Ryan Thomas has shared his verdict after his daughter Scarlett appeared on the newly-rebooted BBC drama Waterloo Road, and it seems he’s very much the proud dad we knew he would be.
Ryan, 38, shares 14-year-old daughter Scarlett with his former Corrie co-star Tina O’Brien, and also has two kids with current partner Lucy Mecklenburgh.
Last night, young Scarlett made her acting debut on Waterloo Road, starring alongside her real-life uncle – Ryan's brother – Adam Thomas, 34, who had appeared in the show when it originally aired on BBC One.
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They are also joined by Adam’s son Teddy, eight, with the trio playing Donte and his two kids Tommy and Izzie.
The on-screen family is completed by Katie Griffiths, who has reprised her role as Donte’s now-wife Chlo.
Well, it looks like Ryan couldn’t be prouder of his daughter, brother and nephew for their work together, after posting a gushing message about the new series on Instagram.
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Speaking ahead of the programme last night (3 January), he explained that they had all been able to watch it as a family before it aired.
"What a time to be alive,” he said.
“Waterloo Road, my little brother Adam, my little nephew Teddy and eldest daughter Scarlett take over the TV screen together as a family.
"Talk about a proud moment for the Thomases!
“Wow, I can't wait for you guys to see it. We watched it together as a family and it’s beyond beautiful, so well shot and an incredible storyline. You will love it.”
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He added: “Go on, guys!”
Waterloo Road originally ran from 2006 to 2015, but was axed when the BBC noticed ratings were declining and decided to pull it.
However, over the years it has remained a firm fan favourite, and has even been one of the most popular shows on iPlayer since its release on the streaming platform in 2019.
The series' return was inspired in part by the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on education in the UK in recent years, with Adam previously promising the latest season would be the ‘best yet’.
Speaking about the announcement last year, Piers Wenger, the director of BBC Drama, said Waterloo Road is ‘the perfect lens through which to explore post-Covid Britain’ from the perspective of ‘young people in education’.
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Cameron Roach, the executive producer, added: "The vital and urgent stories that are playing out in schools across the UK provide incredible and emotionally powerful themes that we're excited to bring to a new generation of fans.
"Waterloo Road will continue its reputation for kickstarting, supporting and enabling careers both in front of and behind the camera, in a truly inclusive way, from our base in Greater Manchester."
In an interview with the Manchester Evening News last month, Adam echoed this sentiment, saying he hopes the show helps kickstart his son and niece's careers.
'It's just a dream come true the fact that Scarlett and Teddy get to start their career off on the same show that I did many moons ago, it's just unbelievable, it's full circle, it's magic how life works out," Adam said.
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"As a family we like to be centre of attention and are clowning around all the time, and Teddy and Scarlett both have that abundance, they just love it. Teddy is like a sponge. He sees Scarlett and he just does whatever she does. He just wants to be in it more.
"If I can help put a foot through the door then I'm going to do it. But at the end of the day they've still got to do the talking and I think they do that the show."
He also revealed that Teddy didn’t get the part in the first instance, explaining how he’d ‘got own to the last two and then they gave the part to someone else’.
"But unfortunately that kid couldn't do it, so they called me up to the office and I thought 'Oh god what have I done, I'm in trouble already', then they said 'We're thinking about giving the part to Teddy now, do you think he'd take it', and I said 'of course yeah',” he recalled.
"So after telling Teddy that he didn't get the part, I had to go back and tell him that he got it. He just started crying."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@ryanthomas84/BBCTopics: TV And Film, Celebrity, Ryan Thomas