Coronation Street star Todd Boyce has said he cried after filming the scenes which led to his character becoming a killer. During Monday night's episode of the ITV soap (September 26) viewers were stunned when Stephen Reid's scuffle with Leo Thompkins ended in the latter's death.
For the last couple of weeks, fans have seen Leo's suspicions of Stephen growing and with good reason as viewers know that he is desperate for money and planning on swindling his mother, Audrey Roberts, out of her cash.
In scenes aired last week, realising his lies were starting to come undone, Stephen told his family in front of Leo and his fiancee Jenny Connor that he and Jenny shared a kiss and that's why Leo is out to get back at him. But of course, Leo didn't have a clue and it lead to Leo punching Stephen.
With a bee now in his bonnet, and on a mission to prove that Stephen is a liar, during the latest trip to the cobbles Leo spoke to the estate agent who was booked to value Audrey’s house, before eavesdropping on a conversation with Stephen's estranged wife, Gabrielle.
Confronting Stephen, Leo revealed he heard every word and knows his plan is to get his hands on the equity from Audrey’s house to pay her back. As he followed Leo onto the factory gantry, Leo taunted him, threatening to call Audrey and spill the truth. And seeing red, Stephen lunged at Leo amid a scuffle over his phone.
He then watched him fall over the railings and as Leo landed with a thud on the commercial bin down below, Stephen hurried down the ladder to check if he was okay. But Stephen now has blood on his hands as he killed Leo in their scuffle and was seen bundling his body into his car and driving out of Weatherfield.
Todd, who reprised the role of Stephen earlier this year, has revealed that Stephen will try and cover up Leo's death by pretending he has gone off to Canada as he had planned to. But the final scenes for Joe Frost, who played Leo, appear to have stirred up real emotion for the Canadian actor.
"Probably like everyone in the world, I have spent my life thinking the worst thing anyone can do is be the reason for someone dying," the soap star told the Manchester Evening News and other press. "And we were filming a scene and Jenny stops me outside the Bistro and says, 'Clever ploy telling Leo about our kiss,' and I say, 'I thought he knew'... Lie.
"Then I leave Jenny and Carlo [Connor] shouts me and police cars are parked outside Underworld and from leaving Jenny to getting to Carla I started to cry because that's the natural [reaction]. And he [Stephen's] so alone. So I think he's feeling guilt. He's not a killer."
But Leo being dead hasn't solved Stephen's money troubles and the character's plan is to still defraud his own mother. "[i said to] Daniel Brocklebank [who plays Billy Mayhew], 'It's not going to be fun in Tesco's for me is it?' and he said, 'You'll have to do a lot of home deliveries."
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