Bill Roache to make Coronation Street return

Coronation Street star Bill Roache will return to the show more than a year after his last appearance. Picture: PA

The 82-year-old, who was written out of the soap for more than a year pending the outcome of his court case, will take screen wife Deirdrie Barlow on a romantic caravan holiday.

Roache was found not guilty of rape and indecent assault in February and will resume his stint as the world’s longest serving soap actor.

Stuart Blackburn, the show’s executive producer, said the comedic storyline would offer some light relief to the murder mystery about to seize the residents of Coronation Street.

Tina McIntyre, played by Michelle Keegan, will be killed off in the soap later this month, and it is hoped Roache’s return will provide some levity to the popular soap.

Blackburn said: “I can’t wait to see Bill back on screen.

“I’m going to give Ken and Deirdre a little holiday – a caravan in North Wales. What could possibly go wrong?

“Ken raises the idea of going on holiday and she’s busy scanning the papers for places in Monaco or Barbados, something like that. Then he pulls up in a hired caravan going, ‘Let’s go to North Wales!’.”

Blackburn added: “Ken is going to come back to a really dark time. But Tina’s murder storyline won’t be the only one that dominates for him. We are going to have some fun as well.”