A fixture on Coronation Street since 1960, Bill Roache has become part of the ITV show’s very fabric.
The actor’s six-decade tenure as Ken Barlow is now set to be marked with a dedicated spin-off tribute.
The one-off programme – working title Bill Roache: Life on the Street – is expected to air later this year or in early 2027, according to The Sun.
“This is a very celebratory programme marking the huge achievement of being on Corrie for the past 66 years,” a show insider told the publication, revealing that work on the special is already underway with Roache involved himself.
“Very few cast members get an honour like this but then very few can boast the incredible career that Bill has had,” they added. “He’s a Weatherfield icon.”
In 2010, after 50 years on the cobbles, Roache made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-serving TV star in a continuous role. He has since extended that record every year he remains in the role.
The actor, now 94 years old, was introduced to viewers as Ken Barlow in the ITV show’s first ever episode in 1960.
Over the years, his character has been married four times to three different women, including Valerie who died in an accident in 1971 and the love of his life, Deirdre (played by the late Anne Kirkbride).
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The one-off special is being made by Manchester-based production company MultiStory, which is owned by ITV. A release date is yet to be announced.
While Coronation Street has previously commemorated milestones with anniversary specials, documentaries and retrospective episodes, show bosses do not tend to build standalone tribute programmes around individual cast members, making Roache’s documentary a particularly special occasion.
Barbara Knox, 92, who has played Rita Tanner since 1964, is one actor who received similar treatment with her 2014 ITV special Rita and Me, a documentary marking her 50-year anniversary on the show.
Similarly, William Tarney, who spent three decades portraying Jack Duckworth, was honoured with a farewell special when he exited the soap in 2010.
In 1999, Roache was feted with the British Soap Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, and was awarded an MBE in 2001, followed by an OBE in 2022.