Neighbours Spoilers: Everything You Need To Know About Ryan Thomas’ New Character Rafael

British soap actor Ryan Thomas was pictured on set with Matt Wilson this week as his Neighbours stint draws to a close.

The former Coronation Street favourite, best known for playing Jason Grimshaw, was announced as the newest member of the Neighbours cast in October.

He previously talked excitably about his new role, stating, “I grew up watching Neighbours so to get the chance to join the cast is amazing. I was on holiday with my daughter when I got a phone call from my agent asking if I’d like to play this part…I spoke to the producer and found out more – it was very different from anything I’d played before – it was quite a deep, dark story, that really interested me. It’s a new challenge and I can’t wait to start filming.”

There hasn’t been much released about Ryan’s character, but we do know that he will play the role of Rafael Humphreys. Described as a loner with dark secrets, Rafael comes to Ramsay Street to confront a difficult chapter from his past.

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Channel 5’s commissioning editor Greg Barnett also teased that Rafael’s arrival will produce “darker times for a particular Ramsay Street favourite”, adding that viewers must “prepare to be gripped.”

Fans will see his arrival on screen in February, with his story arc enduring until March –  typically a month of huge storylines for the soap. A currently-unknown regular cast member has been confirmed as leaving in March – will Rafael have something to do with this?

On set sources reveal that Ryan will have completed his filming stretch at the end of next week. During his weeks on the show he has really impressed the filming crew.

An insider has said that, “for someone with a big profile like Ryan, crew have really been taken by surprise by the English star’s laidback and kind nature – he will be missed when he wraps up his guest role at the end of next week.”

It’s not only the crew that have been impressed with Ryan, but many of the cast members have seemed to form a great friendship with the actor. There have been many pictures of him on social media, joined often by Matt Wilson, Olympia Valance and Tim Kano.

Matt in particular has formed a close bond with Ryan during his time in Australia, stating, “Ryan’s a good lad. We’re trying to show [him] around Melbourne, and he even brought the English rugby league team onto set the other day. I think Ryan is comfortable here, but if only we could keep him for a little longer, that would be even better.”

It’s safe to say that Ryan has been a hit with cast and crew, but will Rafael be a hit with Neighbours fans? Tune in early next year to find out!

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