Tony Cowell
Former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas, 35, has teamed up with his younger brothers, 31-year-old twins, Emmerdale actor Adam and 2016 Love Island star Scott, in a bid to explore their grandfather’s Indian heritage - and discover the truth about their ancestry for a funny and heartwarming new ITV documentary. Here, the boys open up about their emotional journey from Manchester to the slums of Mumbai, how their family is doing their bit for the NHS, and Ryan - who welcomed baby son, Roman, with fiancée, reality star Lucy Mecklenburgh two months ago – talks about the joys and challenges of becoming a dad, during lockdown…
How did the idea for this documentary come about?
SCOTT: Well, we all agreed we wanted to do something together on telly for a change. And we knew we were born a quarter Indian, but we didn’t really know how that came about. So, we decided to go to India and trace our family roots.
Was this the first time you’d all been to India?
RYAN: Yes, it was the first time, but it won’t be the last because we’ve discovered family out there. In the future, it would be great to take our kids to meet them. India is such a beautiful place, and so are the people – it’s way different from Manchester. Mumbai was crazy, but then we got to travel to Goa, in search of our lost family.
Were there some emotional moments, exploring your roots?
RYAN: Yes, there were, mainly because we had so many unanswered questions about our past. Our dad, Dougie, came with us on the journey, so we had some long chats with him about the past – and why he was absent in our lives for over seven years. Dad also had his own emotional moments, finding out things he never knew about his own father. So yes, there were a few teary moments for us all. Adam and I were crying at some of the things we learned out there. The whole situation caught us off guard, really – and we were so far from home. ADAM: The whole thing was overwhelming at times, particularly when we finally met our first family member. The look on my dad’s face was amazing, and he opened up to us for the first time. Before, he was very much a closed book, and found it hard to show his feelings. I got to learn so much about my dad and my granddad on this trip. It has brought us closer together.
Adam, you were away from your wife, Caroline, and kids for over two months filming this. Was that hard?
It was hard, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with my brothers and my dad. I was then lucky enough to get a job working on [ I’m A Celeb spin-off] Extra Camp. I had to say goodbye to my brothers and spend five weeks on my own in Australia, which was daunting!
You’ve been helping NHS workers from your restaurant, haven’t you?
ADAM: Yeah, we only opened last October, but had to adapt very quickly, so we are continuing to provide free meals to hospital staff, which we deliver. I am trying to help as much as I can, because all these key workers are doing such a fantastic job. Our mum, Gail, is a nurse of 40 years – and she is working on one of the wards at the new Nightingale hospital.
You’re very close, you three. Has it always been that way?
SCOTT: When we were growing up, we had to share everything, including rooms – so we were together most of the time! I believe we have a bond that is unbreakable. When Dad left us, I think that is when we came to depend on each other even more. I was 11 years old then – it was hard, but it brought us closer together.
Ryan, your son Roman was born in March. How is lockdown with a baby?
Obviously, it’s hard for any family bringing a new baby into life during lockdown. These are very scary times. Lucy and I were incredibly lucky to get out of hospital with Roman just as lockdown was beginning. Because we could not go out before the baby was born, it feels like we have been in lockdown since February. It’s hard, but Lucy and I lean on each other and do the best we can – because there is nobody that can come in and help you – and every other parent with a young baby will relate to that.
Are there plans for you guys to do any more TV together, as a family?
ADAM: We would definitely do more together – we’ve enjoyed doing this documentary so much. We all have a little showbusiness in our blood, and it makes sense for us to do more projects together! This is new for all of us – people have never seen us all together like this. We just hope the viewers like this show as much as we did making it! Absolutely India: Mancs in Mumbai continues on ITV, Wednesday at 8pm.