William Roache – Ken Barlow from Coronation Street

You don’t need to be a big soap opera fan to know who William Roache is. This small-screen legend is the longest-serving male television star in a continuous role and is still adding up to the record. In 2021, he appeared as Ken Barlow on Coronation Street for the 4,070th time! That’s the equivalent of filming one episode per day for 11.1 years straight!

Playing the political activist Barlow since 1960, Roache has built an extraordinary legacy for himself in the soap world. Before becoming a small-screen icon, he served as a Captain in the Royal Welch Fusiliers.