William Patrick Roache OBE is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest-serving television star in a continuous role.
On 13 April 2012, Piers Morgan interviewed Roache for his ITV series Piers Morgan’s Life Stories. On 26 September 2012, Roache was featured in the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are? researching his family history. He is currently Coronation Street‘s longest-serving actor, having been in the cast from the first episode.
In 2018, the book Life and Soul: How to Live a Long and Healthy Life was released, in which Roache shares his personal philosophy and life experiences.
Roache is currently the world’s longest-serving television actor in a continuous role (as of March 2018) after the 2010 cancellation of the American soap opera As the World Turns, in which Don Hastings had played Bob Hughes since October 1960 without a break.
How Many Episodes of Coronation Street Has William Roache Been In?
Roach is the only remaining actor who has been in the show since the beginning and is the longest-serving actor in a UK TV soap.
Having starred as Ken in more than 4,000 episodes the character has had his fair share of major storylines – starting with the death of his mother when she was hit by a bus in 1961
Is William Roache Still Acting In Coronation Street?
Yes, Coronation Street actor William Roache says he has “no intention of retiring” as he prepares to celebrate his 90th birthday. In November 2020, Roache was again presented with the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving TV soap star in the world for his six decades in Coronation Street.