Ryan Thomas has been reminded of his first-ever appearance in Coronation Street, and made an admission that seemingly addresses how much it still means to him to have been part of the long-running show. The Manchester-born actor, who retired from acting in 2021 but has since moved into presenting, shot to fame in the ITV soap after Jason Grimshaw arrived on-screen in 2000.
16 Years on the Cobbles
In his 16 years in Weatherfield, the character's storylines mostly revolved around his failed relationships with various women, from Sarah Platt and Rosie Webster to Becky McDonald and Eva Price. Jason left Weatherfield in 2016 after being manipulated by his mother's new boyfriend and later husband, Pat Phelan, but the door was also left open for a possible return as he emigrated to Thailand.
Coronation Street fans saw Ryan reprise the role of Jason for a brief period last year after almost a decade, which came after he was asked back as part of Sue Cleaver's exit storyline as she bowed out of playing Eileen after 25 years.
First Day Memories
Now, Ryan has been reminded of when he first appeared on-screen as Jason. In the scene, he was seen heading to No.5 Coronation Street, then the home of the Battersby's, looking for his mum, who was surprised to see him as he was supposed to be at his dad's. Resharing a post about his first appearance on the cobbles to his Instagram Story, Ryan wrote: "First day on Corrie. Christmas Day, never forget it [praying hands and heart emojis]."
Nerves on Return
After a number of years away, returning to the famous street last year sparked nerves for Ryan, who is now a father-of-three, sharing teenage daughter Scarlett with fellow Corrie star Tina O'Brien, and youngsters Roman and Lilah with fiancée Lucy Mecklenburgh. "I couldn't sleep the night before," he admitted. "Even though I'd been there half my life, I felt like the new kid at school. It took me half a day to get rid of the nerves."
Getting back into the mindset of his former alter-ego was also another challenge and required some preparation. "It was a bit of a shock to the system at first," Ryan said. "I even went on YouTube to rewatch old scenes and got nervous."
