CORONATION Street fans were stunned to see a familiar face pop up in a major US fantasy drama.
The much-awaited second series of HBO’s House of the Dragon launched on Monday night.
A prequel to the smash-hit Game of Thrones, the show takes place 200 years earlier and follows the Targaryen and Hightower families.
Viewers were surprised in the episode’s opening scenes as a Corrie alumnus made an appearance.
James Craven, who featured as a member of the Stark family, formerly played Aaron Sandford in the ITV soap.
Introduced as a member of a diabetics support group, Aaron starts dating Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) although his arc took a dark turn after he raped her best friend Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney).
Aaron had flirted with Amy following an argument with Summer, which in turn had stemmed from sharing their personal problems with his ex-girlfriend.
Although Amy had been at first receptive to the advances, she passed out before being able to give further consent.
With the young man denying what he’d done, Tracy Barlow’s daughter took to social media to reveal what had happened.
Aaron’s father Eric (Craig Cheetham) sued Amy for libel but this was later dropped and Aaron departed Weatherfield with his dad.
A year after his on-screen exit from Corrie aired, James’ House of the Dragon character was in very different territory.
The HBO episode started off in Winterfell while viewers heard a voiceover explaining how the selection process worked for men to become part of The Night’s Watch.
People drew stones out of a bag to determine who would be joining up, with James’ character unfortunately choosing the odd one out.
Having picked the black stone, the unnamed character realised he would have to leave his village behind to start his position at the wall.
As of now, it’s unknown whether the former soap star will reappear in the popular series, although James’ IMDb page credits him as Stark Night's Watch Candidate.
The actor’s former Coronation Street co-star Jack James Ryan, who played Jacob Hay, acknowledged the cameo on social media.
He wrote in his Instagram stories: "Everytime I turn on the telly I see bromeo and I’m really not mad about it [dragon and heart emoji]."
Who stars in House of the Dragon?
A prequel to smash-hit fantasy series Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon premiered in August 2022. The show features an ensemble cast playing characters in the fictional setting of Westeros. Let's take a look at some of the famous faces in House of the Dragon.
Paddy Considine: Actor, director and screenwriter Paddy received the role of King Viserys I Targaryen in House of the Dragon and led the ensemble in sesason one. Paddy's film credits include Hot Fuzz and The World's End, while his other TV work ranges from Peaky Blinders, The Outsider and The Third Day. He is also known for his collaborations with director Shane Meadows.
Matt Smith: Matt became the youngest ever actor to play Doctor Who, when he nabbed the role as a 29-year-old in 2009. Now a few years removed from the beloved BBC show, he is now playing the unpredictable Prince Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Matt also starred as Prince Philip in The Crown, receiving a Primetime Emmy award nomination for his performance.
Olivia Cooke: From Oldham in Greater Manchester, Olivia Cooke has enjoyed success on both sides of the pond. She had a starring role as Emma Decody in Bates Motel from 2013 to 2017. Prior to starring as Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, Olivia also appeared in period drama Vanity Fair and the sci-fi film Ready Player One, which was directed by Steven Spielberg.
Rhys Ifans: Before playing Ser Otto Hightower, Rhys Ifans was no stranger to blockbuster franchises. He's played Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and Marvel Comics villain Dr Curt Connors/Lizard. He portrayed Mycroft Holmes in CBS series Elementary. Rhys also starred in films such as Notting Hill, Kevin & Perry Go Large and Enduring Love.
Emma D'Arcy: Before landing the role of Princess/Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Emma had appeared as a main cast member in Wanderlust and Truth Seekers. Their film credits include 2020's Misbehaviour opposite a cast including Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Greg Kinnear, Keeley Hawes, Jessie Buckley, Phyllis Logan and Lesley Manville.
Viewers watching also seemed to recognise James, as one quipped: “Just spotted James Craven aka Aaron Sandford from @itvcorrie in #HouseoftheDragon This is what happens when you cross the Barlows, you get exiled to Westeros.”
Another added: “I'm not actually that interested in watching House of the Dragon, but I heard that Phill with Two L's (and Aaron) from Corrie are in it.”
In other recent work, James starred in Netflix’s Geek Girl alongside Emily Carey, who played the younger Alicent Hightower in series one of House of the Dragon.
House of Dragon is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW.