Coronation Street Blog: Ryan Thomas hits Ramsay Street

Last night saw the on-screen debut of Ryan Thomas in the cult Aussie soap, Neighbours.

After Jason Grimshaw left Weatherfield in 2016, Ryan has done his fair share of panto and has taken part in Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls… but this is his first TV acting role since Corrie.

Ryan is playing Rafael Humphreys, a mysterious character who arrived in Erinsborough during last night’s hour-long special. We have been told that he is seeking revenge against Paul Robinson, a Neighbours legend. This is a very short clip from the trailer that trumpeted Rafael’s arrival:

In his first appearance, Rafael checked himself into the Backpackers Hostel. He also followed Paul around and broke into his penthouse apartment in the more salubrious Lassiters Hotel, where he watched Robbo sleep. Creepy!

‘Neighbs’ is my second soap – I love it! It refuses to take itself too seriously and it strikes the perfect balance between the sublime and the ridiculous. It certainly provides a sunny antidote to all the doom and gloom in Weatherfield at present.

Me on Coronation Street and Ramsay Street

This is not the first time that Neighbours and Coronation Street have crossed over. Fans of both may remember Hannah Martin, a Neighbours character in the 90s.

Rebecca Ritters, who played her, went on to guest in Corrie in 2002 as Australian backpacker Jules Robinson who briefly boarded with Les Battersby. Rebecca is the backpacker with curly hair in this montage:

There have been some good interviews with Ryan Thomas about his latest role, including this recent piece in the Radio Times. Ryan has said: "I grew up watching the show so to get the chance to join the cast is amazing".

Good for him, I say. It must be wonderful to work in Australia for a month or two and I am sure that his performance will go down well. It's nice hearing a Manchester accent in Neighbours, rather than the usual Southern ones that crop up when English people pass through Erinsborough.

As someone who enjoys both Coronation Street and Neighbours, I look forward to seeing how this pans out.

By Martin Leay, on Twitter @mpleay