In the early days of the ITV program, William Roache revealed that he had a relationship with one of his Coronation Street co-stars. The relationship lasted for two years.
William Roache has revealed that he had a feud with one of his Coronation Street co-stars that went on for two years. The actor, 93, has played Ken Barlow on ITV’s flagship soap opera since its very first episode aired on 9 December 1960 and admitted that, at one point, something went awry with one of his castmates.
In a rare public appearance, Bill joined Jane Danson (Leanne Battersby), Jack P. Shepherd (David Platt), Patti Clare (Mary Taylor) and Jimmi Harkinsin (Dev Alahan) for An Audience With Coronation Street on stage at The Lowry in Salford, just across from where the show itself is filmed at MediaCity.
The five sifted through memories of working together on the Street for so long, and then took part in a pub quiz focused on the goings-on in Weatherfield over the last 65 years.
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The evening was hosted by This Morning star Sharon Marshall and members of the audience rose to their feet to welcome Bill to the stage.
During a chat with soaps queen Sharon about his early days on the show, Bill recalled falling out with Pat Phoenix, a fellow original cast member who shot to fame when she took on the part of Street siren Elsie Tanner.
At the time, Ken was married to Valerie Tatlock (Anne Reid), who was killed off in 1971 after being electrocuted by a faulty hairdryer, and an incident occurred when Bill and Pat disagreed over how an intense scene should play out.
He continued, “I had a situation where she had spoken insulting to my wife and I told her off.”
She said, “She said she wanted to do something, and the director said, “Yes, Pat, any you want,” and Pat responded, “I don’t think she’d take this from this young man.”
“So Pat asked me to pause, and she hurled me an ashtray. No, Pat, you know what you’ve done here, and it’s unprofessional to my mind. For two years, we hadn’t spoken.
The pair continued to work together on camera during scenes for the program, but they never spoke up until Pat abruptly realized they were no longer speaking up.
We are still waiting for a scene to be filmed, Bill continued, noting that her birthday is approaching.
She said, “Oh, I suppose you’d better attend my party then,” and we soon became close friends.
Before making her acting debut in Elsie, Pat had struggled with the industry for a while. Bill acknowledged that she was a particular cast member who enjoyed the “celebrity” aspect of her job once she had made it.
Pat first appeared on the program in 1960’s first episode, and he remained there until 1973. She made a comeback in 1976 and resigned in 1984, just two years before she passed away in her 62nd year.
On screen, she was played by EastEnders actress Jessie Wallace in the 2010 drama The Road to Coronation Street, and Tony Warren, the show’s creator, once claimed that Carla Connor (Alison King) is the Elsie Tanner for the current generation.
Bill claimed he wants to stay with the cast until he reaches the age of 100 when he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at The Entertainment Agents’ Awards earlier this year.
He continued, “I’m very grateful for this award, and it’s a huge honor.” It’s amazing to have worked on such a special program as Coronation Street for so long in my career.
Over the course of that time, I had the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented actors, who created lasting memories. I’m hoping to be a participant in the program until I reach the age of 100!
Source: Mirror
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