Coronation Street star Bill Roache spared bankruptcy after tax bill threat

Coronation Street star William Roache has seen off a bankruptcy threat after settling a tax bill at the High Court. In March, the 92-year-old Bill, who faced a bill for £546,000 from His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), was given 12 weeks to settle the dispute

At a hearing on Monday which lasted less than a minute, Anam Razvi, for HMRC, requested the dismissal of the case on behalf of the tax body. Chief Insolvency and Companies Court judge Nicholas Briggs agreed and dismissed the case, court staff said.

Roache did not attend the hearing at the specialist Insolvency and Companies Court in London. He is best known for his portrayal of Ken Barlow in the ITV soap for nearly 64 years after making his debut in its first episode in 1960.

READ MORE: Coronation Street's Peter Ash responds to on-screen mum as he ditches UK and fans say 'we'll miss you'

He holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving TV soap star in the world and was made an OBE in the Queen's New Year Honours list in December 2021 for his services to drama and charity.

It is understood that Bill earns around £250,000 a year and is reportedly the highest-paid cast member. In February, the Mirror reported how he was raking in thousands of pounds a week filming shout-outs to fans as he battled bankruptcy.

The soap legend was on two websites selling video messages for up to £51 a time to delighted fans. He had hundreds of five-star reviews on the Cameo platform. And at the time it was estimated his earnings were likely to be far higher as typically only around a quarter of customers leave reviews.

At the time, a Coronation Street spokesman said: "We're really sorry to hear of Bill's financial situation. He has an ongoing contract with Coronation