Cornwall ON – Bill Roache or Ken Barlow to Coronation Street fans was 27 when he started the show which is starting its 50th Season.
He’s the only remaining originally cast member. He’s gone from icon of youth for his times to being a frustrated senior who walks his dog Eccles around a lot while doting over his brood of grand children, and having the occasional fling with angst filled actresses.
The BBC which refused Corrie as a show for them all those years ago are now coming out with a drama about the early days of Corrie.
Set to be released soon Mr. Roache’s own son James will be portraying him!
It is 50 years since Coronation Street first aired. Then, it was the programme nobody seemed to want. Indeed its creator, Tony Warren, revealed at the Edinburgh Festival yesterday that he sent an early version of the show to the BBC – ‘and I’m still waiting to hear back from them’.
n later years, writer Tony Warren admitted that much of the dialogue spoken by her and her ilk was drawn from conver sations between gay men he knew in Manchester. A homosexual char acter was out of the question in 1960 but, he says, ‘some of their dialogue was too good not to use’.
Maybe that’s why so many people love Coronation Street? It goes at times in a humanistic and many times humorous way into realms rarely covered by television that resonate with viewers? I know I’ve been watching the series for over 30 years.
Here in Canada we’re about to come to the reality of losing Blanche, the crusty barb tongued mother of Deirdre, Ken’s wife. Actress Maggie Hunt passed away, but because of the delay of showing between Canada and the UK we’ve been watching her last shows wistfully.
Hopefully the CBC will pick up “The Road To Coronation Street” so that the many Canadian fans can check it out.
What do you think my fellow Canadian Corrie fans? You can post your comments below.
Ken Barlow is the longest serving cast member. I’ve been watching Coronation Street for about forty years now.
I don’t understand why we are so far behind…. I wish we were closer to the UK. I keep seeing tweets about Corrie, and then I have to wait 6 months before I can see the story line!!! What’s up with that? I do hope that CBC picks up the special. I know we miss a lot of that stuff. What’s the point of having BBC Canada if we can’t see all the shows??????
Just my 2 cents worth……
If you don’t like being behind (and neither do I), please join this group on Facebook as the start of a petition to get CBC to catch-up to ITV…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Great-Canadian-Corrie-Catch-Up-Petition/147887285275102
Whatever happened to Les Battersby? He was my hero!
I think they got rid of him and Chesney’s mother at the same time.