Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas has made a return to the show’s former production base in Manchester City Centre.
The actor, 40, played builder Jason Grimshaw in the ITV soap for sixteen years before departing for pastures new in 2016.
Earlier this year he won the latest series of Dancing On Ice, and it has recently been announced that he’ll soon be hosting his very own gameshow, 99 to Beat, with his brother Adam, who has appeared in Emmerdale and Waterloo Road.
This week he returned to his former stomping ground, Old Granada Studios in the Castlefield area of Manchester.
Coronation Street was filmed at Granada for 53 years, before transferring to a purpose-built 7.7 acre location on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Trafford, near MediaCityUK, in 2014.
Eileen, Todd and Jason Grimshaw in their living room in Coronation Street
Jason and Tina look tense in Coronation Street
Following a brief spell as a tourist attraction, the majority of buildings on the old lot were cleared or redeveloped – with Aviva Studios, an events space, built on top of the original outdoor Corrie set that appeared between 1968 and 1982.
It’s replacement, which was in use until the move, was largely demolished though some remnants remain – such as the viaduct and bistro façade which is attached to the side of th
e main studio building, and a stables block that was once dressed as the Rosamund Street Medical Centre.
Ryan Thomas pictured on the Old Granada Studios wearing a grey coat and flat cap
Ryan Thomas pictured on the Old Granada Studios wearing a grey flat cap, shirt, and blue denim jeans
The street itself is now a carpark, which Ryan posted photos from on his Instagram.
‘I got invited to a friend’s 70th in Manchester last week. I had no idea it was going to be in the old medical centre of the original Coronation Street’ he told his 1.1 million followers.
He continued: ‘This is where the most important time of my life all started. Makes me emotional coming back here. I would not be where I am today without this magical place growing up.’
An exterior view of the Old Granada Studios, the former Coronation Street set
The site is now a car park (Picture: Michael Adams)
In another snap, indicating where the Grimshaw’s family home at No. 11 once stood, he added: ‘Top of this building is where I did my audition for Jason… now the new Soho House in Manchester.’
His Corrie alter-ego continues to be frequently mentioned, with on-screen mum Eileen (Sue Cleaver) currently visiting him in Thailand.
Jason had been involved in an accident on his moped, and had been rushed to hospital. The plot had been devised to facilitate Sue’s time off to appear as Mother Superior in Sister Act: The Musical.
