Coronation Street star Tina O'Brien has shared a warning as her on-screen uncle appears to be turning his focus to his next victim. Viewers of the ITV soap have been left infuriated with Weatherfield's newest serial killer after he claimed his second helpless victim last month.
The character, played by Todd Boyce, returned to Weatherfield with plans to fleece his much-loved mother, Audrey Roberts. Drowning in his own money woes and in desperate need to pay back his ex Gabrielle, who he stole from in the past, Stephen planned to swindle his own family, including plotting to sell his mum Audrey's property in order to steal the equity.
But as he tried to carry out his plan, he caught the attention of a very suspicious Leo Thompkins. Not helped by the fact that he found him kissing his fiancee, Rovers Return landlady Jenny Connor, Leo was determined to find out the truth and to expose Stephen as the liar he is.
However, when the pair came face-to-face around the back Underworld, Leo threatened to expose his plans and not wanting that to happen, the floundering businessman bumped him off and has since done everything he can to try and cover it up by pretending his victim went to Canada
Then last month, Leo's dad, Teddy, was back on the scene and after being knocked over on the street, was nursed back to health by Jenny. Stephen also showed a keen interest in his recovery as he tried to make out that Leo told his dad he didn't want anything to do to with him following his trip to Canada.
But after his memories of before his accident were triggered, Teddy told Stephen that he remembered everything and vowed to report him to the police. However, Stephen whacked him over the head and killed him before putting Teddy’s body in Audrey’s car roof box and disposing of it in the river.
While fans may have hoped that'd be the end of it, Stephen has now set his sights on a new victim. Next week there's horror on the Corrie cobbles as killer Stephe sets his sights on soap favourite Carla Connor. After being double-crossed by Stephen, his niece Sarah Barlow and Michael Bailey, who plotted a deal behind her back, the Underworld boss tells Sarah that she can finish working on her designs in return for an apology.
Carla tells Stephen to resurrect the deal with Rufus, a big player in the region's fashion industry, and and in return he’ll receive 15-per-cent commission and a permanent contract. At Rufus’s hotel, Rufus makes it clear he’s not interested but Stephen begs him to reconsider.
Rufus hands Stephen a vial of LSD and heads to the bathroom where he snorts a line of cocaine. Suddenly, Rufus collapses clutching his chest. As the paramedics attend to Rufus, Carla calls Stephen wondering if he’s sealed the deal. Stephen assures her it’s in the bag. As the paramedics wheel Rufus out, Stephen practises Rufus’s signature on the unsigned contract when he hears a knock at the door. A sex worker called Candice barges her way in and demands her money, giving Stephen an idea.
Later Carla calls a meeting with Sarah and Stephen and explains that Sarah is now Head of Design whilst Stephen will be Office Manager. Determined to have his revenge on Carla, Stephen slips into the Underworld office with the vial of LSD from Rufus’s briefcase and slips the drug into Carla’s coffee.
Carla heads onto the factory floor, clearly confused and woozy. In the Rovers, Stephen spikes Carla’s red wine with another vial of LSD. Peter calls at the pub and immediately realises Carla isn’t well. Carla stares at the factory girls, her paranoia growing by the second and is helped out of the pub by Peter who is worried sick that her psychosis is returning.
Stephen sneaks into Carla’s office, deletes a meeting with Dick Haversham from her diary and muddles up her paperwork. As Carla checks her diary, she tells Peter she was convinced she had a meeting with business associate Dick Havisham. In the factory, Stephen hands Carla a mug of tea laced with LSD and convinces her that she cancelled the meeting.
But as actor Todd, who plays Stephen, has previously shared, his castmate are pretty nervous when it comes to having scenes with the character which Tina, who plays Sarah has also now proven. Explaining how her character might react if she found out the truth about her villainous uncle, the soap star said: "Oh, she’d be devastated.
"Sarah looks up to him; he gave her an opportunity and a career in Milan and she listens to his advice." Talking to Inside Soap, she went on to label Sarah as "oblivious". "I don’t think anybody is safe," she told the publication.
She then jokingly warned: "If he winks at me funny, I’m going to panic and start running from the building! Sarah is one of the closest people to him, so if she finds out, she might be the next one to go."
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