not just about her now, it’s about her family and her son, and there are times when she can’t handle the pressure and you think she’s just going to give in.
And then she thinks her son will grow up without a mother if he’s convicted and can’t prove he acted in self-defense. And because of these things, she is so desperate to do whatever it takes to be a part of her family’s life.’
But enough about Sarah. how did he Tina feel like playing in the kill?: ‘I really enjoyed giving that final push.
“James was such a lovely guy to work with, but when he was acting, filming those scenes, it was intimidating and scary, and it really felt like she was trapped.
“He played it so well. For me, as an actor, to be the one up there on the pier at that moment, it felt so good.
‘You’re like, oh yeah, it’s me, because I know everyone’s going to be like oh my God, it was Sarah. So yeah, it felt really good, especially knowing what he had done to Todd.
‘I like the stunt scenes. We filmed at night, working from 5pm to 5am, up on this pier and there’s nothing like it really.
“You’ve got all the big lights on, the cherry pickers, you’ve got all the cameras, all the crew, and you just feel like you’re part of something really important and really good fun.”
MORE: Coronation Street finally confirms who killed Theo and changes absolutely everything
MORE: The Coronation Street star confirms Maria’s most challenging situation ever is coming
