Coronation Street airs violent climax to Toyah Battersby hostage crisis

 A gunshot seals one person's fate.

Coronation Street has aired a violent climax to Toyah Battersby's hostage crisis.

Toyah was taken hostage last week by a woman pretending to be Spider's wife – in reality, this woman, Maggie, was connected to a drugs case Spider worked on in the past.

Monday's (July 17) episode revolved around Spider scrambling to find Toyah before it was too late, while also convincing Leanne Battersby not to get the police involved.

Spider eventually explained that Maggie has held a grudge against him because her husband ended up dead as part of one of his drug investigations.

He eventually received a text message from Maggie ordering him to follow her instructions to a meeting place, or she'd kill Toyah.

While Spider headed off for the rendezvous point, Leanne was panicked over the situation. She admitted to Nick she was furious over Spider refusing to involve the police.

At the meeting place, Spider spotted Maggie with a gun and soon was forced to kneel at Toyah's side. Spider made one last play to get Maggie to back down by insisting that he didn't love Toyah so killing her would be useless.

"Your husband was a scumbag heroin dealer. He ruined people's lives, children's lives," Spider then went on to tell her.

Spider lunged at Maggie and urged Toyah to run, but as she took off, Toyah heard a gunshot in the background. She turned around to the horrifying sight of Spider on the ground.

Toyah decided it was now or never so she bolted. Viewers then saw Maggie aiming her gun, but as the camera switched back to Toyah running away, another shot rang out.

This time, Toyah turned to see Spider standing over the fallen Maggie. Police finally arrived on the scene soon after this, with Spider's superior DS Swain tearing a strip off him for not calling for backup sooner.

Back in Weatherfield, Leanne was relieved to hear Toyah was safe but still irate that Spider had put her life in danger in the first place.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Toyah begged Spider to give up his undercover work, but when he hesitated, she ended their relationship saying she needed to be with someone who put her first. Is it really over for Toyah and Spider?