Hannah Montana fans are just realising Brit soap icon stars in it

Hannah Montana is celebrating twenty years since it hit the TV screens of little girls around the world - but did you know a Coronation Street star was in the original movie?

The iconic series became a pop culture phenomenon synonymous with childhood for many of us when it debuted on Disney Channel in March 2006.

It followed seemingly regular teenage girl, Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cyrus), who, when she wasn't at school, was playing to sold-out stadiums as pop sensation Hannah Montana.

And now, a 20th anniversary special landed on Disney+ earlier this week (24 March), which featured an in-depth interview with Cyrus, hosted by Alex Cooper, with recreations of the original Stewart living room and the legendary Hannah Montana closet serving as the backdrop.

Viewers also got a special behind-the-scenes look at pieces from Miley's archival collection, familiar faces, surprise guests, and a special musical performance by Cyrus.

Hannah Montana fans are celebrating the iconic show's 20th anniversary (Disney)

With everyone talking about Hannah Montana once again, people have been reminiscing on the show and are just now realising where they recognise some of the characters from.

One actor in particular, surprisingly, starred alongside the 'Party In The USA' singer, years before he became a regular on the British soap.

We're talking about Cobbles actor Peter Gunn, who played the role of Brian Packham, headteacher of Bessie Street School and former partner of Julie Carp, on and off the show since 2010.

But in 2009, shortly before he joined the soap opera, Gunn played British journalist Oswald Granger in Hannah Montana: The Movie and spent three months filming in America.

Recognise him yet?

Peter Gunn, who plays Oswald Granger in the Hannah Montana movie, went on to become a recurring character in Coronation Street (Disney)

His character was a sneaky undercover journalist for celebrity magazine BonChic, trying to expose Miley's secret double life.

Realising that they recognised the actor in the movie, fans took to social media to share their surprise.

One fan penned on X: "wtffff was Peter Gunn doing in Hannah Montana?," while a second wrote: "I always thought I recognised Oswald from Hannah Montana: The Movie from somewhere...It's only Peter Gunn aka Brian Packham from @itvcorrie."

A third joked: "Never getting over Corrie's Brian Packham being the secondary villain of Hannah Montana the movie."

And a fourth agreed: "I was today years old when I found out Corrie's Brian Packham was in the Hannah Montana movie."

In light of the 20th anniversary special, the star sat down with his fellow Corrie friends, Jack P. Shepherd, Ben Price, and Coslon Smith, to talk about the career moment on their podcast, On The Sofa.

The English actor has played Brian Packham on the soap on and off since 2010 (ITV)

He admitted: "The weird thing is that I didn’t know who Miley Cyrus was when I was up for the part. I can remember asking my eight-year-old son, 'Have you heard of this Miley Cyrus?'"

Discussing the sheer scale of Hannah Montana's popularity, Gunn added, "We’re in Nashville, which is her hometown, and I’m thinking ‘yeah, she’s a Nashville girl, so she’s going to be popular.'

“But then the first week I’m there, in the evening I’m in the hotel room and put the television on, and there’s a discussion about what Miley’s done that day. I thought why are they discussing that? Because they did every day.

"This was on the local news, and I’m thinking, ‘Flipping hell, she is big, isn’t she?’ And then you realise, as we’re going around wherever we go, she has security, people just go absolutely berserk."