Liam Bairstow has appeared in Coronation Street since September 2015 as Alex Warner, the nephew of Cathy Matthews. Liam was born with Down's Syndrome and was discovered when the producers of Coronation Street ran a workshop for actors with disabilities named "Breaking Through". Impressed with his abilities, they offered him the role of Alex with Stuart Blackburn saying, "It's not some politically correct thing. We actually found there a really great actor with a wonderful sense of timing."