Bill Roache has said he has no plans to retire from Coronation Street, insisting he wants “more of the same” as he continues playing Ken Barlow at the age of 94.
The veteran actor, who first appeared as Ken in the soap’s debut episode on December 9, 1960, is officially recognised as the world’s longest-serving television soap star — a record he first secured in 2010 and one unlikely to ever be broken.
He has potrayed Coronation Street's iconic character Ken Barlow for nearly 5,000 episodes.
Despite his age, Mr Roache said he believes staying active and maintaining a positive mindset are key to continuing both his career and everyday life.
Speaking on the Session 7: Interesting Lives podcast, he 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.”
The actor also shared his thoughts on ageing, arguing that many people begin slowing down because they are encouraged to do so by others.
“I think to quite a large extent ageing is a belief system, you know,” he said. “As you get on people say, ‘Oh, take it easy, you shouldn’t be doing that.’ So, you start taking it easy. And then it’s, ‘Well, I think you should give that up.’ So, you give that up and it goes down, down you go.”
Instead, the soap legend believes older people should continue pushing themselves and staying engaged with life.
“Actually, as you get older, you should start doing more, not less,” he said. "We’re lucky to be here, as we are, so make the most of it. Life is a miracle. Our actually physical body is a miracle and it’s capable of so much more.”
We've found archives straight from Coronation Street's first ever episode, aired in December 1960. Take a look.
Mr Roache has spent more than six decades in Weatherfield, becoming one of the most recognisable faces in British television history through his portrayal of the bookish and often troubled Ken Barlow.
Reflecting on the role, he admitted the line between himself and his long-running character has occasionally become blurred over the years.
“It’s pseudo-method, I would say,” he explained.
“If you’re playing a character that’s vastly different from yourself you’ve got all sorts of things to learn and do. I didn’t have that. I was just playing me as Ken Barlow.”
The actor said he does not think about “acting” in the traditional sense, instead fully immersing himself in the emotions and situations facing the character.
“In my book I don’t act, I just do, and I believe it,” he said.
“I don’t think about acting at all. I just absorb, take it all in, feel that’s who I am, that’s what I’m doing, and do it.”
However, Mr Roache admitted there was one particular storyline that proved difficult for him personally because he became too emotionally invested.
He recalled struggling with a plot in which Ken’s child was suddenly taken away by the mother after he had spent months fiercely protecting and caring for the baby.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry, I just can’t do that,’” he remembered.
“I’d been so involved with protecting, keeping and looking after this child, suddenly in one sentence.”
Although producers acknowledged the storyline felt abrupt, it was too late to alter the script.
“That was a big wrench,” he added.
The actor also described himself as the “caretaker” of Ken Barlow, explaining he feels a responsibility to look after one of television’s most iconic soap characters.
“I feel I’m Ken’s protector, I feel I’m looking after him,” he said.
“His caretaker rather than protector. That’s what I do.”
