Soap’s longest-standing actor William Roache has named the Coronation Street co-star he had a two-year rivalry with.
The 93-year-old actor, who has played Ken Barlow on the ITV soap since its 1960 debut, said that he clashed with Pat Phoenix, who played legendary character Elsie Tanner
Phoenix was also an original cast member, appearing from 1960 to 1973 before returning for an eight-year stint in 1976 – but for two of those years, she didn’t see eye to eye with Roache.
Roache revealed that hostilities started over a scene in which Barlow told Tanner off for saying something unkind to his wife, Valerie Tatlock (Anne Reid).
The actor claimed that Phoenix disagreed with how the scene played out, telling the director: “I don’t think she’d take this from this young man’.” Roache said he found this unprofessional.
“She said she wanted to do something in the end, and the director said ‘Yes, Pat, anything you want’,” Roache said on a panel with several co-stars, including Jane Danson (Leanne Battersby), Jack P Shepherd (David Platt) and Jimmi Harkinsin (Dev Alahan).
“Pat asked me to pause and she’d throw an ashtray at me. I said, ‘No, Pat, you know what you’ve done here, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s unprofessional.’ We didn’t talk for two years.”
They shared many scenes together but did not talk when cameras stopped rolling until she invited him to her birthday party out of the blue.
“Two years later, we’re standing together waiting to film a scene, still not talking and it was her birthday coming up. She said, ‘Oh I suppose you’d better come to my party then,’ and we became good friends after that.”
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Coronation Street celebrates its 65th anniversary on 9 December, which also marks Roache’s 65th year on the soap. He has appeared on the series continuously without taking any breaks, making him the longest-serving actor in soap history. He said he wants to keep playing Barlow until he is 100.
Roache reportedly earns more than £250,000 per year from his role, which would make him one of the highest-paid cast members.
However, in 2024, Roache filed for bankruptcy after having a petition filed against him by HMRC.
A spokesperson for Corrie told The Independent: “We’re really sorry to hear of Bill’s financial situation. Bill has an ongoing contract with Coronation Street and remains a much-loved member of the cast.”
The actor received an OBE from King Charles for services to drama and charity in 2022.
At the time, he said: “I’m delighted to be receiving an OBE as it’s such a wonderful honour. I can’t tell you how proud I am.
“Coronation Street has given me so much in life and I absolutely love the programme and everyone who works on the show.”
