James Bailey will soon be returning to Weatherfield – but with a new face as the character has been recast
Coronation Street has revealed that James Bailey will soon be returning to Weatherfield – but with a new face as the character has been recast.
James is the youngest son of Ed and Aggie Bailey and brother of Michael and Dee-Dee. Fans of the ITV soap will recall Ed, Aggie and their two sons first arrived on the Street back in 2019.
They were then followed by Ed’s brother, Ronnie Bailey, in early 2021 before in 2022, viewers got to meet the much-talked-about Dee Dee.
Back to James and he was seen building a promising footballing career during his time on the Cobbles, while hiding details of sexuality. In 2020, his former lover Danny Tomlinson accidentally outed him on social media, and though James officially denied the story his true sexuality became an open secret.
He came out publicly the following year in order to pursue a relationship with Danny. James was eventually promoted to Weatherfield County’s first team in 2021.
But the following year, he collapsed while playing a local match with the Rovers Return and was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, causing him to be dropped from the squad. He then took a job as a coach at a youth centre in Lewisham, leading to his exit from Weatherfield.
Now it’s been revealed that James, previously played by Nathan Graham, is heading back to Weatherfield and will land on our screens on Monday, March 17.
When he comes back to pay his family a visit and check on his pregnant sister Dee-Dee he quickly slots back into family life with his easy going, cheeky charm. But away from Weatherfield what has ex footballer James’ life looked like and what is he searching for next?
The role of James has now been taken up by Jason Callender, who will be best known for his role in Malory Towers, who has told how he’s “super excited to be sliding into the Bailey family.”
Jason shared: “James is determined, whatever he puts his mind to he absolutely goes for it. He’s a little brother so expect little brother pranks but more than anything he loves his family and he really wants to be a dad.”
But what is a new-look James going to bring to the street? “James is bringing a lot of warmth, a little bit of love, charisma and a little bit of charm,” Jason revealed.
On getting the role Jason added: “I’m still waiting for it to sink in, I was completely speechless when I got told. You’re stepping into something that’s so iconic, Britain’s longest running TV show.
“Growing up it was always on in the background, my family absolutely love it, my nan is 93 years old and she still religiously watches it, so it’s amazing for me to be part of something that she loves and hopefully I can make her smile.”
