When Mancunian celebrity brothers Ryan, Adam and Scott Thomas were sent to India in 2019 by ITV to explore their family heritage, the result was a moving six-part series, Mancs in Mumbai, which won over viewers and boosted their public profiles.
Emmerdale actor Adam, Coronation Street star Ryan and former Love Islander Scott were also joined by their formerly estranged dad Dougie, a music promoter and lead singer of 70s band Dougie James and the Soul Train, whose father – former journalist Nolan – emigrated to Britain from India in 1947.
With their Northern charm and wit, the handsome brothers threw themselves into a new culture: entertaining children at Nolan’s old school, sampling traditional street food and visiting the Taj Mahal.
However, it seems that the brothers’ on-screen personas may be a cleverly curated illusion.
For I can reveal that Ryan, Adam and Scott Thomas have earned a reputation in their native Manchester for being not nearly as joyful and friendly as they appear on camera. In fact, some suggest that they are not particularly liked in the area.
One source familiar with the brothers tells me: ‘Their TV personas are all very friendly – they play the game well, they’re good-looking and they signed up to one of the big showbiz talent agencies a few years back because they really thought they were going to hit the big time.
‘But in their personal lives, they can be pretty ambitious, and when they’re out on the town locally, they think they own the place. When they show up to a bar or a restaurant there’s always a big fuss about them arriving.
Scott, Adam and Ryan Thomas were sent with their father Dougie to India in 2019 by ITV to explore their family heritage
Ryan, right, was the first of the brothers to rise to fame in 2000 when he joined Coronation Street as teenager Jason Grimshaw
One source familiar with the brothers says they ‘behave like they really are something special’
‘They behave like they really are something special. You regularly see people making a hasty exit when they show up. And some say that clashing with the brothers is not for the faint-hearted, there is an arrogance there which hasn’t gone unnoticed by many people.’
Some also suggest that the brothers are ‘pretty ruthless’ – recalling how they unceremoniously sacked one of their former agents who had been formidable in carving them out as stars. They left him for a bigger and more glitzy showbusiness talent agency.
Ryan, 35, was the first to find fame back in 2000 when he joined Coronation Street as teenager Jason Grimshaw. He quickly made headlines by dating his co-star Tina O’Brien, who portrays Sarah Louise Platt on the ITV soap – and in 2018 took part in Celebrity Big Brother where he became embroiled in a row with Emmerdale actress Roxanne Pallett, who accused him of punching her. She later apologised, claiming she had overreacted. Ryan is now engaged to former The Only Way Is Essex star Lucy Mecklenburgh.
He was followed by his older brother Adam, 37, who won a role on medical drama Doctors and later BBC soap Waterloo Road before moving on to Emmerdale. He later made the lucrative transition into reality television, starring on I’m A Celebrity in 2016.
Meanwhile, Adam’s twin sibling Scott has twice appeared on Love Island – reaching the series final in 2016 and returning for a celebrity edition in 2025. Today, he owns a thriving influencer management company called The Social PR based in the heart of Manchester.
As a result, the trio are a recognisable presence on Manchester’s party scene.
Adam Thomas, left, played Adam Barton on Emmerdale. Pictured alongside Sapphire Elia as Mia Macey and Kelsey-Beth Crossley as Scarlett Nicholls
Adam starred on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2016
The brothers enjoy a lavish lifestyle, regularly pictured driving luxury sports cars and dining at the city’s most expensive restaurants – often bankrolled by their close pal, the fast-fashion clothing tycoon Umar Kamani, owner of clothing brand PrettyLittleThing.
‘They like to party hard and have been seen in some right states while out and about with their mates. But it never seems to quite touch them in the way it would for other people,’ says one friend.
‘Their connections to Umar definitely help, too. He’s one of the richest men in the North West, and they’re extremely close – Ryan was best man at his wedding. They holiday together, too. He’s opened lots of doors for them.’
Life hasn’t always been so lavish for the boys, however. In 2013, Ryan filed for bankruptcy following an unpaid tax bill of £40,000.
Though he has now found love with Lucy, Ryan’s relationship with ex-girlfriend Tina O’Brien, with whom he has daughter, Scarlett, 16, hasn’t exactly been plain sailing either. Two years ago, Tina smashed up his Range Rover with a baseball bat in a row over their daughter’s schooling (it was revealed earlier this year that Scarlett didn’t sit her GCSEs following troubles at her private school). One friend said, ‘He winds Tina up so much.’
Meanwhile, Scott has also battled his own personal demons, revealing that he was banned from every casino in Manchester after his gambling addiction spiralled out of control.
Scott explained how brother Ryan used his connections in the area to ensure his brother was barred from entering after blowing thousands of pounds at the tables and machines.
He explained: ‘I was fuming. I didn’t want to go there to gamble but I couldn’t go there with mates after nights out. But again, it was the right decision, he did what’s best for me, and sometimes you need a bit of tough love.’
Adam’s twin sibling Scott has twice appeared on Love Island – reaching the series final in 2016 (here with Zara Holland) and returning for a Celebrity edition in 2025
Ryan with ex-girlfriend Tina O’Brien. The pair had a turbulent relationship, with Tina smashing Ryan’s Range Rover after a heated argument
Scott, who now says he has recovered from his addiction, revealed he became hooked on gambling as a student – and began borrowing money from his unsuspecting family members to feed his growing habit.
He said: ‘It got to the point where it consumed my entire life. I was borrowing money from my student friends. I was borrowing money from family. They didn’t know what I was borrowing it for.’
Those who know the family say Ryan and Adam are particularly close – with Scott ‘a bit of an outsider’.
One friend says, ‘Adam and Ryan are thick as thieves, Scott is a bit different. He’s pursuing his own things really away from the spotlight, doing talent management and publicity work, but joins in when it suits them all.’
Even so, the brothers are determined that their fame and influence pass on to the next generation: Ryan’s daughter Scarlett is an aspiring actress and has a starring role on Waterloo Road, a show in which her Uncle Adam and his son Teddy, 11, appears.
‘They’ve got it all sewn up,’ says one source. ‘We joke that they rule Manchester, and it seems as if they actually do.’