Coronation Street star Colson Smith has received a playful 'stop it' from fans after he posted an unrecognizable throwback photo on social media, which left some followers doing a double-take. Best known for his role as PC Craig Tinker on the popular ITV soap, Colson joined the cast back in 2011 and credits the show's viewers for his impressive run, now in its 13th year.
He once revealed to Metro that his initial appearance was meant to be brief, just two episodes alongside his on-screen mum Beth Tinker, portrayed by Lisa George. However, due to positive audience reception, "the audience reacted to them and they were brought back," the 26-year-old actor recounted. Having been on the show for over a decade, fans have literally seen Colson grow up on screen. This made the throwback image he shared on social media, where he's dressed as a young schoolboy Craig, all the more striking for fans.
Fans quickly responded to the post with affectionate comments. @ally_t_scott remarked: "Awe look how young you were." @bigoaks73 observed: "Haven't changed a bit. Doing a great job." @tomj2912 exclaimed: "Oh bless look at little you @colsonjsmith."
Meanwhile, @lauraclare96 sent good wishes: "Awww look at you! ! Best of luck guys!!".@joandean8879 commented, "Oh wow, didn't realise you were that young when you started. Well done." @oliveessex1978 was surprised, posting, "Stop it @colsonjsmith, that's never you? ! " Meanwhile, @joyceoneil560 complimented him saying, "All handsome and grown up into a gorgeous young man."
A New Look For The Coronation Street Star
Colson Smith, famed for his role on Coronation Street, has recently undergone a significant change to his looks. At the end of the last month, he announced he had a hair transplant and shared an upbeat photo of himself.
In the image, he sports an unusual hairstyle with the front part shaved and some red strands left at the back. Opening up about opting for a hair transplant, Colson explained to his followers: "Slightly different to my usual hairstyle... On Monday I had a hair transplant. A transplant has been on my agenda since I first noticed my hair loss at the age 22! Losing my hair at such a young age has been a tough thing for me to come to terms with, I instantly feel SOOO much better and more confident that I've taken a step to getting back my luscious strawberry blonde locks."
He continued, "When I first met @bessamfarjo in 2023 he helped me understand my hair loss and the future of my hair, I feel so lucky to now be on my hair journey with such a talented and friendly team based here in Manchester. @farjohairinstitute. No more comb-overs and baseball caps. Here's to a future of having a cracking head of hair! ".
A Throwback For The NTA's
The Coronation Street cast are excitedly promoting the 2024 National Television Awards - which take place in London tonight.
The glitzy ceremony will be broadcast from the O2 Arena in the capital where the biggest names of the small screen will battle it out for top prizes. Corrie's cast will be attending en masse as their iconic show is up for one of the biggest awards of the night - Best Serial Drama.
Ahead of the ceremony, one cast member shared an epic throwback snap of himself from his early days on the cobbles when he was just a boy. Wearing a school uniform - complete with the distinctively bleak, yet traditional, British grey jumper - the then-child star looked thrilled to be holding one of the impressive NTA awards.
Taking to social media, the soap actor amused his fans by sharing his old photo - and fans were left stunned by how much he has changed over the decades. He also wrote a short and to-the-point caption alongside the throwback snap.
The star wrote: "WHAT DAY IS IT? NTA DAY" - alongside two shades wearing smiley face emojis. The actor in question is, of course, 26-year-old Colson Smith - who has played Craig Tinker on the ITV soap since 2011. He was just 12-years-old when he first appeared on the show - and fans were astonished by his old snap.
The official Coronation Street Instagram account reacted to the post by stating: "Incredible" alongside a crying-with-laughter emoji. Fellow star Ellie Leach, who played Faye Windass on the soap from 2011 and 2023, wrote: "get it girl" alongside a manicure emoji.
Colson was quick to interact with some fans who responded to his message. One wrote: "Awe look how young you were," and the TV star humorously replied to say: "This was taken this morning."
Other fans took to the comments to share words of affection, with one writing: "Haven't changed a bit, doing a great job." Another commented: "Oh just look at you." And a further fan typed: "Oh bless look at little you."
Some fans were astonished to realise that Colson had been in the long-running soap for so long. One fan wrote in reply to remark: "Oh wow, didn't realise you were that young when you started. Well done." And a further fan wrote in disbelief: "Stop it @colsonjsmith , that's never you?!"
Coronation Street's Colson Smith Goes From Child Star To Grown-Up Actor
Coronation Street fans have been divided in their responses as Craig Tinker star Colson Smith shared a throwback snap on social media. The actor, 26, has starred in the long-running ITV soap for a huge 13 years.
A teenage Craig made his Corrie debut back in 2011, when mum Beth Tinker went on a disastrous date with Steve McDonald. While originally only brought in for two episodes, the Tinkers proved popular with soap fans and were brought back full-time at the start of 2012, with Craig often at the centre of some dramatic storylines.
Tonight, Wednesday, will see the 2024 National Television Awards air on ITV. Ahead of the anticipated awards ceremony, Colson took to Instagram to share an old photo, which saw him as a teenager holding a previously-won NTA gong.
Captioning the snap, Colson said: "WHAT DAY IS IT? NTA DAY", and fans have been quick to comment. Some said Colson looked the same then as he does now, as Richard said: "Haven't changed a bit. Doing a great job" and Shaz said: "Recognise that smile anywhere".
But others said they noticed a more dramatic change, as Kelly said: "Gosh, wouldn't recognise you now. Best of luck for tonight" and May said: "Oh how much you've grown up! I remember you like this". One fan named Ally said: "Aw look how young you were" to which Colson jokingly replied: "This was taken this morning".
Coronation Street is up for the Serial Drama award, with Roy Cropper star David Neilson, and Peter Ash, who plays Paul Foreman, also up for best Serial Drama Performance. Celebrity Big Brother, which Colson took part in this year, is also up for the Reality Competition gong.
The National Television Awards air tonight from 8pm on ITV and ITVX
