CORONATION Street legend Bill Roache has revealed his secret feud with a co-star, which saw them not speak for TWO years.
The soap legend, 93, since the soap’s debut episode in 1960.
Coronation Street legend Bill Roache has opened up about a two year feud he had with a co-star
The actor is best known for playing ken Barlow
Bill has been playing Ken for over six decades and once didn’t speak to a co-star for two years
Bill said he fell out with a co-star during a scene when his onscreen wife died – played by Anne Reid
After working on the soap for 65 years, certainly has some tea to spill – that might come as a surprise to fans.
This includes an on-set incident in the 70s which led to him not speaking to a co-star for two years.
Bill spilled the beans when he recently took part in An Audience With Coronation Street in .
The actor’s secret feud was with the late Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner.
Bill revealed the pair fell out during a scene in 1971 involving the death of his then on-screen wife, Valerie Tatlock played by .
Addressing fans, he said: “I had a scene where she’d said something unkind to my wife, and I told her off.
“Pat said to the director: ‘I don’t think she’d take this from this young man…’
“She said she wanted to do something in the end, and the director said: ‘Yes, Pat, anything you want.’
“So 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.”
Bill then revealed how their feud made things very awkward on the Corrie set but one day they were suddenly friends again.
“Two years later, we’re standing together waiting to film a scene, still not talking and it was her birthday coming up,” the actor continued.
“She said, ‘Oh I suppose you’d better come to my party then.’ And we became good friends after that!”
Die-hard Corrie fans will remember that Pat played Elsie between 1960 and 1973.
She returned to the show in 1976 but left again in 1982.
Sadly she passed away just two years later at the age of 62 from .
Bill revealed he fell out with co-star Pat Phoenix
The pair fell out for two years in the 70s
TOP AWARD
Back in March, at The Entertainment Agents’ Awards (TEAA), which honoured his incredible Corrie career.
He collected the gong from co-star , who has .
Discussing the achievement, Bill told the Champions Speakers Agency : “It’s a huge honour to receive this award, and I am very grateful for it.
“I’ve enjoyed a wonderful career and to have spent so many years working on such a special programme like Coronation Street has been magical.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with some absolutely incredible actors over that period and made a lifetime of memories.
“I’m looking forward to being in the programme for many more years to come.
Bill continues to star in Corrie and recently won a top award
CORRIE KING
Bill joined Corrie on the very first episode in 1960.
As Ken, he is known for being part of the Barlow family which originally featured his parents Frank and Ida, as well as brother David.
But by 1968, Ken was the only one still appearing on a regular basis.
The – while he tied the knot with () twice.
Coronation Street continues on ITV1 and .
History of the Coronation Street set
By , TV Reporter
1960-1968 – Whilst the Coronation Street set remained on Quay Street for 53 years, it actually had three separate studio sites. The first was an entirely indoor wooden set which was used for the first eight years of filming. This encompassed a replica of the Street built entirely indoors. The set was known to be awkward for actors to use and the houses brought to three quarter scale.
1968-1982 – In 1968, the addition of an outdoor set was created to adjoin the existing indoor set which was still used for filming right up until 1982. The set was used only when required with many of the show’s cast reportedly hating it and describing it as ‘the coldest place on Earth’.
1982-2013 – A brand new set was officially constructed in 1982 and was almost built fully to scale but still only permitted for one car to drive down the cobbled street. The house were purpose-built using reclaimed Salford brick in order to give it the most authentic feel possible. During these years, some of the show’s buildings were adapted to allow for both interior and exterior filming at the same time. These locations included Elliott’s Butchers, Barlow’s Buys, Prima Doner and Webster’s Autos. The final scenes to be recorded on this site occurred in December 2013. By early 2014, it began operating as a tourist attraction for around two years before ultimately being demolished and re-purposed in 2017.
2014-present – In early 2014, the show’s set moved to the TV hub of the North – MediaCityUK in nearby Salford Quays. It is now located a stone’s throw from major TV studio Dock 10 as well as the BBC’s base in the North – home to Blue Peter, Newsround, BBC Breakfast and BBC Sport. The new set was even bigger and built to 9/10 the scale of a real street and allowed for two card to be travelling down the road at opposite sides for the very first time. The site has even undergone major expansions during its 10 years. Just four years after opening in 2018, a brand new set extension was unveiled which introduced viewers to Victoria Gardens for the first time in its history. The Weatherfield North tram stop also became visible as did a series of shops which became used as part of product placement advertising deals. Brands to have been seen on the Street so far include a Co-Op, a Costa Coffee and a branch of Hay’s Travel. Four years later in 2022, another brand new set was unveiled, this time being the heavily mentioned Weatherfield Precinct. It became the first time in 62 years that the area had ever been seen on screens. It fearued a variety of shop fronts, a playground and a number of small flats which have begun to house more and more residents on the street in recent months.
