Bill Roache, the world's longest-serving soap star, has no intention of retiring from Coronation Street. The 94-year-old actor, who has played Ken Barlow since the very first episode in 1960, believes he can keep going well into his 90s thanks to the power of his mind.
Positive Thinking Against Ageing
Roache attributes his longevity to a positive mindset. 'I try not to think about the years, I just think about getting on and enjoying life,' he said. 'I would want for the future just more of the same. I think to quite a large extent ageing is a belief system. As you get on people say, "Oh, take it easy, you shouldn't be doing that." So, you start taking it easy. And then it's, "Well, I think you should give that up." So, you give that up and it goes down, down you go. Actually, as you get older, you should start doing more, not less. We're lucky to be here, as we are, so make the most of it. Life is a miracle. Our physical body is a miracle and it's capable of so much more.'
Longest-Running Soap Star
Roache made his debut as Ken Barlow on December 9, 1960, and broke the record as the longest-serving actor in a soap opera in 2010. He is unlikely to ever be surpassed. Over the decades, the line between actor and character has blurred. 'It's pseudo-method I would say. If you're playing a character that's vastly different from yourself you've got all sorts of things to learn and do. I didn't have that. I was just playing me as Ken Barlow. In my book I don't act, I just do, and I believe it. That's it. I don't think about acting at all. I just absorb, take it all in, feel that's who I am, that's what I'm doing, and do it.'
One Scene He Couldn't Do
Roache recalled only a couple of times when his approach didn't work. One instance involved a storyline where Ken had an illegitimate child by a hairdresser and fought to keep the child. 'Suddenly, not in just one episode, but in one scene the mother of the child comes along and takes it away and he says okay. I said, "I'm sorry, I just can't do that." I'd been so involved with protecting, keeping and looking after this child, suddenly in one sentence. The producer said, "I'm sorry, it's a bit sudden, I realise it." It was too late to change it. That was a big wrench. I took them all personally. As an actor you shouldn't do that, if you're doing different parts all the time you'd be all over the place. I feel I'm Ken's protector, I feel I'm looking after him. His caretaker rather than protector. That's what I do.'
Learning Lines and Changes in Production
Roache finds learning lines easy, as dialogue is conversational. 'People ask about learning lines as an actor, but it's not like poetry is it? It's an exchange, "You coming to the Rovers? What do you want to do afterwards? Do you want to have a meal? By the way you know I'm having an affair with your daughter?" Or something like that. You get the sequence of the story. The writers are amazing on Coronation Street. If you just keep reading it and you feel what is happening the words just gradually sink and then you just polish up on them.'
The soap now shoots in High Definition with five episodes a week, a contrast to the early days of two episodes and audiences over 20 million. 'Those early days were totally different. We all knew each other, we cared about each other. They used to get a little bus and throw a crate of beer in the back and we'd all go to London or somewhere. Nowadays the cast is just too big, you just can't do that. I think I prefer the method of filming that we do now where you just turn up and do your scenes. Before it was rehearse like a full play and then done like a full play. If there was one mistake in one film we had to go back and do a whole quarter up until the commercial break. So, from a technical point of view, I definitely prefer the system we have now. But each era I've been in has had its own special thing and I have just loved it. I think the '70s and the '80s, looking back on the old ones, seem to be very popular with people.'
Spiritual Beliefs
Away from Corrie, Roache has spoken about his spiritual beliefs, including reincarnation, which comforted him after the deaths of his daughter Edwina in 1984 and his wife Sara in 2009. He now believes in one true God and that the soul lives on after death. 'I have my own understanding about life and what goes on. I know that life, to me, carries on. I know that life goes on. I believe there is one God who is loving, totally loving and we're all looked after in that sense. That's it. I want to keep it as simple as that.'
