Coronation Street has cast Liam Bairstow, an actor with Down’s syndrome, to play the nephew of Cathy Matthews (Melanie Hill).

Producers found Liam at a recent workshop they held for actors with disabilities.

Producer Stuart Blackburn told Digital Spy: “We ran a workshop called Breaking Through a while ago, which was for actors with disabilities. It was recognising that they get so few auditions, and actually we found a young guy there called Liam Bairstow, an actor with Down’s syndrome.

“He’s going to be coming in as Cathy’s nephew. It’s not some politically correct thing. We actually found there a really great actor with a wonderful sense of timing.”

Liam was chosen from 10 actors with disabilities who attended the one-day intensive workshop, where they met some of the Corrie cast and auditioned for casting directors.

The actor, who starred in Mind the Gap’s production of Treasure Island in 2013, has already started filming his scenes. Stuart added: “The cast have been really enjoying working with him.”