Coronation Street solid Ken Barlow’s new love curiosity

Coronation Street have solid Absolutely Fabulous actress Helen Lederer in a visitor function as a love curiosity for the present’s oldest character Ken Barlow.

Known for as soon as being the cobbles greatest lothario (Bill Roache) and determined to show he nonetheless can nonetheless woo the women on the age of 91, Ken embarks on pace relationship. 

After being single for close to a decade following the demise of his beloved spouse Deirdre  in 2015, he catches the attention of fellow dater Elspeth (performed by comic Helen, 69).

Ken attends the pace relationship occasion with ex-son in legislation Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) and leaves the Taxi agency proprietor gutted when, regardless of his advancing age,  manages to outdo him within the romance stakes. 

Speaking concerning the function Helen, who will seem in a single Wednesday March 27, described her character as ‘ahead and daring’.

She additionally admitted that one of many greatest attracts to taking the half was the chance to behave reverse Bill, who has appeared on the cleaning soap because it’s first episode in 1960.

Saying: ‘I had met him as soon as earlier than after I sat subsequent to him at an occasion and I assumed what a beautiful man he was and so personable. So for me to be supplied this temporary function was a pleasure’.

And regardless of solely showing briefly Helen teased that Ken took Elspeth’s quantity throughout their scenes and she or he very nicely return to the cleaning soap ought to he name.

As nicely as enjoying Catriona in Ab Fab, the actress has additionally appeared in Hollyoaks, Celebrity Big Brother and  Agatha Christie’s Marple.

It comes after the actor was given a 3 month deadline to clear his large tax debt as a way to ‘enable for the sale of property’ on Monday.

William earns a reported £250,000 a 12 months enjoying Ken Barlow on the long-running cleaning soap however has racked up a half-a-million debt to the taxman.

He entered an settlement in 2018 to clear the £588,015.18 invoice, however in accordance with experiences final month he has solely paid £41,666.65 up to now. 

Bill is seeking to dump some property to clear the debt with The Sun reporting in February a potential purchaser had pulled out of a deal. 

The High Court has now given him a 12-week adjournment as a way to ‘enable for the sale of property’.

Bill didn’t seem at a specialist listening to, the place legal professionals for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) stated the sum the actor owes – which was not disclosed in courtroom – has been diminished because of funds made.

Jacquille Jarrett, for HMRC, stated Bill had requested for a 12-week adjournment, which was unopposed, to ‘enable for the sale of property’.

Retired Insolvency and Companies Court decide Stephen Baister granted the adjournment and stated Bill’s case will return in June.

‘Splendid,’ Dr Baister stated on the finish of the listening to, which lasted lower than a minute, on the High Court in London.

Bill is finest recognized for his portrayal of Ken Barlow within the ITV cleaning soap for greater than 60 years after making his debut in its first episode in 1960.

He has wed 3 times throughout his intercourse a long time on the present with Deirdre (Anne Kirbride) being probably the most memorable. 

They had been first married in 1981 and their relationship was rocky to be say the least. 

Shortly after tying the knot for the primary time, Deirdre had an affair with Mike Baldwin (performed by Johnny Briggs) after she discovered Ken boring.

And whereas the connection miraculously survived, it quickly got here to a devastating finish when  after Ken had an affair together with his secretary Wendy Cozier (Roberta Kerr) in 1989.

They divorced within the 80s solely to remarry in 2005 which tragically ended after her off-screen demise in 2015, within the wake of the passing of actress Anne Kirkbride.

Before Deirdre, Ken was briefly married to Janet (Judith Barker) in 1973.

After the demise of his first spouse, Ken married Janet quickly after in order that his twins would have a beautiful mom.

But, the pair would usually not see eye-to-eye, with Janet not eager on having the youngsters at house and in addition upset by Ken’s lack of ambition.

In 1977, Janet turned up on Ken’s doorstep asking him to take her again however he refused, which led her to taking taking her personal life.

Valerie (Anne Reid) was Ken’s first spouse and mom to Peter (Chris Gascoyne) and Susan (Joanna Foster).

They obtained married in 1962 and had been smitten till her devastating unintentional demise in 1971.

Ken then agreed to take a educating place in Jamaica and the household had been getting ready to to migrate. 

While preparing for her personal going away celebration, Valerie was electrified by a defective hairdryer.

Bill, who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest serving TV cleaning soap star on the planet, was made an OBE within the Queen’s New Year Honours listing in December 2021 for his providers to drama and charity.