The Ken Barlow actor has been on the ITV soap since its launch in 1960…
William Roache has confessed that he doesn’t know the names of some of his castmates because Coronation Street has become so big.
The actor, who portrays Ken Barlow, admitted that it was difficult to know everyone on the show because of how many characters now appear on the soap compared to just 15 when it first launched in 1960.
‘When we started there were only 15 cast members and we were all in every episode,’ he told Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch.
‘That’s when you had that lovely community feel. You could all go off in a bus to Blackpool. You couldn’t do that now. It’s too big.’
He added of some of the other cast: ‘There are some. I hardly know their names.
‘You go in and you work with your family, my wonderful, dysfunctional family….You do your scenes and you go home.
‘Some of the others, you might meet them in the green room for a cup of tea but you might not see them for weeks.’
William also admitted that it’s not just the cast that has changed, but the way scenes are filmed too.
Revealing that when he first started in the role of Ken Barlow, the actors would ‘rehearse all week and then do one episode live and record another’.
‘Now there is no rehearsal, you just turn up and need to know your lines,’ he said. ‘A scene can be over in 20 minutes.’
Fans of the actor will also be pleased to know that he has no intention of leaving his iconic role on the soap, and that he wants to be the first 100-year-old actor to be working on a regular TV show.
He added: ‘It's a great show and I love it and I'm very fortunate to be in it – and I'm proud to be in it.’
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV.
