LONDON -- Coronation Street has cast an actor with Down syndrome for the first time.
The popular soap, which has been on British screens several times a week since 1950, picked 26-year-old Liam Bairstow for the role of Cathy Matthews' nephew Alex.
Producer Stuart Blackburn said he discovered Bairstow at a workshop for actors with disabilities called Breaking Through, and praised his "wonderful sense of timing."
"He's going to be coming in as Cathy's nephew," he said. "It's not some politically correct thing. We actually found there a really great actor with a wonderful sense of timing. The cast have been really enjoying working with him."
Cathy’s nephew Alex to be played by Liam Bairstow who was cast during ITV's #breakingthroughtalent #CorriePressDay pic.twitter.com/6phFAEs0wb— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) August 11, 2015
Bairstow has been a member of disability theatre company Mind The Gap since 2009. He's toured the country in a production of Treasure Island, playing six different roles in the show.
In a profile on their site, he talks about his dreams of acting in a soap, although he names Emmerdale over Corrie. He also says he helps out his uncle in his local pub in his spare time, which should come in handy for any scenes in the Rovers Return.