Coronation Street star Colson Smith has auditioned for a BBC murder mystery series in what could his first TV role since leaving the cobbles.

Smith, who also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother last year, has left Corrie behind, with his final scenes set to air later in the year.

Speaking to former co-stars Ben Price and Jack P Shepherd on their On The Sofa podcast, Smith said he self-taped for a role on crime dramedy Ludwig.

Premiered last year, Ludwig stars David Mitchell as John Taylor, a reclusive puzzle maker who takes the role of his identical twin brother and police detective James after he disappears.

Mitchell stars opposite Anna Maxwell Martin as James’ wife Lucy, who enlists John’s help to solve the mystery.

Renewed for season two, the series could star Smith in a policeman role that’s not too different from his Corrie character, policeman Craig Tinker.

“I think it was too similar to Craig Tinker. I find it very, very difficult to play a copper,” he said.

“The casting brief – like, I basically did a brainstorm of everything that was on the casting brief – it was, like, cringey, likeable. I was going through it and it was grating,” he continued.

The soap star voiced his uncertainty as to whether he will book the role, but was glad to audition for a “big” project nonetheless.

“I did it and I’ve not heard anything back, so that’s the way it goes. But I think it was just nice to do my first tape and it was for a relatively big [production],” he said.

“I knew I wasn’t going to get it sort of thing, because one, it was for a big show and two, a copper, but it was just a nice experience to get out and do it.”