Note: This article discusses topics including rape and baby loss.
When Coronation Street rewrote a chapter of Toyah Battersby's life with a historical stillbirth, the last thing viewers expected was for this controversial twist to lead to hints of an affair between Toyah and Nick Tilsley.
The revelation that Toyah gave birth to a baby girl and buried her in the park after being unable to resuscitate her was connected to her 2001 rape storyline. Long-time viewers will recall this plot was also poorly received at the time, due to its being played as a 'whodunnit'.
Whatever our thoughts on the narrative, Georgia Taylor's portrayal of Toyah's harrowing ordeal, both then and now, was incredibly moving. Putting aside our disbelief over the timing of Toyah's past pregnancy, this was an opportunity to tell a sensitive story on baby loss.
Taylor did a commendable job with the material she was given and the writers skilfully tied Toyah's later struggles with fertility into the script. But this only showcases why Toyah deserves much better from the ITV soap. It feels as though Coronation Street doesn't quite know what to do with Toyah, which is where this sudden, apparent attraction to Nick comes in.
Shortly after confiding her secret, Toyah shared a charged look with Nick, the partner of her stepsister Leanne Battersby. Although nothing has happened between the pair so far, Nick and Toyah have continued to grow closer, suggesting that Coronation Street intends to use them for the soap's next big love triangle.
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We certainly don't want to see the destruction of one of serial drama's most enduring and iconic double acts in Leanne and Toyah. They overcame Toyah's bombshell relationship with Peter Barlow, who had long since divorced Leanne at the time. But Nick is the love of Leanne's life, her teenage sweetheart and, most importantly, they are very much still together despite a rocky patch.
With this in mind, it's hard to believe that Toyah would even consider a fling with Nick, so it doesn't sit right that the show is even teasing the prospect.
It is, at least, very on-brand to see moralistic Toyah looking into helping people in order to soothe herself, and investigating Leanne's obsession with The Institute at the hands of dodgy leader Rowan Cunliffe. But everything else about Toyah's current situation simply doesn't make sense, including the fact that nothing prior to her revelation supports this new narrative.
The aftermath has been neglected, with Toyah's world returning almost entirely to normal. Her overwhelming secret grief has been undermined by this lack of follow-up and distasteful connection with Nick – although there's still time to prove us wrong with the direction in which the show takes the latter.
A strong soap storyline is life-changing for those involved and delivers powerful aftermath, something Coronation Street mastered particularly well with Aidan Connor's devastating suicide and the monstrous murder of Seb Franklin.
So why isn't Toyah being given the same focus? Yes, she is still appearing on screen, but her revisited, retconned storyline has been left entirely by the sidelines and rendered pointless – and this is not the first time it's happened.
Back in 2022, when Toyah was cleared of murdering husband Imran Habeeb, her fostering journey was abandoned. And while we were instead treated to a dose of nostalgia with the return of her first love Geoffrey ‘Spider' Nugent, their reunion did not last.
True, Toyah's past is never forgotten, demonstrated last year when she provided a listening ear for Amy Barlow, who had also been raped. When it came to her own storyline, however, Toyah was only given the spotlight for two episodes.
Indeed, Toyah is utilised as a supporting character for everyone else, while the poignant scenes during which Nick was there for her have been turned into something sordid, even without the pair crossing that line.
Soon after, Rowan's manipulation of Leanne led her to callously block Toyah from unburdening her pain and trauma. This also prevented viewers from hearing more on Toyah's current state of mind, a rather disrespectful way to gloss over both stillbirth and infertility.
Last Christmas, a fond Toyah was seen holding Imran's young son Alfie, whose mother is Abi Webster. Abi half-joked that Toyah should be watched closely, to ensure she didn't run off with Alfie.
While this was a nod to Toyah's previous attempts to raise not just Alfie, but Eva Price's baby Susie as her own, Toyah ultimately returned Susie and supported Abi's efforts to regain custody of Alfie. Surely it's time to stop using Toyah's history to mock her, and avoid using the delicate issue of infertility against the character in the first place.
Recounting her loss of baby Rose should have marked a turning point for Toyah, a way of exploring her mindset and giving her worthy screen time beyond that initial, heartbreaking scene. By depriving her of this, and resorting to random romantic tension with Nick, Coronation Street is letting Toyah down.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
Organisations including Sands and Tommy's are able to offer help and support to anyone affected by baby loss.
