Jason Grimshaw in Coronation Street is Eileen‘s older son, and the big brother of Todd.
He had romances with Sarah Platt and Rosie Webster, among many many others, rubbed the wrong people up the wrong way and eventually fled Corrie altogether.
So what’s his story? And could he return?
When did Jason arrive in Coronation Street?
Fitness fan Jason arrived in the Street to surprise his mum Eileen on Christmas Day in 2000. He got a job working with Sally Webster (now Sally Metcalfe) in her electrical shop.
While he was out running one day, not long after his arrival, he came across Toyah Battersby, who was hiding out in the ginnel after being raped.
And he was soon getting involved with Sarah Platt – a romance that led to years of feuding between the two families.
Jason and Sarah
Jason soon got together with his brother’s ex-girlfriend Sarah Platt.
The pair had a tempestuous relationship, that was on then off then on again thanks to Jason’s on again, off again romance with Rovers barmaid Violet Wilson.
Eventually, Jason decided Sarah was the one for him and proposed.
But at the wedding Jason climbed through a window and legged it!
Second time lucky?
After a few bumps in the road – including one abandoned baby who turned out to belong to Charlie Stubbs who’d told his one-night-stand his name was Jason, Sarah and Jason reconciled.
They planned another wedding, but along with choosing dresses and arranging the reception, Sarah was busy feuding with her brother, David.
By now Jason was working as a builder and David loosened the screws on the scaffolding at the yard in revenge for his family problems. Jason fell and narrowly avoided serious injury.
But the feud continued and when David was offered a job in Milan with his Uncle Stephen, Sarah planted drugs on him and Stephen changed his mind about the job.
Instead he offered it to Sarah and together with Jason and daughter Bethany, they set off. But on the way, Sarah confessed what she’d done and disgusted Jason returned to the Street.
Why did Jason leave Corrie?
Jason’s dad Tony Stewart arrived in 2014, and the pair got to know each other. Tony felt bad about not being there when Jason was growing up, so he bought the builder’s yard for his son.
But Jason’s brother Todd, who was working as his receptionist, started buying dodgy material for the builders to use leaving the brothers at loggerheads and Eileen caught between them.
When Callum Logan – Max Turner’s real dad – turned up in the Street, things took a dark turn for Jason. When he intervened in a row between Sarah and Callum, Callum beat him up.
Tony died from a heart attack and Jason was heartbroken. And even more so when Tony was blamed for Callum’s grisly death. In actual fact, it was Kylie Platt who’d killed Callum when she caught him attacking Sarah.
Pat Phelan, by then in a relationship with Eileen, convinced Jason he was in danger from Callum’s cronies and torched his van to ‘prove’ they were after him.
Of course, Phelan was conning Jason but he fell for the ruse and scarpered to Thailand, where he still lives.
Who played Jason Grimshaw?
Jason was played by Ryan Thomas. He was only 16 when he joined the cast of Coronation Street and grew up on screen, leaving after 16 years.
Since leaving Corrie, Ryan has appeared in Neighbours and in a controversial series of Big Brother, where he was the target of malicious untruths from fellow former soap star Roxanne Pallett.
Ryan went on to win the show and Roxanne apologised for her behaviour.
And Ryan isn’t the only soap star in his family, brother is Adam Thomas, who played Adam Barton in Emmerdale.
Ryan has a daughter, Scarlett, with his former Corrie co-star Tina O’Brien (who plays Sarah).
Since 2017, Ryan’s been in a relationship with Lucy Mecklenburgh. The cute couple are engaged and have two children – three year old Roman and a new baby girl.
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Is Jason Grimshaw returning to Coronation Street?
With Todd back on the Street, we’d love to see the return of Jason.
Sadly, back in 2021, Ryan said he was retiring from acting and lost the bug for his former career.
But with Todd having been recast so successfully, perhaps there could be a new Jason in the Street one day?
Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
Classic Coronation Street is on ITV3 every week day at 3pm and 3.30pm.
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