William Roache: Meet Actor Holding Record for Playing Same Role for Longest Time on TV
- William Roache was celebrated by Guinness World Records as the longest-serving TV soap actor
- He achieved the impressive milestone for playing the same role on Coronation Street for about 60 years
- Roache had earlier disclosed through an interview that he did not want to take the role when he was picked for the show
Legendary actor William Roache is officially the longest-serving TV soap actor in the world.
He achieved the feat for playing the same role in a show for the longest time in TV history.
According to Guinness World Records, Roache, who plays the seemingly ever-youthful Ken Barlow in the show Coronation Street was feated for his role in the aforementioned TV show.
Source: Facebook
The actor has been on the show ever since the first episode.
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Stuff.co.nz reported that Coronation Street's first episode was aired on December 9, 1960.
The revered actor most recently appeared in Coronation Street episode 9,850 on August 16, 2019.
The appearance gave him a run of 58 years 250 days, making him the longest-serving soap star on the longest-running soap opera on TV.
Guinness World Records
Roache's efforts were noted by Guinness World Records which handed him an official certificate just recently.
Following the announcement by Guinness World Records, many TV fans took to social media to celebrate him as a great actor.
Legit.ng understands Roache initially turned down the role when he was first approached about it 60 years ago.
Speaking during a recent interview, Roache disclosed that he went for the audition but did not really want the job.
Roache said:
“I went to the audition at Granada Television in Manchester but I didn’t particularly want the job. I had just had the lead in a television play and I was living in a flat in London and waiting for the play to go out, which was a big break for me."
Roache noted that his agent told him he had been picked for the role and he said he did not want to take part.
However, he later agreed to give it a try after his agent talked and persuaded him.
He said:
“When my agent said, ‘They want you, Bill’, I told him I didn’t want to do it. Fortunately, he persuaded me that it was only going to run for 11 weeks and that in one of those weeks I would be on television Monday and Friday in Coronation Street and mid-week in the play and it would be a great ‘shop window’ for me."
Colleagues organise candle light event for late Rachel Oniga
Some days ago, Legit.ng reported that the Nollywood community held a candle procession for one of their own, Rachel Oniga who passed away.
Among those who attended the event was Kate Henshaw, Desmond Elliot, Jide Kosoko, Kunle Afolayan amongst others.
Children of the late Nollywood veteran were later given the sum of N4 million as their contribution from Oniga's industry colleagues.
Source: Legit.ng
Adeyinka Odutuyo Adeyinka Odutuyo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist with over four years of working experience at Legit.ng. He is currently the deputy HOD of the Gossip and Entertainment Desk. Adeyinka holds a degree in Linguistics and Communication Studies from Osun State University, Osogbo. He graduated in 2016. He emerged as Legit.ng's Best Entertainment Editor in 2020 and 2021. Contact: adeyinka.odutuyo@corp.legit.ng
Khadijah Thabit (Copyeditor) Khadijah Thabit is an editor with over 3 years of experience editing and managing contents such as articles, blogs, newsletters and social leads. She has a BA in English and Literary Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Khadijah joined Legit.ng in September 2020 as a copyeditor and proofreader for the Human Interest, Current Affairs, Business, Sports and PR desks. As a grammar police, she develops her skills by reading novels and dictionaries. Email: khadeeejathabit@gmail.com
