Coronation Street star Roache awarded Guinness World Record

Wi l l i a m R o a c h e h a s b e e n presented with the Guinness World Record for the longest ser ving T V soap star in the world for his six decades in Coronation Street.

The actor, 88, debuted as Ken Barlow in the first episode of the ITV soap, which will celebrate its 60th anniversar y on December 9, and remains the longest running TV soap opera in the world.

The show has been given an updated certificate marking the achievement, which was accepted on behalf of the cast and crew, past and present, by Sally Dynevor (Sally Metcalfe) and Joe Duttine (Tim Metcalfe). They noted the show was only originally supposed to be on for 13 weeks.

Roache, who was presented with his cer tificate during a break in filming, said: "I would like to thank Guinness World Records for this new award.

"I have been ver y fortunate to have been in this wonderful programme, Coronation Street, which has carried me into this world record and a lifetime of wonderful memories."

Series producer Iain Macleo d said: "When Coronation Street, Tony Warren's groundbreaking, visionar y project, launched in 1960, a columnist in a national newspaper predicted it wouldn't last more than three weeks.

"Sixty years later, I can safely say the many hundreds of people that have worked tirelessly and dedicatedly on the show have proved that prediction staggeringly wrong.”

C o r o n a t i o n S t r e e t a n d R o a c h e t o o k t h e r e c o r d s after US soap As The World T u r n s w a s c a n c e l l e d i n 2010, having star ted in 1956.