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ALL 72 current Corrie stars pose proudly for a historic snap - during a huge street party to mark the soap's 50th anniversary.
The actors, young and old, met up to chat about the past and look to the future.
Bunting was draped across the famous cobbles, and champagne was served alongside beer and tea with steak and ale pie and Betty's Hotpot.
Just one member of the original cast was there - 78-year-old Bill Roache, who was yesterday named by Guinness World Records as the longest serving TV soap star.
Bill, who plays Ken Barlow, told The Sun: "This is a fabulous party. I'm really delighted they're celebrating the 50th anniversary so well."
Bill has appeared in 3,927 of the show's 7,432 episodes and in 1961 uttered its first swear word - "bloody" - sparking 63 complaints.
But he said: "Retiring isn't something I ever think about - ever. I'm here for as long as they'll have me. I want to carry on for as long as I can. And the show will carry on. It could do another 50 years or another 100 years easily."
Coronation Street entered the record books too yesterday as the longest-running soap.
Since it first aired on December 9, 1960 it has featured more than 5,000 characters and seen 88 weddings, 39 births and 114 deaths - 12 of them murders.
Its Christmas Day episode in 1987 centred on the emotional departure of much-treasured Hilda Ogden, played by Jean Alexander. It pulled in 26.6million viewers.
Betty Driver, 90, has played barmaid Betty Williams for 41 years.
She said: "When I joined Coronation Street I was running a pub with my sister in real life.
"I thought I would only do six episodes! Love has kept me here this long. The show will go on forever - it has a life of its own."
The longest-serving woman cast member is Eileen Derbyshire, who plays Emily Bishop.
Yet neither her nor Betty's characters have appeared in as many episodes as two other legendary Corrie lasses.
Gail McIntyre, played by Helen Worth, has been in 3,391 and Rita Fairclough (Barbara Knox) in 3,150.
Fellow veteran Sue Nicholls, 66, has played Audrey Roberts since 1979.
She said: "I had no idea I'd be celebrating our 50th birthday one day. I'm enjoying it now more than I ever have.
"I've loved my storylines. I loved being married to Alf, but I really enjoy being a grandmother and a great-grandmother on the show now. I like being softer and caring.
"The joy of being in it for so long is how established your character is. Everyone knows Audrey."
She added: "This is very exciting - what a party time!"
The bash was hosted at Granada's studios in Manchester by former Boyband star Keith Duffy, who plays barman Ciaran McCarthy.
Former Hear'Say singer Kym Marsh, who now plays Michelle Connor, sang with a house band, while Craig Charles, who plays Lloyd Mullaney and DJs for BBC 6 Music, later took to the decks.
He said: "It's really exciting, the scripts for the 50th anniversary episodes and the tram crash that is planned are so well written. They are really exciting times."
Alan Halsall, who plays mechanic Tyrone Dobbs, said he had just played his toughest storyline so far.
He had to say goodbye to father-figure Bill Tarmey, 69, who is leaving after playing Jack Duckworth for 31 years.
They filmed the scenes last week and Alan revealed they were both in tears just reading the script.
He said: "It's a cliché but you do become a family. Bill was like my dad on screen and off. He took me under his wing when I started here. I was only 16.
"They wrote a beautiful story for him to leave on. But I was in bits - make-up had to pick me up from the corner of the studio."
But he quipped: "I won't miss him too much - I'll probably see him for a pint next week!"
Jack's final storyline will be played out at the end of next month and producers have brought back Liz Dawn, who played his nagging wife Vera for 34 years.
Alan added: "It was wonderful to have them both back on set. I think of them as my Mr and Mrs Coronation Street."
As part of celebratory shows to be screened in early December, a live episode will also be broadcast.
Michael Le Vell, who has played Kevin Webster 2,395 times, did not appear in the live episode to mark the 40th anniversary.
He said: "I've been in Corrie for 27 years now and I'm here at least for another 12 months.
"I can't wait for the live episode - it's like theatre."
Kevin's affair with Molly Dobbs looks likely to be exposed this Christmas but the actor hopes his family will get through it as he loves working with Sally Dynevor, who plays wife Sally Webster.
She recently recovered from breast cancer both on screen and off.
Michael said: "I love working with her, she's amazing. Coronation Street is a wonderful family."
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i always knew they had a big cast but its looks huge with them all in one picture!
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William Roache has revealed that he was almost axed from Coronation Street after three years on the soap.
Speaking to the News of the World about his autobiography, Roache said that producer Tim Aspinall, known as the 'Mad Axeman' among cast members, had drawn up a list of top names to cut from the drama when he started working on the show in 1964.
Roache said: "He had a kind of hit list of characters. He decided who he wanted out, while others including myself were put on warning that we were likely to be given the chop at a later date. It was appalling."
However, Roache was given a reprieve when Aspinall was replaced after five months.
The 78-year-old, who recently entered the Guinness World Record book as the longest-serving soap actor, also said that he initially did not want to audition for the role of Ken Barlow.
"I wasn't interested," he said. "I had my flat in London, I was getting acting parts and it all looked very rosy."
When Roache initially started on the show, he was told it would last for 13 episodes over six weeks. He said: "Those six weeks have now stretched into 50 years, and the programme is still going strong. Nobody could have known way back then what an impact it would have."
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The full interview with Bill Roache is already posted http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/s...by-Bill-Roache
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William Roache has recorded a cameo appearance on Harry Hill's forthcoming album.
According to PA, Roache, who plays Coronation Street's Ken Barlow, will join the comedian on his Funny Times LP, which is due to be released through Island Records in November.
The 78-year-old will appear on the track 'Ken!', described as "a Spaghetti Western-inspired paean to Ken Barlow", complete with a Mariachi-influenced trumpet version of the Corrie theme tune.
The song reportedly includes the line: "I was a librarian, I was a teacher, I was a trolley pusher, I was a taxi driver - now I am a free man."
A number of other TV stars and celebrities are due to appear on the record, including Bruce Forsyth dueting on 'I'm Not Anyone' by Sammy Davis Jr and Paul Anka.
Hill was recently forced to change the title of the album, after record label executives refused to allow his musical debut to be called Sgt Pepper's Volume 2.
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Coronation Street star Ben Price says his days of stripping off on screen are behind him.
The 38-year-old plays businessman Nick Tilsley in the soap, but used to bare his body frequently as Conrad Gates in Footballers' Wives.
He told Reveal magazine: "There are times when I suddenly seem to answer the door with no top on. But my days of taking my clothes off are over."
He went on: "I took my clothes off a lot in Footballers' Wives! But now I'll leave the stripping to Ryan Thomas [who plays Jason Grimshaw], who's very good."
Ben took over the role of Nick from Adam Rickitt, who was famed for his killer abs.
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Michelle Connor is ready to "give up" on Ciaran McCarthy.
The 'Coronation Street' barmaid - played by Kym Marsh - is devastated to learn the hunk (Keith Duffy) is considering a move away from Weatherfield but she can't bring herself to admit her real feelings for him.
Kym revealed: "This week, my Corrie character's love interest, Ciaran, announces he's going for a job interview in Scotland. Michelle tries to cover up her upset by being sarcastic.
"She's ready to give up on him at that point and decides there's no point in letting him know how she feels as he's going anyway."
Kym wishes the unlucky-in-love widow - who has seen several romances end amid infidelities - was able to be honest with Ciaran, but understands why she is so afraid of getting hurt again.
Writing in her new! magazine column, she explained: "I think it's sad she feels she can't let her guard down, but she has had some terrible things happen to her, so it's not surprising. She's scared of getting hurt and tries to protect herself by not letting anyone in."
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Who on earth gave this woman a magazine column
