The ex-EastEnders star had motorcycled to the site in Koh Samui before falling, breaking both legs and shattering a knee.

He was unable to use his phone after it broke, but local villagers alerted police to his abandoned motorbike.

The 38-year-old Bolton-born actor's agent said he was "recovering well".

Nicholls will be flown back to the UK next week.

The actor, who played Joe Wicks on the BBC soap in the 1990s, was on holiday in Thailand after finishing filming for the Channel 4 series Ackley Bridge.

After being alerted, police searched records to find out who had rented the bike and found it had been rented to a British tourist called Paul Greenhalgh - Nicholls' real name.

Volunteer rescuers, police, and medics went to search for the actor, and found him several hours after setting off.

Nicholls' first TV appearance was aged 10 in Granada Television show Children's Ward.

His EastEnders character Joe Wicks lived with schizophrenia, and the popular soap was praised for its portrayal of mental health on-screen.

Since EastEnders, Nicholls has appeared in a number of TV shows, including Law and Order UK, Casualty, and Grantchester.

His most recent TV appearance is in Channel 4's Ackley Bridge, where he plays a teacher in a school where British Asian and white British communities merge.