Ryan says G’day to Neighbours
Corrie star to join the Down Under soap
NOW, here’s a Thing. It looks like Corrie’s Les Dennis is back from the dead… but only just. Comedian Les, 63 – on tour as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family musical – stepped out between performances with co-star Samantha Womack. The ex-Family Fortunes host looked ghostly in stage make- up as he greeted fans, while IT’S going to be G’day chuck as Corrie veteran Ryan Thomas signs up for Neighbours.
Ryan, 33, is swapping rain- swept Weatherfield for warmer climes in the Aussie soap, we can exclusively reveal.
The actor, who quit the Street last year after 17 years, becomes one of only a few British TV stars to move Down Under. He will be playing an English arrival and insiders are expecting him to be a big hit.
A source said: “It may come as a bit of a surprise but people are confident he’ll make a big splash on Neighbours.
“He’ll bring his Corrie fans with him and earn a new legion of fans along the away.
“He is just waiting on his visa. Then he’ll be moving to Australia to film the show.”
While British exports to Aussie soaps are rare, former Neighbours stars such as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan have been a huge success on our screens. The show, first shown in Britain by the BBC in 1986, is now screened by Channel 5.
It is not yet known what the move will do for Ryan’s blossoming romance with ex-Towie star Lucy Mecklenburgh, 26, after they met on Celebrity Island.