Fans of Coronation Street may be surprised to learn that Jude Riordan, who plays Sam Blakeman, is not the only member of his family to appear on the ITV soap. The young actor has been portraying Sam since 2020, but his real-life brother Zach also made a guest appearance on the show.
Jude Riordan's Character Sam Blakeman
Jude joined the cast of Coronation Street in 2020 as Sam Blakeman, the secret son of Nick Tilsley, played by Ben Price. Since then, Sam has been involved in several major storylines, including the heartbreaking death of his mother, Natasha Blakeman (Rachel Leskovac), who was murdered by Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor). Recently, Sam's mental state has deteriorated, leading to hallucinations and a psychic breakdown that resulted in hospitalization.
Father Paul Riordan Is a Director on the Soap
Jude comes from a showbiz family. His father, Paul Riordan, has directed several episodes of Coronation Street. Paul began his career in the industry with a role in Hollyoaks before becoming a successful television director, with credits on soaps such as Emmerdale and Casualty. In 2021, Paul directed his son on the set of Coronation Street. Jude shared a photo on social media of himself embracing his father, captioned: "When you haven't been well but can't miss your first Corrie scene directed by yer Dad @paulrio27."
The father-son duo also posed for a photo together on the famous cobbles in 2020, near the street's salon, with the caption: "Another blockbuster with the Father @paulrio27 a busy couple of days! More bold choices. Back with him next week @coronationstreet."
Brother Zach Also Appeared on the Cobbles
In 2022, Jude's brother Zach made a guest appearance on Coronation Street as Oscar, Sam's rival in a chess tournament. After the episode aired, Jude took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his excitement, writing: "When it was Bring Your Brother to Work Day ... Sam smashed Oscar out of the bistro. BEST DAY so far."
Fans were shocked to learn that Zach is Jude's real-life brother. One viewer replied: "Didn't realise that was your real brother @JudeRiordan wow how lovely!! Fab having a scene together playing Chess Rivals!! Will have to watch again on Catch-up."
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
