Pictures of Pwllheli actor Gareth Pierce as Coronation Street’s Todd Grimshaw have been released.

The runaway character will return to Weatherfield almost three years after disappearing from the cobbles and, when he does, he will look a little different.

Gareth has been brought in to replace Bruno Langley, who played the role for 16 years.

Thirty-nine-year-old Gareth is best known for his roles as Lenny Mack in Sky 1’s Stella and Gavin Moss in The Archers.

He also starred in Ordinary Lies and Hinterland for BBC.

Of his Coronation Street role, Gareth said: “I’m thrilled to be joining such an iconic show, and to have been entrusted with taking Todd forward into some really exciting storylines.

It’s an honour to be part of the dedicated Coronation Street team in such unprecedented times.”

Todd will be seen on the Street this autumn, but the seeds of his return have already been sown.

With Eileen away in Thailand, visiting her other son Jason, a letter from Todd is opened by Mary and Sean who break the news to Todd’s former partner Vicar Billy Mayhew. The trio then embark on a manhunt to try and track him down.

The last time viewers saw Todd was in late 2017 when he fled Weatherfield with Billy’s goddaughter Summer after her grandmother Geraldine attempted to gain custody of the girl. When they were tracked down by the police, Todd assaulted a police officer and ran off on his own.

Where has Todd been hiding, why does he need the cash and why doesn’t he want to be found? The letter starts months of intrigue and mystery until Todd finally breaks cover, much to the relief of mum and friends.