Soap fans stunned as they spot THIS familiar face in Coronation Street

Eagle-eyed Coronation Street fans were left surprised last night when they spotted an unexpected familiar face on the cobbles...

Last night's Coronation Street saw Gemma Winter and Chesney Brown finally become a couple... but surprisingly that wasn't what got fans of the soap talking on social media.

Instead viewers couldn't get enough of the familiar face that they had spotted in the Monday night double bill.

Coronation Street spoilers: Gemma Winter discovers Paul stole Roy’s ring! — Haven't we seen you somewhere before?

Playing jewellery trader Big Garth in the market scenes with Gemma, Paul, Chesney and Emma was none other than British actor Victor McGuire - better known to TV fans as Jack Boswell from 80s sitcom Bread...

Other fans recognised the actor from when he starred alongside Only Fools and Horses legend Nicholas Lyndhusrt in Goodnight Sweetheart, where he played main character Gary Sparrow's best friend, Ron Wheatcroft...

One fan even loved seeing the actor on the soap so much that they have called for the new character to become a more permanent role...

Big Garth's big moment came when Paul stole a valuable ring that Roy Cropper had lost in the church jumble sale, and went to sell it for cash in the market.

The jewellery trader knew that the ring was worth a fortune, but fobbed oblivious Paul off by offering him £200 - only for Paul to later find out from Gemma that it was worth more than £3000!

Paul and Gemma then went to get the ring back, but when Big Garth refused to hand the jewellery back, they ended up getting trapped in his van as they attempted to steal the ring back.

In the end it was up to Chesney and Emma to come to the siblings' rescue and let them out of the van by distracting Big Garth as they pretended to shop for an engagement ring.

As Gemma thanked Chesney for being her knight in shining armour, Emma realised the pair are meant to be and put her own feelings for Chesney to one side and broke up with him so he could be with Gemma.

But is this romance set to last? And will we be seeing Big Garth again soon? Coronation Street fans definitely hope so!

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.

Picture credits: Main image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock, others all ITV.

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia.

After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off.

She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz!

As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.