CORONATION Street’s Ian Bartholomew looks unrecognisable nearly three years after playing soap villain Geoff Metcalfe.
The 68-year-old is best known for playing evil Geoff on the ITV soap between 2018 until 2020.
The character went down as one of the soap’s most despicable villains following his reign of terror against suffering wife Yasmeen Nazir, played by Shelley King.
Now, a handful of years on, and Ian looked different from his recognisable Corrie role while rocking a beard and glasses.
Ian looked smart as he opted for a black shirt and black blazer over the top during an outing to the theatre this week.
The actor’s character eventually met a grisly end when he met his maker during a rooftop showdown with Yasmeen and her granddaughter Alya, played by Sair Khan, in scenes aired in December 2020.
Since then the actor has rarely been seen, except for when he appeared as a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent in early 2022.
He’s kept a low profile, but was spotted by fans as he joined a host of his former co-stars at the press night for touring Pantomime production Mother Goose at Manchester’s Lowry Theatre on Wednesday evening.
Ian posed for photos on the theatre’s purple carpet as guests arrived for the show.
The actor was joined by a number of other cast members, including his former on screen Step Granddaughter Sair Khan, Jodie Prenger, Mollie Gallagher, William Roache and Antony Cotton, at the event.
Ian has mostly focused on stage work since exiting the show almost three years ago. He last appeared in a touring production of The Homecoming alongside Gavin & Stacey star Mathew Horne in early 2022.
The actor also shocked fans when it was revealed that he had auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent in early 2022. Ian tried his luck in the talent contest with an original track he had written.
Sadly, Ian never made it through to the live shows despite impressing the judges.
