Coronation Street’s Bill Roache has an impressive new achievement to add to his list of awards.
The star has been awarded a Guinness World Record for the longest-serving TV soap star in the world after appearing in Corrie for sixty years.
William, 88, who plays Ken Barlow joined the show at the very start – appearing in episode number one and will also appear in the upcoming 60th-anniversary shows, commencing on December 9.
The show which was originally scheduled to run for just 13 weeks was presented with an updated certificate marking the achievement for the cast and crew.
Bill Roache appeared in the first episode of Coronation Street (Image: Mirrorpix)
William, who resides in Wilmslow, Cheshire, was presented with his award during his recent break from filming the hit soap.
“I would like to thank Guinness World Records for this new award,” he said.
“I have been very fortunate to have been in this wonderful programme, Coronation Street, which has carried me into this world record and a lifetime of wonderful memories.”
The actor has now been awarded a Guinness World Record (Image: Sunday Mirror)
Iain MacLeod, the series producer said: “When Coronation Street, Tony Warren’s groundbreaking, visionary project, launched in 1960, a columnist in a national newspaper predicted it wouldn’t last more than three weeks.
“Sixty years later, I can safely say the many hundreds of people that have worked tirelessly and dedicatedly on the show have proved that prediction staggeringly wrong.”
The show was meant to last six weeks but instead has stayed strong for 60 years (Image: ITV)
He went on to add: “It is an incredible achievement, a testament to Tony’s instincts as a dramatist and proof that the characters and narrative universe he designed are still as relevant today as they were then.
“What better evidence of this could there be than Ken Barlow, played by the record-breaking William Roache, who was in episode one, had a starring role in episode 10,000 earlier this year, and will be at the centre of on-screen events for our 60th-anniversary episode on December 9th.”
Coronation Street continues on Friday at 7.30pm on ITV.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
