Corrie fans gobsmacked as they realise Ronnie star Vinta Morgan starred in another TV soap

For most people, birthdays are cause for joy and excitement – though the celebrations are set to take a turn on Coronation Street on Friday, 18 October, when Ronnie Bailey discovers that Debbie is planning a surprise party for his 55th birthday. While it may be a sweet sentiment, Ronnie’s mood soon changes when Kit Green and a colleague arrive to question him and Ed Bailey regarding the disappearance of Joel Deering.

But while actor Vinta Morgan, who plays Ronnie, may be being questioned by the police on the Coronation Street cobbles, in years gone by the roles have been reversed, with fans recently discovering that he once played a police officer in EastEnders.

Back in 2005, Vinta starred as PC Phillips in EastEnders as part of a ten-episode plot related to the disappearance of Demi Miller and Leo Taylor. In a Reddit thread, fans have been left in disbelief over the discovery.

Sharing a snap of Vinta in the BBC One soap, one viewer wrote: “Vinta Morgan (known to everyone as Ronnie Bailey) played a policeman P.C Phillips & starred in a few episodes on Albert Square in 2005.” In response, fans took to the comments to express their shock too.

“I noticed this too. I had to double take when I saw him because he literally looks the same now,” commented one. “Wow that man doesn’t age haha…. 20 years on and he’s still a handsome bugger,” another added.

This isn’t the first time that Vinta’s role in EastEnders has resurfaced. During an interview with Inside Soap, the Coronation Street star himself reflected on the role.

“It was a while ago! It was a story where a kid was in trouble and I was a police officer who went above and beyond,” he said, joking that “it was about 10 episodes, but of course it was no comparison to Corrie, the pinnacle of soap TV!”

He added: “Obviously, they’re both massive TV institutions, so I felt lucky to work there, but I do love it here at Corrie.”

Prior to joining Coronation Street in 2021, Vinta appeared in a whole host of TV shows in addition to EastEnders, having starred in The Bill and Doctors. In 2017, he secured a role in What Happened to Monday and the following year appeared in I Made This for You, before later a role in Official Secrets. He has also appeared in the series Urban Myths in 2019 and the Apple TV show Ted Lasso in 2020.