Coronation Street legend William Roache reveals the story he refused – but had to do anyway

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After more than 65 years playing a character on Coronation Street, William Roache has almost certainly disagreed with some of the storylines he’s been given.

William Roache, 94, has played Ken Barlow on the ITV soap opera since it began in December 1960, appearing in nearly 5,000 episodes. After so many years, it’s understandable that the actor sometimes finds it hard to separate his on-screen character from his own identity.

He described his approach as a bit unusual. When actors play characters very different from themselves, they have a lot to figure out. But for him, it was different – he was essentially playing himself as Ken Barlow, as he shared on the Session 7 podcast.

When I’m working, I don’t try to act; I simply be and fully commit to it. I don’t consciously think about performing—I just immerse myself in the moment, feel the character, and let it happen naturally.

As a long-time fan, I’ve noticed a few times when storylines just didn’t quite land, but one instance really sticks out. It wasn’t a problem with the character Ken, it was actually me getting too emotionally invested and letting my own feelings influence how things played out – I was essentially writing as myself, but using Ken’s voice.

As a long-time fan, some of Ken Barlow’s biggest moments definitely stand out. I remember being hooked by the drama of his love life – especially that complicated relationship with Deirdre and Mike Baldwin back in ’83. Then, there was the shock of his affair with Wendy Crozier a few years later. But honestly, one of the most heartbreaking storylines was when his own son, Daniel, left him for dead back in 2017 – that was truly unforgettable.

Daniel and his mother, Denise, hadn’t spoken for several years after she moved to Scotland from Weatherfield.

According to Roache, Ken had a child with a hairdresser and was single-handedly raising and fiercely protecting them, fighting hard for their well-being.

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It was shocking – not even over an entire episode, but within a single scene – when the child’s mother appeared and simply took him. He just said ‘Okay.’ I immediately protested, telling them I couldn’t accept that storyline. I’d become so invested in caring for and protecting this child, and it all changed with just one line of dialogue.

The producer apologized, admitting the decision was abrupt. But it was already done, and that came as a real shock.

I used to take criticism very personally, but as an actor, you really shouldn’t. Constantly taking things to heart would be incredibly distracting when you’re playing so many different roles.

I see my role as looking after Ken, more as a caregiver than a bodyguard. That’s simply what I do for him.

As a longtime Corrie fan, I was really interested to hear what Roache had to say about the show changing lately. It all came up after the creative director, Iain MacLeod, mentioned he’s deliberately trying to avoid making Corrie look too different visually from something like Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’. He doesn’t want a huge gap in production value, apparently.

“Those early days were totally different,” Roache reflected.

“We all knew each other, we cared about each other. Nowadays the cast is just too big.”

He explained that he prefers the current filming process, where actors simply come to set and perform their scenes. Previously, they would rehearse and film scenes as if they were performing a complete play. If even a small mistake occurred during filming, they’d have to redo a significant portion – up to a quarter of the footage, even up to the commercial break.

Technically, I much prefer our current system. However, I’ve always appreciated the unique qualities of each period I’ve worked in.

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 or can be streamed from 7am on ITVX.

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Authors

Michael AdamsSoaps Editor

Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at TopMob, keeping fans up-to-date with all the latest news and spoilers from popular shows like Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks. Before joining TopMob, he worked as a Soaps Reporter at Metro for two years, and he also has experience working directly on the sets of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

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2026-05-15 15:09