Coronation Street star wants Jacob's family to join soap

Relative theory: Jack James Ryan has ideas on who could play Jacob Hay's parents. (Image credit: ITV)

Coronation Street star Jack James Ryan, who plays Jacob Hay, says he’d like his character’s parents to be introduced.

Jacob is currently one of the few residents in Weatherfield with no family connections to other characters on the street.

Asked if he’d like Jacob’s mother and father to make an appearance, 25-year-old Jack tells us, "It would be so interesting, given that things come up where you start to discover more about Jacob’s past.

"It would be amazing to see that on-screen, but I think we need to let him bed in a bit more first."

Asked which actors he’d like to be cast as Jacob’s parents, he adds, "Wow… is Stephen Graham free?!

"And I’d like Sarah Lancashire to come back to Coronation Street, but as my mum."

Sarah Lancashire famously played Coronation Street barmaid Raquel Watts (nee Wolstenhulme) from 1991 to 1996, before making a one-off return in 2000.

But what fans may not know is that Stephen Graham also appeared in the soap.

The acclaimed actor appeared in six episodes between June 1999 and September 1999 as Lee Sankey, a drug dealer who worked with Steve McDonald, selling tobacco.

Coronation Street Lee Sankey Stephen Graham — Street life: A young Stephen Graham as Weatherfield's Lee Sankey, pictured with characters Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson, left) and Vinny Sorrell (James Gaddas, centre). (Image credit: ITV)

Jacob Hay was initially introduced for a guest stint in early 2021 as a drug dealer who groomed Simon Barlow, but he was recently re-introduced on a permanent basis, with show boss Iain MacLeod revealing that the troubled character would be on a mission to turn his life around.

In next week’s episodes, it will be revealed that he is the mystery boyfriend of Amy Barlow.

Coronation Street Amy Jacob — Secret love: Amy (Elle Mulvaney) has fallen for Jacob, but parents Steve and Tracy are in the dark. (Image credit: ITV)

Adds Jack, "Fundamentally, Jacob is from a broken home, and hasn’t really had someone in his life who’s been able to look after him.

"It’s not been easy for him. A lot of the mistakes and choices he has made are because he’s not had anyone to nurture him and coach him.

"Harvey Gaskell was that father figure - here was this man, who said 'I’m gonna look after you, you’re gonna make some good money,' and then all of a sudden he was embroiled in something he couldn’t get out of.

"With Harvey in prison, he’s thought, 'This is my opportunity to leave the gang and try and make a new life for myself.'

"Amy’s definitely known to like a bad boy, but on a genuine level, they just find each other really funny, and they really fancy each other. He is head over heels for her, and she is a huge factor in why he wants to leave the gang.

"He has proper fallen for her, and he thinks 'My life could be really good with this girl if I sort myself and we try and make a go of it.'"

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV - see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITV Hub now.

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Alison Slade has over 20 years of experience as a TV journalist and has spent the vast majority of that time as Soap Editor of TV Times magazine. She is passionate about the ability of soaps to change the world by presenting important, issue-based stories about real people in a relatable way. There are few soap actors that she hasn’t interviewed over the years, and her expertise in the genre means she has been called upon as a judge numerous times for The British Soap Awards and the BAFTA TV Awards.

When she is not writing about soaps, watching soaps, or interviewing people who are in soaps, she loves going to the theatre, taking a long walk or pottering about at home, obsessing over Farrow and Ball paint.