Coronation Street release first snaps of the new Todd Grimshaw three years after Bruno Langley was axed following sexual assault conviction
Coronation Street character Todd Grimshaw has returned to the cobbles three years after actor Bruno Langley was axed in 2017 following his sexual assault conviction.
Todd is now being played by actor Gareth Pierce who has been cast as the runaway and his first photos have been released.
Welsh born Pierce follows in the steps of Langley who held the role for 16 years until he was convicted of groping two women on a drunken night out.
New star: Actor Gareth Pierce is taking the role of Todd Grimshaw after Bruno Langley was forced to step down in 2017
Gareth is best known for his roles as Lenny Mack in Sky 1’s Stella and Gavin Moss in The Archers. He also starred in Ordinary Lies and Hinterland for BBC.
His storyline will start from next week when news of his potential return starts to spread after the former solicitor writes a letter asking for money.
With Eileen away in Thailand, visiting her other son Jason, the letter is opened by Mary and Sean who break the news to Todd’s former partner Vicar Billy Mayhew.
Axed: Langley held the role for 16 years until he was convicted of groping two women on a drunken night out
Exciting: Gareth is best known for his roles as Lenny Mack in Sky 1’s Stella and Gavin Moss in The Archers. He also starred in Ordinary Lies and Hinterland for BBC
The trio then embark on a manhunt to try and track him down.
The last time viewers saw Todd was in late 2017 when he fled Weatherfield with Billy’s goddaughter Summer after her grandmother Geraldine attempted to gain custody.
When they were tracked down by the police, Todd assaulted a police officer and ran off.
Gareth said about his exciting new role: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining such an iconic show, and to have been entrusted with taking Todd forward into some really exciting storylines.
Fall from grace: Langley pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault at a hearing in November 2017
‘It’s an honour to be part of the dedicated Coronation Street team in such unprecedented times.’
Langley pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault at a hearing in November 2017, and was given a 12-month community order, including 40 days of rehabilitation activity and a curfew.
He offered a tearful apology for his actions, and has since said he is attending therapy session and alcoholic anonymous meetings.
Over: Back in 2017, Todd was written out with viewers told he had ‘gone on the run’ after assaulting a police officer
Todd’s return to the cobbles has apparently been hinted at several times in 2020, with his mother Eileen (played by Sue Cleaver) saying: ‘Every Mother’s Day or birthday it’s the same. I think this will be the time I hear from him but I never do of course.’
Daniel Brocklebank, who plays vicar Billy Mayhew, who had a romance with Todd, has also said he’s set to encounter ‘a blast from the past.’
Meanwhile, Bruno has now found work as a portrait photographer and takes home £65 for a four hour shoot.
Friends of the actor told The Mirror that he is hoping to kick-start a career as a writer after losing his acting work on the small screen.
At the time of his conviction, Bruno told The Sunday Mirror: ‘I’ve been living way too fast for too long… My drinking had escalated. The wheels fell off. I wasn’t particularly happy… I’ve started going to see a counsellor and been attending AA meetings and that’s helped.
‘I have no excuse, no one forced me to drink to such an extreme, but it is hard to explain why I would do anything as dreadful as that. It must have been awful for those women, and I am ashamed of myself. I’m truly sorry.
‘I sincerely apologise to the women, from the bottom of my heart. I promise I will never do anything like that again’, he added at the time.
Return: Todd’s return to the cobbles has apparently been hinted at several times in 2020, Daniel Brocklebank, who plays vicar Billy Mayhew, who had a romance with Todd, saying he’s set to encounter ‘a blast from the past’ (pictured with Bruno in 2016)