ITV Coronation Street and Happy Birthday Bill: Real life of Ken Barlow star William Roache - actress ex, famous sons and tragic losses

He's been on our screens longer than he's been off it - and has a Guinness World Record to prove it. William Roache was one of Coronation Street's first actors having made his debut in the soap's very first episode in 1960 as Ken Barlow.

Fast forward six decades and the acting legend is still appearing in the ITV favourite as the Barlow patriarch. And Bill has a major milestone just around the corner.

He'll be celebrating his 90th birthday next week, on April 25, and in honour of the special occasion a special documentary, Happy Birthday Bill, will air on ITV on Tuesday night (April 19). It features special appearances from past and present Corrie cast members, as well as his own family as they help him look back on the moments and the people that have helped shape both Bill himself and his character.

READ MORE: ITV Coronation Street's Ken Barlow star Bill Roache on whether he'll retire from soap ahead of turning 90

Viewers will catch a rare glimpse of Bill's life off set at home with his family, as well as his experiences behind the scenes on the Salford-based cobbles that he has called home since the soap began as well as in his real-life home in Cheshire.

But it got us thinking, what do we know already about the life and times of Bill Roache? Well, before landing his role on Corrie, he appeared in various stage productions, had uncredited roles in several films, and later small parts in television serials including Knight Errant Limited and Skyport.

He played the minor role of a space centre operator in the Norman Wisdom film The Bulldog Breed and, shortly before his soap debut, Bill played the leading role in a Granada Television play called Marking Time which was transmitted on ITV. He landed the role of Ken