Bill Roache didn't want to do 'Coronation Street' at first

Coronation Street stalwart Bill Roache may be the soap's longest-serving cast member, but he was initially reluctant to take on the part of Ken Barlow.

The 87-year-old was starring in plays before the programme began in 1960 and he didn't want to swap the stage for the screen, however, he's now the only original member of the cast still on the ITV show.

Speaking on This Morning, Roache shared: “When [Coronation Street] was first offered, I didn’t want to do it. I’d just got the lead in a play in 1959, it was the play of the week, the highlight of the week, and I had the lead as a young soldier in Germany.

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“So that was coming out and then my agent rang and said, ‘Granada want you, I think it’s for a little comedy’.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to do it’. And he said, ‘You might as well do the pilot, you’ve got nothing else to do’.”

Roache is a Guinness World Record holder, claiming the title of the longest-serving TV soap star.

However, it seems he's got his eyes set on another title as last year he revealed he'd like to become the first centenarian working on a serial.

"I’ve been in it for 58 years. I’m in the Guinness Book of Records. I’ve got the MBE for services to television," he said on ITV's Lorraine.

"My goal now is to be the first centenarian still working in a serial. I think they want me as well. I’m very lucky to have the job. I really appreciate the job and I love it very much."