Coronation Street’s Craig Tinker got plenty of people talking after he showed off his dramatic new look on the ITV soap

Coronation Street viewers were left floored after spotting Craig Tinker’s major new look on the ITV soap. Actor Colson Smith made his debut playing Craig in 2011 – when he was just 12 years old. Since then, he’s become a firm favourite with the soap’s loyal legion of fans.

Craig has also had a part to play in big storylines too – from becoming a copper to his slew of ill-fated romances on the cobbles. He was also left devastated recently, when mum Beth (Lisa George) left Weatherfield after 13 years.

What’s more, Colson himself has undergone a dramatic transformation over the years. He has reportedly dropped over 10 stone over the years, a feat achieved down to running.

Colson is a firm favourite playing Craig (Image: ITV)

However, over on the soap recently, Craig showed off a new look – and it got plenty of people talking. During Friday’s episode (October 12) Craig made an appearance at the police station, hard at work trying to crack the Joel Deering (Calum Lill) case.

Looking notably different during the scenes, Craig opted for a hair transformation, rocking a skinhead. And his new hairstyle soon got a reaction from viewers watching at home.

Craig showed off his new look

On X, one person said: “Craig can’t walk in with a hairstyle like that without warning.” Someone else replied: “I watched via ITVX and had to pause to be like WTF.”

A third chimed in and penned: “Nice seeing Craig with a different hairstyle for a change.” Another person wrote: “What the bloody hell has happened to Craig Tinkers hair.”

Colson joined the soap as a youngster (Image: TV Grab)

Colson dropped 10 stone after a lifestyle overhaul which saw him take up running and a strict gym routine. He also documented his weight loss journey in the 2022 YouTube documentary, Bored of Being The Fat Kid. Speaking to Runners World he said: “I was always the fat kid. It’s kind of the identity I ended up with. I was ready to kind of change that and move on from it.”

Colson also revealed on This Morning that he had been playing the same character on Coronation Street since he was 11 years old, and that along with show producers, they decided to write in a weight loss transformation for Craig.

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX