MY FIRST CAR
Former Coronation Street and Emmerdale actor Kenneth Farrington says he probably paid £50 for his first car, a humble Austin 7, in the 1950s.
The 87-year-old actor says it was a 1937 model and he was very proud to be a motorist.
“I think I paid £50 for it, which doesn’t sound much now but it was actually quite a lot of money back then.
“I had just landed a part in a BBC series with Simon Ward and I bought the car from him. It was a practical car, I remember that. I did it up a little. I must have been in my early 20s and it was quite something to have a car in those days.”
He went on to become a familiar face to soap fans, landing the role of Annie Walker’s wayward son Billy Walker in Coronation Street.
He later became power-hungry Tom King in Emmerdale.
“I enjoy driving and I have always had a car,” he said. “I still drive now but I tend to avoid driving at night.
“My most memorable cars were probably a Volvo, which I loved. It was lovely. And a BMW
X5 which was a fantastic car. Now I have a MINI Countryman, which is very good indeed.
“I have never been a proper car enthusiast but I have always driven. In my job you had to drive up and down the country a lot, but I enjoyed it.
“In fact, another memorable car I had was a Post Office van. It used to be quite common to see old Post Office vans on the road.”
Of his acting career, he said: “I used to love going up to Yorkshire for Emmerdale .I don’t think there is much chance of me being brought back though because they killed off my character, sadly. He was pushed to his death from a building, so that’s that.”
He also appeared in The Saint and The Avengers and was on Coronation Street for more than 20 years.