Coronation Street’s George Shuttleworth and Christina Boyd are drawn back into Todd Grimshaw’s dark storyline next week – just when it seems that he may need their support more than ever. Will the couple get any closer to discovering Todd’s terrifying ordeal with abusive Theo Silverton?

George recently cut ties with Todd after a string of hurtful rows with his long-time friend and colleague. However, he was unaware that Todd had been influenced by manipulative Theo, who’s trying to cut him off from all sources of support.

Next week, George and Christina celebrate being in such a strong position with their own relationship. The pair are more loved-up than ever – and George couldn’t be happier to have found someone so soon after Eileen Grimshaw’s departure in June. But Christina knows that he’s missing having his friend around…

“Christina can tell that George isn’t his usual self,” our Corrie source explains. “While things are great for George on the romance front, he misses having Todd by his side at work. They made a great team at the funeral parlour, until Theo stuck his oar in.

“Rather than let the feud go on for much longer, Christina gently tells George that it’s obvious he misses Todd. She urges him to swallow his pride and patch things up, for everyone’s sake.”

This is a sign of growth for Christina too. There was a time when she would have relished all the drama, but she appears to have changed her ways and truly has George’s best interests at heart.

Later in the week, while George is still mulling things over, he heads off to Speed Daal with Christina for a date.

Suddenly, the pair are interrupted by concerned Gary Windass, who reveals that he just heard something strange when passing Todd and Theo’s flat.

“Gary explains that he heard a loud crash,” our insider continues. “While this won’t be too surprising for viewers, who’ve witnessed Theo’s violence and controlling behaviour behind closed doors, it’s the first moment that the local residents have noticed something is amiss.”

Will George and Christina investigate – and get closer to the truth? And could this play a role in Todd and Theo’s upcoming special episode, which airs in the run-up to Christmas?

Speaking recently about Todd’s friends getting involved in the story, Coronation Street’s producer Kate Brooks commented: “We’re not rooting for this couple – we’re rooting for Todd. We’re rooting for Todd to see the light. As we take in George and Christina and Sarah – all these people who care about and love Todd – they are absolutely oblivious to what’s going on between the two behind closed doors.

“And it’s going to be really interesting to watch what happens when people do get a peek inside at what happens behind closed doors…”