William Roache Interview by
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When you’ve appeared in the same soap for 47 years as has William Roache, MBE, Coronation Street’s Ken Barlow, you have a lot of tales to tell. And he’s going to share them at a One-Man Show at the Library Theatre, Manchester on Sunday (September 23rd).
In the first half of “An Audience with William Roache”, he’ll talk about his life, and how he got into acting and came to join Coronation Street. After the interval and a little more insight into the production, you’ll have a chance to ask questions about anything, not just what goes on in ‘the street’.
So far as William is concerned, the question part is the best. Speaking from previous experience of such evenings, he said: “I enjoy the questions. People can ask whatever they want.” He is often asked about the cast, the schedule and input with writers and directors. But I suspect he would prefer more profound questions about the meaning of life.
It is a subject which is of great interest to him. In the past, it has been said he was a Druid: “I am not a Druid,” he insisted. “I’m not an anything. I belong to no particular group or cult. I am just someone who searches for the truth. There are a lot of people in this category nowadays.”
William has been searching for the truth for 30 years: “The truth is a never ending journey. You start with questions like ‘Is there life after death?’ ‘Is there a God?’ And ‘Is reincarnation a fact?’
“Truth is an individual thing and you have to raise your own awareness as an inward journey. You begin to find, for your own satisfaction, things that you know are absolutely right.”
To find out what he believes, you should read William’s book “Soul on the Street” to be launched at Waterstones on October 2nd. “It’s about me and what influenced me and encouraged me to find out about spiritual things”
As the title suggests, there will also be plenty to read about ‘the street.’ William recalls the first episode in 1960. “There were no soaps then. Soap is a derogatory term. It is an extended commercial. We were highly respected as a drama serial when we first started. It is very different today.
“Ken was originally a student who was embarrassed by his parents, and his brother mending his bike in the front garden. He was always having arguments with his father because Ken thought he should better himself.”
Ken is a very different character today. “He wants to be the voice of Wetherfield but he has this wonderfully dysfunctional family around him. He has his mother-in-law, Blanche; his daughter in prison for murder, a son who is a bigamist and a dodgy relationship between himself and Deidre. This is wonderful. It is where all the stories come from.”
Filming goes on from 8 in the morning until 7 at night, six days a week. No one actor is there all that time. William said: “My job couldn’t be further removed from a 9 to 5 job. When you are actually involved in a heavy story you can be working twelve hours a day, come home, have a meal and then you’ve got your learning for the following day. It’s very hard when it’s hard.
“If I am involved in something like that, I’ve got to be hanging around pretty well for most of that time. It is very sporadic. You can either be working yourself into the ground with hardly a minute to spare or you are having quite a nice time with just a couple of days work.”
“There is no rehearsal, no prompting and you have to be word perfect. You really have to know your stuff. They can’t be not doing it because you don’t know your lines. You have to be totally ready and prepared for what you are doing” For this reason the cast seldom go out socially but they get on well together.
William’s talk will be the first he has done in his own patch and some of his friends will be coming. He said: “It makes you more nervous when there are people you know out there but we’ll have a drink in the bar afterwards. And don’t worry if you mistakenly call him ‘Ken’. He regards it as a nickname!
Tickets for ‘An Audience with William Roache on Sunday September 23rd @ 7.30 pm cost £15.50. Call 0161 236 7110 or log on to www.librarytheatre.com |
