Roache charge is third blow for soap

Coronation Street actor Bill Roache is to be charged with two counts of rape of a 15-year-old girl in 1967, the third hammer blow to the soap’s bosses.

The 81-year-old actor, who has played Ken Barlow in the show since its launch, was held at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, yesterday. Last night, he was charged with two counts of raping a 15-year-old girl in Lancashire in 1967.

It is understood Roache, the world’s longest-serving soap actor, will not appear in the show while investigations continue.