When Coronation Street‘s Billy lost his life in the events of the Corriedale crash last month, any hopes that abusive Theo would soon get his just deserts were shattered. Todd’s biggest ally sadly took the dark secret to his grave, which kept the story going for longer.

Now another Weatherfield villain knows Theo was responsible for Billy’s demise, could manipulative Carl be the one to take him down – or will their scheming put them at a stalemate?

Show bosses have confirmed some major turning points for the story this year, with the reactions from Todd’s supporters crucial for the journey ahead. So as Todd continues to suffer under Theo’s control, we look at the likeliest suspects to take Theo down…

1. Todd

The most satisfying conclusion to this storyline and the person we most want to see bring Theo down is his long-suffering partner Todd. Having almost found the courage to leave him before Billy died, we hoped Todd might be inspired by thinking of Billy’s support, but Theo has weaponised Todd’s grief by guilt-tripping him and using it as proof they should stay united.

It would take a great deal of strength and a solid support network to stand up to Theo, but if Todd’s loved ones start to glimpse the ‘real’ Theo and spot the signs of his abuse, maybe Todd can find the courage again…

2. Summer

Grief-stricken Summer isn’t in the best place at the moment to start digging for the truth, especially considering she has turned her anger towards Debbie. But if she caught even a sniff suggesting that Theo had killed one dad and abused another, Summer wouldn’t rest until Theo had paid for his crimes.

Now that Todd is all she has left, Summer’s protective mode might see her pick up on signs of Theo’s abuse, especially the longer she stays in their flat. But our biggest fear is that Theo is angling for the position of Dad #4 to put her off the scent.

3. Sarah

As Todd’s oldest friend, Sarah would be the perfect person to support her mate in leaving Theo. Like everyone else, Sarah has also been fooled by Theo’s charms, but Todd’s changes in behaviour haven’t gone unnoticed by her.

We reckon all it would take is a moment of vulnerability from Todd, and Sarah would support him without question. With Sarah’s detective skills showcased before Christmas in her relentless pursuit of Carla, if Todd were to give her a clue, we don’t think she’d let this one go either…

4. George

With Eileen gone, Todd’s boss George is the closest thing he has to family, with the undertaker stepping up as a father figure to him. Being around him at work all day, George already noticed something was wrong months ago, but Theo skilfully drove a wedge between them and destroyed Todd’s support network.

If George managed to put his head together with a few other concerned friends, would they all come to the same conclusion and identify who’s behind the destruction of Todd’s self-esteem?

5. Christina

Before the full extent of Theo’s abuse can be uncovered, someone needs to see straight through his carefully constructed veneer and one person’s already on to him – Christina.

Christina’s had Theo’s card marked from day one, spotting red flags and admitting that she was finding it hard to warm to him. However, all hopes that Christina might be the one to have a breakthrough and unearth his true personality seemed to be dashed when Theo twisted events to his advantage and made Todd look like the aggressor.

Nevertheless, no-nonsense Christina knows men like Theo like the back of her hand, so he better watch out…

6. Carl

Now the secret’s out about Billy’s death, surely it’s only a matter of time before Theo crumbles under the pressure from Carl?

But despite cunning Carl making a good opponent for Theo, we’d feel a bit short-changed if he was the one to take the credit for exposing Theo’s true colours. We don’t know if he’d have the same compassion for Todd’s plight as others would, especially if he could gain something from holding it over Theo’s head…

7. Gary

He might have disappeared from Theo’s life in recent weeks, but workmate Gary has already witnessed Theo’s volatile behaviour in action. So it wouldn’t be a total stretch if he saw underneath Theo’s “nice guy” persona.

Don’t forget, Gary has form when it comes to facing off against villains, like repeatedly trying to take on Pat Phelan. And if Gary’s dark side were ever to resurface, we wouldn’t oppose him teaching Theo a lesson or two!

8. Lisa

Despite having two coppers living on Coronation Street, experience tells us that the likelihood of either Kit or Lisa discovering a villain under their nose is unlikely!

However, when it comes to Lisa, we think her recent reckoning with manipulative Becky Swain might help her pick up on a few warning signs. Although she wasn’t able to see her own ex-partner in all her devious glory, perhaps being hoodwinked by Becky for so long will help her sniff out Theo’s true nature.

When someone’s as narcissistic as Theo, perhaps the truth can only come from within! We’ve already seen his guilt become too much to bear, and if his coffin confession and nightmares are anything to go by, Theo is tortured knowing that he was responsible for killing Billy.

Theo was once a God-fearing man, so will the fact he’s committed the ultimate sin push him into a full confession? Or will his years of repression mean he can keep compartmentalising his twisted behaviour? If he feels no guilt for what he’s doing to Todd, does he even have a conscience at all?