ITV are set to celebrate Coronation Street legend William Roache as he reaches a life milestone next month. The Ken Barlow actor has spent more than 60 years on-screen in the much-loved soap.
While he's the current Guinness World Record holder for the longest-running TV soap star, he will soon have another celebration on his hands as he turns 90 on April 25.
The documentary, Happy Birthday Bill, will celebrate Bill's life and career by looking back on his legacy and achievements as he reaches his 90th birthday and will feature special appearances from past and present Corrie cast members, as well as his own family as they help him look back on the moments and the people that have helped shape both Bill himself and his patriarchal character Ken.
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Speaking about the special programme, Bill said: "I don’t feel nearly 90 at all. The Coronation Street cast are like a second family to me and I can’t quite believe I’ve been lucky enough to play Ken Barlow for over 60 years.
"It’s also been lovely revisiting past memories and remembering all the wonderful things I have seen and done over the years. I hope the viewers enjoy watching the documentary as much as I did making it."
ITV has also revealed that during the documentary, viewers will catch a rare glimpse of Bill's life off set at home with his family, as well as his experiences behind the scenes on the Salford-based cobbles that he has called home since the soap began in December 1960. It will also provide an insight into Bill's life before Coronation Street as he returns to his old army barracks in which he served before making a move into acting.
Back in January, the ITV soap stalwart appeared via video link on This Morning to chat to the show's hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield for the first time since it was announced he'd be made an OBE in the New Year's honours list.
But as talk of his latest achievements soon turned to Bill's impending big birthday, he stunned the ITV daytime show's viewers with his age revelation.
During his time on the cobbles, Bill's character Ken developed a reputation as something of a ladies’ man, marrying four times to three women. Ken was involved in a number of dramatic storylines with his third on-screen wife Deirdre Barlow, played by Anne Kirkbride, who featured on the show between 1972 and 2014. Kirkbride died in January 2015.
One of the most memorable moments made newspaper headlines in Britain in 1983 after it was revealed that Deirdre was having an affair with Mike Baldwin, played by Johnny Briggs. The storyline captured the interest of both the media and viewers, with 20 million people tuning in to watch Ken’s discovery of the affair.
Bill was awarded an MBE in the 2001 New Year Honours and an OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to drama and charity and this year Bill will be marking 62 years of playing Ken in Coronation Street.
