Former Coronation Street star Graeme Hawley has landed a new soap role in Doctors.

The star famously played villainous John Stape on the ITV between 2007 and 2011, cameoing for voice appearances in 2022 and 2023.

It has now been confirmed that Graeme will appear on Doctors next week as Jason Chapman in an episode called ‘Sucker Punch’.

The synopsis reads: “Graham is out to cause trouble, Rosie puts her plan into action, and Luca is pushed to the limit. Michelle treats FME patient Erika and is concerned that she is hiding something.”

Last year, it was confirmed that Doctors had been axed after 23 years on air due to financing issues.

“We have taken the very difficult decision to bring daytime drama Doctors to an end after 23 years,” the BBC said at the time.

“With super inflation in drama production, the cost of the programme has increased significantly, and further investment is also now required to refurbish the site where the show is made, or to relocate it to another home.

“With a flat licence fee, the BBC’s funding challenges mean we have to make tough choices in order to deliver greater value to audiences.

“We remain fully committed to the West Midlands and all of the funding for Doctors will be reinvested into new programming in the region.”

They added: “We would like to thank all the Doctors cast and crew who have been involved in the show since 2000. We know the crucial role Doctors has played in nurturing talent, and we will work to develop new opportunities to support skills in scripted programming.”

The show rolled cameras for the final time back in March, with the final episode due to air at the end of this year.

In the wake of the cancellation news, fans launched a petition to save the BBC series, while the cast are said to be “devastated” by the axing.