Coronation Street viewers were left rubbing their eyes during Tuesday night’s (March 3) trip to Weatherfield, convinced they’d just spotted a very familiar face on the cobbles.

As George Shuttleworth found himself in hot water, fans were momentarily distracted by a police officer they were certain was none other than comedian Jason Manford. Social media quickly lit up – but was it really him?

The police questioned George Shuttleworth in Coronation Street

It’s been far from smooth sailing for George Shuttleworth lately, with tensions bubbling over at work thanks to the relative of a late client.

Annie has accused George of exploiting vulnerable clients before their deaths in a bid to get himself written into their wills. The situation escalated as Annie sought legal advice from Adam and began leaving one-star reviews online.

Christina, keen to fight back, decided to report Annie to the police.

But when PC John Hall arrived at the office, it wasn’t to take Christina’s side. Instead, he had questions for George about Annie’s serious allegations.

Coronation Street fans left doing ‘double take’ over Jason Manford lookalike

While George’s predicament was dramatic enough, many Coronation Street fans were more preoccupied with the identity of the officer standing in front of him.

Plenty were convinced that PC John Hall was being played by Jason Manford, with viewers heading straight to Facebook and X to share their confusion.

“I thought it was Jason Manford,” one fan wrote. Another added: “That copper looks like Jason Manford.”

“I honestly had to do a double take,” a third admitted, while someone else pointed out: “He did say he wanted to be in Corrie.”

Over on X, one baffled viewer asked: “Since when did Jason Manford star in Corrie?”

Truth about ‘Jason Manford’ appearance revealed

As it turns out, Jason Manford did not pop up in Weatherfield this week – though the mix-up isn’t entirely surprising.

Earlier this year, Jason revealed he’d had conversations with Coronation Street bosses about a possible role. Speaking to the Mirror in February, he explained: “There’s been a few conversations with them all. With Coronation Street, it would be silly not to at some point. I guess it’s just making sure that it’s right, that it’s not a gimmick, and it’s a character or a storyline that would be worth doing, not just for me but for the show.

“So it’s just waiting for that time, really. I’ll always keep my eyes peeled and my hands open, certainly. But it’s all just timing.”

But on this occasion, the officer questioning George was actually played by Mark Morrell, who has portrayed the recurring character of PC John Hall since 2014.

In fact, the resemblance isn’t a new talking point. Jason himself acknowledged the similarity back in 2018 after fans made the same comparison. Despite the uncanny likeness, there’s no family link between the two – just one very convincing Corrie lookalike causing a stir once again.