Coronation Street bosses have confirmed plans to consult with Bill Roache over his return to the soap after he was cleared of sex abuse charges.
The actor was today (February 6) found not guilty of two rapes and four indecent assaults after a trial at Preston Crown Court.
Roache has not appeared on Coronation Street since April 2013 as all scenes featuring his character Ken Barlow were dropped after the 81-year-old's initial arrest.
A Coronation Street spokesperson told Digital Spy today: "We look forward to talking to Bill soon about his return to work."
Roache's exit from the long-running soap was addressed in July last year, when Ken's wife Deirdre revealed that he had flown off to Canada to support his grandson Adam, who had fallen ill.
Anne Kirkbride, who plays Deirdre, was among a number of Roache's Coronation Street colleagues who supported him in court last week, giving evidence in his defence.
His on-screen son Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow) and long-serving cast member Helen Worth (Gail McIntyre) also defended him at the trial.
Roache has played the role of Ken since 1960.
