Bill Roache has been left ‘utterly heartbroken’ after the death of his eldest daughter Vanya. Vanya, 50, is thought to have passed away last week and Bill, 85, has been granted compassionate leave by ITV bosses.
Bill Roache has been left ‘utterly heartbroken’ after the death of his eldest daughter Vanya. Vanya, 50, is thought to have passed away last week and Bill, 85, has been granted compassionate leave by ITV bosses.
TaintedLove (14-03-2018)
leaving?
Bill has always said he would only be leaving as Ken if he was in a coffin himself ... not sure I have ever seen a soap have a storyline where a retirement village was involved .. nice subject to raise in my opinion with our ever growing older population but a lot of loneliness too. Would be nice if other old characters would slowly start moving there too ..
Last edited by Perdita; 08-02-2020 at 05:35.
Ken Barlow leaves Coronation Street after 60 years as beloved soap marks 10,000th episode.
Just before the credits rolled on the historical 10,000th episode of the world’s longest running soap, the character who was in the very first episode in 1960 bid a fond farewell to his ‘old friend’ the cobbles to move away with girlfriend Claudia Colby.
But fans are reassured that this isn't the last they'll see of him, as the Weatherfield patriarch is not leaving the show.
Ken will move out of number one and away from the street, but future episodes will follow Ken and Claudia's new life at Still Waters Luxury retirement complex where they meet Charles Moore.
Back in Weatherfield his son Peter and adopted daughter Tracy will battle over who gets to move into the most famous house on the street.
In Monday night’s episodes Ken and Claudia will break the news to the family about their decision to sell up and live a quieter life at Still Waters.
Both Peter and Tracy want the house at a knockdown price and as Ken despairs over his warring family it confirms he is making the right decision to leave. William Roache said: “This is a big decision for Ken but in some ways he thinks it is now or never.
He has lived on the same street his whole life and in the same house for most of it.
"He feels that he had a chance to move away with Martha on the barge but he let her go. Part of him regretted that.
"He doesn’t want to make the same mistake again and Claudia is very persuasive."
He added: "Filming that final scene of the episode was very poignant, just Ken and Eccles and the cobbles.
“He breaks the news to the family next week and they are surprised but very soon Peter and Tracy start squabbling over who will be given first refusal on the house.
Last edited by Perdita; 08-02-2020 at 05:39.
This was the most pathetic celebration episode ever, what alot of nothing! I found it boring, tedious and glad it was finished.
Ken exit of the street, was uneventful, so he's leaving his home that was with his "love" Deidre, not many auldies do that, they prefer not to move, wasted of screen time'
Best bit was Rita's memories of the past residents, it reminded us how good it "used" to be.
There's a lot of older characters in the programme now so having a retirement community as a set in its own right sounds like a good idea. I keep imagining a Sunday evening spin off series, with Ken, Claudia, Norris, Freda and a host of original characters, with maybe an occasional visit from Corrie characters...
William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow on Coronation Street, has confirmed his character has been written out of the show due to Covid-19 fears.
Filming for the popular soap is set to resume next month, but older actors will not be able to return along with the rest of the cast due to health risks.
Roache, who is 88 years old and has played Ken since the popular soap began in the 1960s, said he doesn't think he will be back for "some time".
Speaking on BBC Radio Derby, he said: "I think we, the senior members of the cast, won’t be called back for some time. Sadly I’d like to get back, but we’ll just have to see how it goes.
emerald (21-05-2020), Perdita (21-05-2020), Ruffed_lemur (21-05-2020)
Veteran Corrie star Bill Roache has been forced off screen for months after falling ill. The TV icon, 88, who plays Ken Barlow, asked bosses for time off after becoming unwell ? and has been written out of the ITV soap.
Sources say Bill was reluctant to take a break from the cobbles amid fears he might not return.
An insider said: ?For Bill to take time off is extremely unusual. He loves work and he?s as passionate about being on Coronation Street as ever, but he realised he had to listen to his own body.
?The reason he?s been able to work for so long and so passionately is he?s always looked after himself, and he still does, so he?ll be back as soon as it makes sense. ?Obviously, his time off has coincided with Covid too, where a number of the older stars are being kept away from the set anyway to be on the safe side.
?But because he asked for a break, the writers had to formulate a storyline around him to keep his character out completely for quite some time. ?They already have ideas for how they would like to bring Ken back in later this summer ? and everyone will be pleased to see him, along with the rest of the cast back together in the same place.?
Sources said Bill ? who last appeared in Corrie on March 10 ? was reluctant to take the time off amid fears he might not return. But he has told bosses he is determined to be back on screen later this year.
He holds the world record for the longest continuous stint in any drama ? having been on Coronation Street since its first episode in 1960. His character has become the cobbles? elder statesman ? despite a chaotic personal life.
Ken has married four times to three women, had multiple affairs and was involved in a long-standing feud with nemesis Mike Baldwin, played by the late Johnny Briggs.
Bill has frequently spoken of his desire to never leave the soap. He insisted at its 60th anniversary: ?While I can do it and they want me, I will be there. Retirement is not on the radar at all, I have no plans for that. I don?t even like to think about how they?d write Ken out if I did leave, because hopefully that is never going to happen.?
The last 12 months has seen the soap beset by delays and filming challenges ? including shutting down production entirely at the start of the pandemic. Bosses later introduced filming *bubbles with special regimes including social distancing and no physical contact between stars to avoid infections. Scenes involving kissing or fighting have been rewritten, or body doubles made up of real life couples brought in.
Many of the show?s oldest characters have been largely kept away from set throughout the worst of the pandemic ? although Bill?s time off was arranged separately from that.
Other older stars include Barbara Knox, 86, who plays Rita, Sue Nicholls, 77, who plays Audrey, and David Neilson, 72, who plays Roy. Last year a TV source said: ?It?s a huge risk to remove some of Corrie?s biggest stars, but far riskier to allow them on set.?
Hope he is back soon
lizann (28-03-2021)
has he Covid, hope he recovers
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