June 26th 2024.
After eight years away, Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas has returned to the show's former production base in Manchester City Centre. The 40-year-old actor, known for his role as builder Jason Grimshaw, bid farewell to the ITV soap in 2016 to pursue other opportunities. This year, Ryan triumphed as the winner of Dancing On Ice, and it was recently announced that he will soon be hosting his own game show, 99 to Beat, with his brother Adam, who has also appeared in Emmerdale and Waterloo Road.
This week, Ryan revisited his old stomping ground, Old Granada Studios in the Castlefield area of Manchester. For 53 years, Coronation Street was filmed at Granada before moving to a new location near MediaCityUK in 2014. The Grimshaw family joined the show in 2000 and their beloved character is still mentioned from time to time.
After a brief period as a tourist attraction, most of the buildings on the original set were cleared or redeveloped. A new events space, Aviva Studios, was built on top of the outdoor Corrie set that was used between 1968 and 1982. The replacement set, which was used until the move, was mostly demolished, but some remnants still remain. These include the iconic viaduct and bistro façade, which is now attached to the main studio building, as well as a stables block that was once used as the Rosamund Street Medical Centre.
Ryan described the old site as "magical" and even pointed out where the Grimshaw house used to stand. He shared photos from the now-empty carpark on his Instagram, revealing that he had attended a friend's 70th birthday party at the old medical centre. "This is where the most important time of my life all started," he wrote, getting emotional about his return to the place that helped shape his career. "I would not be where I am today without this magical place growing up."
In another snap, Ryan showed where he had auditioned for the role of Jason on top of the building that is now the new Soho House in Manchester. Despite leaving the show, his character is still frequently mentioned, with his on-screen mum Eileen currently visiting him in Thailand. In a recent plot, Jason was involved in a moped accident and was rushed to the hospital, giving actress Sue Cleaver some time off to appear in Sister Act: The Musical.
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