Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod has hinted that Spider has a huge secret that will "leave audiences gasping".
The ITV boss said that the truth about the character's past is about to come out and Toyah would end up confiding in Spider about what really happened during the car crash that killed Imran Habeeb. Iain said that Toyah makes a "huge mistake" as Spider is "the worst option in terms of who she should be confessing to".
Iain said: "Well, obviously the impending prospects of a life sentence for Toyah ramps up all of her emotions around what's happened, and specifically what she did to Imran and her guilt over all that. And she kind of reaches this huge emotional crisis point."
READ MORE: ITV Coronation Street's Sally Ann Matthews uncovers 'naughty' link to show legend
He added: "She's got this kind of burning desire to repent or just find some kind of catharsis and she ends up unburdening herself entirely to Spider, talking in detail for the first time about what went on behind the wheel of that car. To what extent or not she feels comfortable with what happened to Imran and how much of it wasn't an accident, and how much was it? Was it deliberate?
"She's satisfied and believes that that's the best person she could tell, the person she can trust the most. In fact, at that time, he's the worst conceivable option in terms of who she should be confessing to. I can't say a great deal more than that at this point, but the idea is that she's head over heels in love with this guy again and reconnected with him instantly on his return to the street, and she feels like he's her one true friend in the world. She might not be wrong, but she is certainly making a huge mistake and confiding all of this to him for reasons that will become apparent."
Speaking of the long-standing character's return to the soap, Iain said: "We had a lengthy and heated debate about what Spider's life looks like now. Is he the eternal teenager that's still chaining himself to trees as he's tried to grow up as the character's got older? What does the 21st century version of Spider look like, you know?
"How has he gone about trying to change the world for the better since we last saw him? I think the answers we came up with are surprising, shocking, interesting, and I think will maybe make the audience gasp slightly when we discover exactly what's going on with this life in the present.
"He's a fabulous character with all this heritage behind him and he just felt like exactly the right person to reintroduce to Toyah's life you know, just at the point where she hit rock bottom, or so she thinks, we bring in this incredible sort of benign, nurturing blast from the past and just reset her to a happier time, giving her a little interlude, optimism and happiness.
"We felt it was really important in the run up to the trial just because there's a limit to how much self flagellation you can enjoy as an audience. So it was just a brilliant little psychological boost to Toyah.
"And then of course, we whip the rug out from under her in fairly spectacular fashion across September and beyond." Iain also teased Spider would have a "surprising level of threat when he discovers what Toyah claims she's done in that car".
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
Receive newsletters with the biggest and breaking TV and showbiz news by signing up here
READ MORE:
MSE Martin Lewis shares cheapest way to pay your energy bill
Long covid: What is it, different types, symptoms and how to keep safe
This Morning's Vernon Kay red-faced after Rochelle Humes' rude remark
Three sleep symptoms you may need to see a doctor for
Gogglebox's Scarlett Moffatt in tears as man tries to 'take her home'
