William Roache, the world record-holding longest-serving soap actor, has spent 65 years portraying Ken Barlow, Coronation Street's last remaining original character. From his early days as a university student clashing with his father Frank Barlow to becoming a teacher, husband to Valerie, and father to twins Susan and Peter, Roache has witnessed Ken's life through countless highs and lows. After Valerie's tragic death from a faulty hair dryer, Ken remarried Janet, who committed suicide, before finding love with Deirdre, a relationship that became one of soap's most iconic romances despite affairs and a divorce.
Roache described his acting process to The Mirror as 'pseudo-method,' saying, 'If you're playing a character vastly different from yourself, you've got all sorts of things to learn. I didn't have that. I was just playing me as Ken Barlow. In my book, I don't act, I just do, and I believe it. I don't think about acting at all.' However, he admitted that only a couple of times in 65 years has he struggled with a storyline. One instance involved Ken having an illegitimate child with a hairdresser and being very protective of the child. In a single scene, the mother took the child away, and Ken simply agreed. Roache recalled, 'I said, 'I'm sorry, I just can't do that.' I'd been so involved with protecting and looking after this child, suddenly in one sentence. The producer said it was too late to change it. That was a big wrench.'
Roache explained that he took the storyline personally, noting, 'As an actor, you shouldn't do that. I feel I'm Ken's protector, his caretaker rather than protector. That's what I do.' When asked about his longevity, Roache said, 'I try not to think about the years, I just think about getting on and enjoying life.' He added, 'I would want for the future just more of the same. Ageing is a belief system. As you get older, you should start doing more, not less. Life is a miracle. Our physical body is capable of so much more.' Roache's dedication to Ken Barlow shows no signs of waning, and fans can look forward to more from the iconic character.
