IN 62 years of Coronation Street, Ken Barlow has been married four times, had four kids, numerous flings, been to prison and even been at the centre of a whodunnit.

And while life hasn’t been quite as dramatic for the man who plays him, you would still expect Bill Roache to have a few tales to tell.

ITV celebrates the Corrie legend this week with Happy Birthday Bill, a documentary to mark his 90th birthday.

It sees him reunite in the Rovers with actress Anne Reid, who played Ken’s first wife Valerie in the Sixties.

Bill said: “I was surprised — she told me she used to dream about me and I laughed and said, ‘Don’t you mean nightmares?’ And then she told me she had a crush on me, but she never told me at the time.”

Ken and Valerie married in July 1962 then two years later he had a fling with an exotic dancer, but the ­marriage survived and they had twins.

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In 1971 Anne left Corrie to pursue comedy roles — and her character Valerie was written out by being electrocuted.

Bill said: “Anne played my wife for eight years and I was very sad when she chose to leave.

“When Valerie died, she was due to meet Ken at the Rovers, so when she walked through the doors finally, 52 years later, it was a lovely moment — we both just started laughing.

“It was beautiful to see her again. To me, she looks no different. She also gave me a silver cup when she left, engraved with, ‘We must do it again some time’, so it was nice that we finally got that chance.”

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Bill is the Guinness World Record holder for the longest-serving TV soap star, at 61 years. The documentary, on ITV tomorrow at 8pm, will celebrate his life and career, with appearances by past and present Corrie actors and his family.

Bill said: “The Coronation Street cast are like a second family to me and I can’t quite believe I have been lucky enough to play Ken Barlow for more than 60 years.

“I hope the viewers enjoy watching the documentary as much as I did making it.”

I’m sure we will, Bill.

Celebs stuck in Wales

I WAS looking forward to I’m A Celebrity swapping rainy Wales for the Australian sunshine, but now there is a question over whether it will be back Down Under this year.

Custodians of Gwrych Castle, where ITV staged the show during the pandemic, have applied for approval to keep the temporary structures built by crew for another year.

Bosses had put up covers over sections of the castle, like the dining hall and coach house, but as the site is Grade 1 listed, permission is only for a year.

So trustees have now applied for another 12 months.

Documents read: “Filming necessitates temporary works – last year it included re-roofing of the dining room and coach house.”

A source said: “It was all looking so hopeful that it would be back in Oz but news like this does make that look less likely. Hopefully, ITV are just being prudent and covering all eventualities.”

Serious failings

DISPATCHES on C4 tonight features an interview with a former teacher of the Islamist terrorist who murdered MP David Amess last year.

The docu reveals serious failings in the Prevent anti-terror scheme.

Out of 13 recent attacks, which cost the lives of 14 people, seven of the offenders were known to security forces.

New docs to shock

PIMPLY bits, intimate infections and third nipples – the Embarrassing Bodies clinic saw it all.

And now a new trio of doctors will see you now as a reboot comes to E4 later this year.

Dr Jane Leonard, Dr Anand Patel and Dr Tosin Ajayi-Sotubo are taking the reins as willing volunteers expose their most unpleasant ailments on TV.

A cast of celebrities will also help to get Britain talking about health and sexual issues.

Star power is something GP and aesthetics doctor Jane knows all about, with Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards and Laura Whitmore among her fans.

Dr Anand was a biology teacher before he went back to medicine, where he specialises in sexual health and men’s issues.

He co-hosts The Pleasure Podcast which – you guessed it – is all about sex, baby.

London-based Dr Tosin has a special interest in women’s health and is founder of online platform the Mind Body Doctor.

Hope they have strong stomachs.

Dating app show

IT was only a matter of time before a TV channel did a show based entirely on dating apps.

Now a “major streaming service” is after singles to join a private app which will become the heart of the programme.

A source said: “People know the tension that comes with swiping. I can’t believe it’s taken this long for TV to harness it.”

Liam not Derry Christmas

CELEBRITY cameos can sometimes go down like a cup of cold sick, but Liam Neeson's turn in Derry Girls was decidedly more palatable.

Viewers raved about the Hollywood star’s turn as a police sergeant and he has since said he was “delighted to play a wee part”.

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Much has been made of how the Channel 4 sitcom was able to keep it a secret but it hardly sounds as if it is thanks to the show’s creator, Lisa McGee.

She revealed: “Our code name for Liam during the shoot was ‘the big fella’. Arguably quite an easily cracked code.” You reckon?!

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