Channel 5 viewers baffled as Coronation Street star appears in crime thriller
Coronation Street fans were left doing a double take as they spotted one actor in a very different role
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Fans of Coronation Street were left stunned after recognising one of its stars in a Channel 5 crime drama.

ITV soap watchers will recall that John Hollingworth had a short stint in Weatherfield earlier this year. The actor portrayed Dr Vincent Harper, the specialist surgeon who performed surgery on David (Jack P Shepherd) and Shona Platt’s (Julia Goulding) baby daughter, Harper.

Now, Corrie fans have spotted actor John in a completely different role. The 44-year-old is currently appearing in the second series of Channel 5’s detective drama Ellis, where he’s returned to his role as DS Malcolm Oliver – who was recently exposed as a corrupt police officer.

Multiple soap watchers expressed their astonishment after spotting the star in police uniform, rather than medical scrubs. Sharing a photograph of John appearing in Ellis, one person posted on a Facebook fan page: “Is that the dr from Corrie who delivered Harper?” reports the Daily Star.

Someone else responded: “Omg yes it is!” whilst a third said: “Oo I liked him.”

A fourth fan agreed, commenting: “Oh of course! I was wondering where I’d seen him,” with another viewer likewise posting: “Oo good observation! And wasn’t he a baddie!! Naughty copper.” Meanwhile, someone else observed: “Does not look like him though.”

Ellis first debuted in 2024, and followed DCI Ellis (portrayed by Sharon D. Clarke) and her assistant DS Chet Harper (Andrew Gower) as they were deployed to assist struggling police investigations at various local police stations.

The first season resonated strongly with audiences, who lavished praise on the drama and hailed it the “best show since Vera”. Ellis and Harper have now returned for another series, presently broadcasting on Channel 5, as they solve an array of fresh cases across towns in northern England.

The synopsis for the second season reveals: “Fresh from her victories in series one, DCI Ellis is once again parachuted into failing cases across the north of England. With Harper at her side, she faces a new wave of fractured communities and suspicious deaths that test not only her forensic brilliance but her resilience.

“The series takes them to a rural village, where the suspicious death of a beloved community leader exposes long-nursed resentments, to the industrial shadow of a stone works, where the death of a young woman reveals hidden networks of coercion and exploitation. Every case peels back layers of silence, ambition, and betrayal.”

The second instalment of the series aired on Wednesday (March 11), and delivered a shocking revelation when John’s character, Malcolm, was exposed as the culprit that Ellis and Harper had been pursuing.

After Malcolm’s true identity was uncovered, a dramatic confrontation ensued as Harper apprehended the villain. Fans have been expressing their delight at the show’s comeback on social media, with one X (formerly Twitter) user posting: “#Ellis is just fabulous, as crime dramas go. Sharon D. Clarke brings something so different to the role of DCI with heart, steely determination and vulnerability. Love it.”