Ryan Thomas, who played Coronation Street's Jason Grimshaw, is currently in the Celebrity Big Brother house. And when he comes out, he'll have a few months spare time before he starts in panto in December. Ryan is starring this year in swashbuckling pantomime adventure - Peter Pan. He'll be at the Beck Theatre in Hayes. You can book your tickets here. Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here! Read more Corrie news, interviews, gossip and spoilers
When Ryan Thomas left Coronation Street behind he said in his exit interview: "The decision to leave was an extremely difficult one but I felt that now was the right time to spread my wings and try other roles." Well, he has done some acting since he left Corrie. He joined the cast of Neighbours for a short while. At Christmas 2016 and 2017 he was in panto. and he's going to be in panto again this year. He's done meet and greets in clubs and pubs. And now he's gone into the Celebrity Big Brother House.
Can't say I blame him for doing these things, they're obviously lucrative. Good luck to him!
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.
Ryan Thomas who played Jason Grimshaw in Coronation Street, has joined the cast of Neighbours.
Ryan will play Rafael Humphreys, a mysterious loner with dark secrets who arrives in Erinsborough looking to escape a particularly difficult chapter from his past.
“I grew up watching the show so to get the chance to join the cast is amazing. I was on holiday with my daughter when I got a call from my agent about the part. I spoke to the producer and found out more – it was very different to anything I’d played before and I can’t wait to start filming!”
Greg Barnett, commissioning editor at Channel 5, said: “With his good looks and Corrie years under his belt, Ryan is the perfect handsome devil. His arrival in Erinsborough marks the start of darker times for a particular Ramsay Street favourite – prepare to be gripped!”
Since leaving Coronation Street as Jason Grimshaw has appeared in pantomime (Oh yes he has! etc) and he's going to be starring in pantomime again this Christmas too. You can read more on that here.
And today it's been revealed that he's returning to the world of soap - down under. Yes, Ryan is joining the cast of Aussie soap Neighbours.
Ryan will play a character called Raphael and a source tells the Mirror today: “Ryan’s news may come as a bit of a surprise but people are confident he’ll make a big splash on Neighbours. He’ll bring his Corrie fans with him and earn a new legion of fans along the away. He is just waiting on his visa. Then he’ll be moving to Australia to film the show.”
Since leaving Coronation Street as Jason Grimshaw, Ryan Thomas has appeared in pantomine. He's already signed up for pantomine this year too. Find out where!
When he left Coronation Street, Ryan Thomas told Inside Soap magazine that leaving the show has been the toughest decision he's had to make because it's been his life since he was 16 years old. It's all he knows, he said, and he wanted to experience more. Ryan was so impressed with Terence Maynard (the actor who played his father Tony) that it inspired him to leave the security of a long-term soap role and find out what the rest of the acting world has to offer. Well, he's appearing at a nightclub with his brother Scott in a meet and greet. If that's the sort of thing you like, then you'll like that sort of thing. It's Chic Nightclub in Birmingham and the Thomas brothers will be appearing on Friday 28 July.
Since leaving Coronation Street as Jason Grimshaw, Ryan Thomas appeared in pantomine last year. And he's just signed up to do panto this Christmas too.
Last year, Ryan starred in Cinderella at Swindon. And this year, he's starring as Captain Hook in Peter Pan at Venue Cymru. The panto opens on Saturday, December 9.
Ryan Thomas first appeared as Jason Grimshaw in Corrie on Christmas Day 2000. It was a role he went on to play for more than 16 years. Best known for romantic entanglements, he left Weatherfield last year in an emotional departure following the death of his on-screen father, Tony.
When he left the show, Ryan Thomas told Inside Soap magazine that leaving the show has been the toughest decision he's had to make because it's been his life since he was 16 years old. It's all he knows, he said, and he wanted to experience more. Ryan was so impressed with Terence Maynard (the actor who played his father Tony) that it inspired him to leave the security of a long-term soap role and find out what the rest of the acting world has to offer.
Peter Pan opens on Saturday, December 9 at Venue Cymru.
