Ken Barlow
Ken Barlow | |||||||||||
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Coronation Street character | |||||||||||
Portrayed by | William Roache | ||||||||||
Duration | 1960–present | ||||||||||
First appearance | Episode 1 9 December 1960 | ||||||||||
Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||
Created by | Tony Warren | ||||||||||
Introduced by | Stuart Latham | ||||||||||
Book appearances | Coronation Street: The Complete Saga Coronation Street: The War Years | ||||||||||
Spin-off appearances | Ken and Deirdre's Bedtime Stories (2011) | ||||||||||
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Kenneth "Ken" Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of Coronation Street's original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anniversary onscreen. He debuted in the soap's first episode on 9 December 1960.[1] Having appeared in the role continuously since that date, Roache is the longest-serving actor in a televised soap opera, and was honoured at the 2010 Guinness World Records ceremony for the achievement, having surpassed actor Don Hastings from the American soap opera As the World Turns, who previously held this title. Roache stated in 2010 that he had no plans to leave the role and would remain in Coronation Street for as long as the producers would have him. In November 2020, Roache was again presented with the Guinness World Record for the longest serving TV soap star in the world for his six decades in Coronation Street.[2]
Ken Barlow was introduced as the educated son of a
Despite his somewhat antagonistic role in the show's early years, Ken developed a reputation among critics for representing an archetypal "boring man". This is an allegation denied by Roache, who has cited Ken's evolution over the years, his chaotic love life and dysfunctional family as evidence to the contrary. Roache has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the
Storylines
Ken Barlow was born and raised at 3 Coronation Street,
Ken begins teaching, and marries
Ken has numerous flings, including a one-night stand with
When
Ken and Mike, who are the moral opposites of each other, remain enemies; Ken is incensed when his daughter, Susan, falls in love and has a short-lived marriage with Mike. In 1991 Ken and Mike compete for the same woman,
Ken has a relationship with hairdresser
Ken and Deirdre remain close, despite their other relationships. They reunite in 1999, following encouragement from Deidre's mother
In late August 2010,
In December 2010, Peter is caught up in the Joinery Bar gas leak explosion, which results in an unforgettable tram crash as the explosion severs the tramline above. Ken is fearful that his son is going to die, and this almost happens when Peter goes into cardiac arrest, after marrying Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) on his hospital bed; However, Peter survives. Ken supports Peter and Leanne as Peter struggles to regain a sense of reality, the explosion having left him paralysed, potentially for life. Meanwhile, James comes to stay with the Barlows for a while, with no-one knowing that his role in a soup kitchen in town is actually part of a scam. When Ken discovers this, James packs his things and leaves; Ken tries to make him stay but James pushes him out of the way, knocking him unconscious. Ken is not seriously hurt, though.
Ken doesn't know where his loyalties lie when Peter is found to be having an affair with Carla Connor (Alison King), and he is estranged from his son, Simon (Alex Bain). Ken is then shocked to discover that Peter has been indicted for the murder of Frank Foster (Andrew Lancel), who had been found not guilty of raping Carla. He tries to help but is pushed away. Eventually, it is found that Frank's mother Anne was the real culprit. She is given a custodial sentence, whilst Peter is free to go. In mid-2013, Ken leaves the street temporarily to look after his grandson Adam in Canada. (a plot devised due to actor William Roache being on leave after being arrested). He returns in August 2014 to find his family in chaos. Peter has been imprisoned for the murder of his secret lover Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) and Tracy is engaged to Carla's brother Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis). Carla had been pregnant with Peter's baby but had a miscarriage after they separated and Deirdre has fallen apart at the prospect of dealing with all this on her own. Ken is infuriated that Deirdre did not tell him sooner about all this and sets out to clear Peter's name, only to find that the majority of residents on the street, including Simon, believes that Peter did kill Tina. Ken is not sure whom to believe anymore. He later discovers that Peter has sacked his lawyer and it becomes even more likely that he will be found guilty of the murder.
Deirdre goes to stay with her friend,
Ken later begins dating
In early 2017, Ken's son Daniel is offered a place at
In early 2019, Ken begins a relationship with Audrey's frenemy
Creation and development
Casting
Ken Barlow is one of the twenty-two original Coronation Street characters devised by series creator
Roache was initially offered the role of Ken on a thirteen-episode, six-week contract.[9] His agent convinced him to take it, as it would enhance his exposure around the broadcast of Marking Time.[7] Coronation Street was a hit with viewers and its contract was extended. Roache was given a six-month contract in early 1961, followed by a one-year contract in June of that year, which he deemed amazing security at a time when he had been "leading a hand-to-mouth existence".[10] The series became a long-running soap opera, airing multiple times weekly, and Roache continued in the role, though gradually ceased to affect a Lancashire accent.[11] Roache was rumoured to have earned £10 per episode when he started compared to the £3,000 per episode that he earned in 2010. However, Roache himself confirmed this was untrue, citing the actual figure as £70.[12] He stated in 2010 that although he initially only intended to feature in Coronation Street for a short time, once he had filmed it and it was transmitted with "such colossal impact", he realised it was something special.[13]
According to writer Daran Little, Roache was partly responsible for the name of the street where the soap is set, Coronation Street, which also serves as the programme's title. The soap was originally titled Florizel Street when it was commissioned. Roache reportedly could not pronounce 'Florizel', so the name of the street was changed to Coronation Street.[14]
Longevity
By 1984, following the departures of original characters Annie Walker, Albert Tatlock, Len Fairclough and Elsie Tanner, Ken was the only character from the original cast who remained in the soap opera.[15] A potential storyline was devised in which Ken and his then-wife Valerie would move to Australia.[16]
Spiritual enlightenment and a desire for self-improvement led Roache to consider quitting the series in the early 1970s, as he struggled with being in "the most ego-driven profession there is". He ultimately decided to stay—a decision he is happy with in retrospect, as his qualms were never with the series itself, but the way he felt personally.[17] Roache said in 2010, "When people ask me why I've played the same role for 50 years I try to explain that I haven't because like all human beings, and thanks to clever script-writers, Ken's evolved. He's been married three times, had 24 girlfriends and is head of a totally dysfunctional family. He has a son [Peter] who's an alcoholic bigamist and a daughter [Tracy] who's a convicted murderer. How many actors get the chance to perform scenes with meaty content like that?"[18]
Characterisation
"Ken has always been very earnest and honourable in his views, and he's tried to do the right thing. The trouble is that like any other human being he is flawed: we all are. When it came to the sort of job he would do, it was clear that teaching fitted perfectly with him as a person. Not only did it help satisfy him intellectually, it also allowed him to help others and at the same time give him a degree of control, which he probably always wanted. I always thought of him during that first decade as a young man who had a very stubborn streak in him when it came to his principles and what he thought was right."
— Roache on Ken's early characterisation.[19]
Tony Warren created Ken as a "zeitgeist" of modern times in 1960,[20] and it has been suggested that Ken is a "prism through which to read the political and cultural history of the last half century".[21] In the soap's early years, Ken was frequently presented as resenting what he saw as the anti-intellectual, repressed climate around him, and author Dorothy Hobson has suggested that Ken was ashamed of his working-class roots.[22] Roache concurs that Ken obviously had higher aspirations than "being stuck in Coronation Street", but notes that "he was also portrayed as a nice young guy who was happy to help out if he could."[23] Roache considers himself "the guardian of Ken", responsible for ensuring that his actions and dialogue remain true to the character. This responsibility led to a two-year quarrel with his co-star Pat Phoenix, when she insisted that her character, Elsie Tanner, undermine Ken in an argument. Annoyed at Ken being belittled and the scene stripped of its "dramatic impact", Roache rowed with Phoenix, who did not speak to him again—outside of their scenes together—for two years.[24]
The Guardian's Joe Moran likened Ken to Richard Hoggart's scholarship boy, "the 'uprooted and anxious' figure whose education had alienated him from his working-class origins."[21] Moran suggested that Ken has led "what Hoggart once called a 'carousel life', a life not of the upward trajectory of the professional career but of living from year to year and taking whatever job turns up." Moran added that Ken "refused to go along with the last half century's stress on consumer aspiration and meritocratic elitism", but added that by modern standards, "Ken has wasted his education and his life. He has played little part in 'wealth creation' [...] and is still stuck in the same house he lived in when he was a student, leading his carousel life, stoically and decently."[21]
Ken's political stance is
Author Graeme Kay discussed Ken's evolution within the show: "He began as a bit of a prig, in the eyes of working-class father Frank, but matured into a sound family man, only to go astray. He changed from teacher to newspaper owner, through various jobs, but threw that away too. He has always liked to see himself as a big fish in a small pond, with his steely, domineering manner and feeling of superior intellect."[27] Little suggested that Ken has transformed from an angry young man who never fitted in and was always challenging the system, into a bore next door, eventually discovering that he couldn't change the world after all. Little dubbed Ken Coronation Street's elder statesman and lynch-pin, a one-man Greek tragedy, and the greatest survivor in Weatherfield.[28]
The character has a reputation amongst critics as boring and a man of morals; Moran dubbed him the archetypal boring man.[21] Chronicling the history of Coronation Street in 2007, Virgin Media stated, "Perhaps unfairly dubbed boring, Ken is ultimately an intelligent man, frustrated by the cards life has dealt him – although the hair, clothes and strong morals haven't helped."[29] Popular perception of Ken as being boring originated, in Roache's view, around the time of the Ken–Deirdre–Mike love triangle storyline. He denies the label, particularly given that Ken has had numerous romantic dalliances during his tenure.[30] Karen Price of the Western Mail called him the Street's resident intellectual, who has never quite managed to break free from his roots.[31]
Relationships
Ken is renowned for having had multiple relationships with women during his time in Coronation Street. Discussing this, author Hobson has suggested that Ken's numerous relationships could give the impression that the character is a lothario or a great romantic; however, Hobson noted that this would be inaccurate as Ken is "neither a great romantic nor someone with whom you would be wise to trust your romantic or emotional future. In fact, he is one of the characters about whom audiences would tend to want to warn any female characters to 'stay away, it'll end in tears'".[32] Roache feels that Ken's approach to romance early in his tenure belied his educated, intellectual affectations, and revealed him to be a typical "northern working-class man at heart." He explained: "[Ken] was the sort who wanted to have a wife who would stay at home, look after the kids and make sure the house was run smoothly, while he went off to work to pursue a career. It was very old-fashioned in many ways, but he could never see it that way and it was often left to the women he had relationships with to remind him of that trait in his character."[33]
Ken's many relationships have been marred by infidelities. Despite being generally "well-meaning", Roache assessed that for the first two decades of Coronation Street, Ken had a ruthless streak where women were involved. While he has since mellowed somewhat, he was initially a "sensitive, thinking chauvinist who liked the idea of having a wife who was always there for him, but at the same time [...] found nothing wrong with flirting or going off with another woman."[34] ITV publicity referred to the number of relationships and flings he has had, stating "This could take a while ... Ken has had more girlfriends than most of the Street's male residents put together."[35] Between the periods of 1960 and 2007, Ken married four times and dated 27 women, including a character played by the then unknown actress Joanna Lumley, who played headmaster's daughter Elaine Perkins in 1973.[36]
Valerie Tatlock
Ken's first notable relationship in the serial was with the character Valerie Tatlock (Anne Reid) in 1961. Roache and Reid had been to neighbouring schools, which gave them common ground and a relaxed attitude to working together.[37] Roache once attributed their success to his own rapport with Reid, citing it as a helpful element in their on-screen chemistry. Ken and Valerie married on 4 August 1962. Aware that the characters had become popular, executive producer H. V. Kershaw requested that Granada Television's evening duty officer be made available on the night of broadcast, in order to take viewers' congratulatory phone calls. Although no calls were made, 20 million viewers watched the wedding episode. Reid was "thrilled" with the reaction to the wedding. Roache was initially sceptical about the impact marriage would have on Ken's development. Roache said: "I was a sort of young semi-heartthrob in those days and thought getting married was going to finish all that."[37] He felt that, given Ken's aspirations of upward social mobility and desire to leave Weatherfield, marriage conflicted with his characterisation, but realised it was necessary for the writers to anchor him in the area.[38]
Valerie gave birth to twins, Peter and Susan, and became a housewife to look after them. All scenes involving the child actors were filmed separately from episodic shoots, to avoid unwanted noise ruining Roache and Reid's scenes. In one storyline, Ken had to start looking after the children more frequently, but he grew bored and would often leave them unattended. Valerie accused him of attempted murder on one occasion when a small house fire occurred – with the twins trapped inside.[39] His boredom with his marriage caused him to have an affair with Jackie Marsh (Pamela Craig). There were only "kissing scenes" written into scripts, but the production team made it clear they were having a sexual relationship. The storyline "horrified" viewers, and Craig received abusive letters from angry fans. Craig knew nothing more than a short affair could occur between the pair. On-screen Elsie Tanner convinced him to end the affair; Valerie found out, but forgave him.[40] Roache enjoyed the aftermath, as it added a new dimension to Ken, whereby "He was a married man with kids, and had all of those good intentions, but he was also liable to stray and clearly had trouble resisting the temptation of another woman."[41]
Ken and Valerie's marriage came to an untimely end in 1971. Following Reid's decision to leave the role – having grown bored of playing the character – the producers opted to kill Valerie off.[42] Reid and Roache were briefly concerned that her departure would result in Ken being written out, and Roache recalls that Ken emigrating with the twins was a scenario under consideration. To his relief, he was kept on.[43] Valerie died after being electrocuted while trying to mend a faulty hair dryer. After the fatal shock, she knocked over an electric heater, setting the Barlow's house on fire. A then-record audience tuned in for Valerie's death, scripted by Leslie Duxbury.[44] The following episode ended with Ken walking through the burned remains of their home, in a scene that Roache has deemed one of his "most enjoyable and satisfying moments in Coronation Street."[43]
Janet Reid
"Janet clearly saw Ken as someone who might provide the sort of lifestyle she wanted if he was pushed and manoeuvred in the right direction. She had plans for them to move away from the Street and into a bigger house, and went along with the idea Ken had of getting the twins back to live with them, while all along having no intention of sharing a home with his kids. it soon became clear that the marriage was not going to be a happy one, and Janet was no Val."
— Roache, on Ken and Janet's relationship.[45]
Ken's second marriage in the serial was to a character named Janet Reid (Judith Barker) in 1973; their relationship was short-lived.[46] There was no buildup to their marriage; Ken returned from Scotland and introduced Janet as his wife.[47] The storyline's fast pace angered Roache; he once stressed: "I was very cross about the whole thing. There was no wedding, she just arrived, no build-up to it. It was just like an idea that was shoved in. I wasn't happy."[48] The storyline was unpopular with viewers, who did not approve of the wedding. Janet was already an unpopular character by then, because of her previous affairs with two other Coronation Street males. Barker said Janet was often perceived as treating Ken unfairly. She openly showed her dislike for his children and sent them to boarding school. The situation saw Ken realise he was in a "loveless marriage" – a match made whilst feeling lonely and under the presumption that she was his last chance of happiness. The breakdown of their marriage was accompanied by what Little dubbed "a series of spectacular rows", which saw Ken become violent towards Janet.[48] One such row, which followed Ken's discovery of Janet's plans to send the twins to boarding school, was later used as an exercise in drama schools, which Roache deemed "a nice compliment to everyone involved in creating the moment."[49]
Janet and Ken split up in 1974. Barker was included in the series on and off for a few years, as Janet would occasionally return to be with Ken. In late 1976, Barker was asked to reprise the role for a final time. Janet returned on-screen in 1977 and asked Ken for another chance, claiming she had changed. When he rejects her, she commits suicide by taking an overdose. Barker recalled the "exhausting" scenes she and Roache filmed, and said there was substantial "dramatic tracking" scenes as Ken discovered her dead in bed. Ken was described as "shattered" and "remorseful" by the death of Janet, and felt guilty over the fact he did not try to help her more. To worsen his situation, he was initially suspected of murdering her.[50]
Deirdre Hunt
In 1972, Deirdre Hunt, played by Anne Kirkbride, was introduced into Coronation Street; the character would become synonymous with Ken's narrative when, in the early 1980s, Deirdre became Ken's third wife. A combined audience of 24 million viewers tuned in to see the nuptials.[51]
Roache inferred that the writers no longer knew how to utilise Ken. Although he had rarely done so in the past, he voiced his concerns to the series' producer, dismayed that the character "seemed to be floating in a nebulous state". He believes that Ken was thereafter included in "much stronger stuff" as a result, including a storyline in which Deirdre had an affair with his rival, Mike Baldwin (Briggs).[52] The storyline was devised in 1982.[53] Then producer Mervyn Watson recalls: "It was normal story conference and we looked at the Ken/Deirdre marriage and had the idea of her having an affair with somebody in the Street. It was extremely passionately debated because there were categorical and opposite view points expressed."[54] Watson believes that actors often feel "disturbed and uncomfortable" at the prospect of what their character will experience. In turn, he thought the scenario generated some of the best performances in the actors' careers. He concluded that Roache proved his theory correct, and praised his performance.[54]
"The now famous 'love triangle showdown' scene on the doorstep on No.1 will always be my favourite. Ken's contempt for his wife, Deirdre, and her lover, Mike Baldwin, was at its most venomous, and I was given free reign [sic] to vent my spleen – so much so that even Anne Kirkbride didn't know how I was going to play the scene. All the anger and hurt Ken was feeling spilled out."[55]
— Roache recalls his favourite Coronation Street scene. (1996)
A now infamous scene, in which Ken comes face-to-face with Mike following the discovery of the affair and a showdown ensues, was originally scripted differently. Roache disliked this version, as he believed Ken's response lacked realism. Partly fuelled by his previous frustration with Ken's "lame" characterisation, Roache approached the episode's director, Brian Mills, and requested that Ken be allowed to hit Mike. Though the filming set-up planned for the scene did not allow for this, it was agreed that Ken would attempt to hit Mike, and that Deirdre would intervene.[56]
Roache recalls viewers taking it very seriously, to the point that he received letters reading: "Dear Ken, I though you should know that Mike Baldwin is seeing your wife!"[57] 20 million viewers tuned in for the episode; it attained the soap's second-highest recorded overnight ratings, surpassed only by the farewell episode of Hilda Ogden (played by Jean Alexander) in 1987.[58]
Ken and Deidre have been described as soap opera's version of
During Anne Kirkbride's lifetime, Roache was complimentary about Ken and Deirdre, as well as about Kirkbride—whom, he stated, he loved as much as Ken loved Deirdre—with this love explaining why Ken always ended up returning to her. Speaking in 2010, Roache said: "We have been together on screen for pretty much 30 years now and so much of what we do on camera is instinctive. We really are like an old married couple who have had their ups and downs, lived through them and come out the other side."[61]
Denise Osbourne
Ken was paired romantically with hairdresser
The Official Coronation Street Annual 1997 has described Ken and Denise as a "mis-matched pair" who were never destined to spend their lives together.[55] In the storyline, Ken fathered Denise's son Daniel. They had an on/off relationship and a wedding was planned in 1996; however, in a plot twist, it was revealed to Ken that Denise, unable to "hold her primitive lusts in check", was having an affair with her brother-in-law, Brian.[63] Upon the discovery, Ken's happiness was snatched away in what has been described by Sunday Mail as "harrowing circumstances", and one of the character's worst moments.[63] Denise Black has discussed her character's ambivalence towards her relationship with Ken, revealing why she believed Denise engaged in infidelity: "The thing is that she's in love with both men. When she's with Brian she loves him. And she's completely in love with Ken when he's with her. So she has two loves and all the guilt that goes along with that scenario. Denise doesn't mean to cause so much pain. Her problem is that she just doesn't know whether she's coming or going."[64] When Ken discovered the truth the wedding was called off, with Ken telling Denise to "get out before I kill you".[62]
Following the revelation and amidst the fallout, Denise absconded, leaving her son in Ken's custody. This facilitated Black's desire to have a six-month break from the serial.[65] The character returned in the winter of 1996, for the last part of her storyline, Black having decided to quit the role. Denise's return storyline was scripted to coincide with Coronation Street's increase to four weekly episodes. It focused upon a custody battle for Daniel between Ken and Denise after Denise snatched Daniel. A source at the time discussed the storyline and Ken's reaction to losing his son: "Ken is devastated when he returns home the week before Christmas and finds his son gone. He simply can't believe he's been snatched by the woman who dumped them. He immediately starts a custody battle. Denise plays heavily on the fact that she is the mother, while Ken [claims] that he is back in a relationship with his ex-wife Deirdre. Deirdre actually goes to court with him for support, but she gets angry when she finds out he tries to use their friendship as a lever to get Daniel back."[66] When Denise was awarded custody, she left Coronation Street and Ken lost contact with his son.
Denise was reintroduced for several months in 2007, over a decade after she had last appeared. Ken tracked down his son following marital unease with Deirdre, which led to interactions with Denise when he turned up unannounced for a visit. Black was pleased to be invited back, saying "I don't think that you can have Ken Barlow’s baby and forget about it, can you?"[67] Denise's return was used as a catalyst to cause further problems in Ken and Deirdre's marriage, Ken having grown discontented. It was only a brief return; once Denise's advances towards Ken were rejected, Denise was written out again. Denise briefly returned in 2017 as part of Who Attacked Ken?, for her son Daniel was the attacker.
Martha Fraser
In January 2009,
Alison Graham of Radio Times said Martha was Ken's soulmate, because "she's the most perfectly bourgeois bit-on-the-side."[73] Graham said that Martha allowed Ken's "middle-class heart" to sing after the pair bonded over a love of BBC Radio 4, books and plays.[73] Comparing Ken's relationships with Martha and Deirdre to a prison sentence, Graham said Martha offered Ken a deserving parole from the "years of breaking rocks in the prison yard of his marriage to Deirdre."[73] She hoped that Ken and Martha were "soon in the throes of ecstasy", because Ken deserved it.[73] Following the conclusion to Ken's relationship with Martha, Roache expressed an interest in having more girlfriends for Ken introduced in the future.[74] The actor said, "I thought it was great last year having a girlfriend, especially at my age. A few more would be great. I've lost count of romances I've had in the show, not to mention the four weddings."[74] Ken and Martha's romance was later depicted in the Coronation Street musical, Corrie!. Ben East of The Stage said the romance was "genuinely funny".[75]
Other relationships
Ken's first on-screen relationship was with Susan Cunningham (Shakesby), whom he dated throughout the first ten episodes. Ashamed of his family and background, Ken was constantly apologising to her. This frustrated Susan, who actually liked Coronation Street.
Although the number of romances Ken was involved in declined from the 1980s onwards, Roache states that those relationships he did have "tended to be bigger and more involved".[81] His later love interests included Wendy Crozier (Kerr), Alma Sedgewick (Barrie) and Maggie Redman (Kerman).[78]
Family
Ken was disdainful of his parents, Frank (Pemberton) and Ida (Dyson).[82] Their strained familial relationship was apparent from his very first scene, in which conflict arose over his reluctance to eat a meal with brown sauce. Roache called it "good character-defining stuff", which established the antagonism between Ken and his father, borne from Ken's snobbery and desire to abandon his roots.[4] The death of his mother further illuminated the father-son relationship. Roache recalls that, "although their relationship could often be stormy, with Ken's views and attitude rubbing Frank up the wrong way on a number of issues, the fact was that they had been thrown together by her death and they had to get used to living with each other without the buffer that Ida had often provided."[83] While Dyson left the series under her own volition, Pemberton later became one of several cast members fired under Aspinall's tenure as producer. By 1984, both of Ken's parents had left the Street.[84] Ken was originally intended to have a sister named Enid. Warren decided against her inclusion, and instead created a younger brother, professional footballer David (Rothwell), to enable the show to represent teenage males.[82] Rothwell feels that an "underlying antagonism" existed between Ken and David, which stemmed from the fact Ken had the advantage of a university education, while his brother did not.[85]
Ken was bored with looking after the children, Peter and Susan, before Valerie's death. Afterwards, further problems occurred and Ken was no longer able to cope.[86] The writers were initially uncertain whether to continue with Ken as a single father, or dispatch the children and pursue a less-encumbered lifestyle.[33] Roache said, "Ken tried to bring up the kids on his own, but he wasn't doing so good. So he sent them up to Glasgow to live with his mother-in-law." Ken still remained in contact; Roache recalled Ken often saying: "Right, I'm off to Scotland.'"[86] Roache has suggested that the subsequent problems in his children's adulthood were Ken's fault: "I blame Ken for how they've all turned out. He shoved his kids up in Scotland, didn't really look after them. But you don't want a happy family in the Street. You want a wonderful dysfunctional one like the one I've got, they're great and Deirdre is wonderful."[13] The animosity between Ken and his children has been explored throughout the programme's duration. Chris Gascoyne, who took on the role of Peter in the 2000s, has suggested that there is a lot of tension between Ken and Peter due to the dysfunctional nature of the Barlow family.[87] Guilt over the twins' upbringing led Ken to dote on his youngest son, Daniel, as he was keen to avoid repeating his past mistakes. Their close relationship resulted in Roache challenging the series producers when a script required Ken to allow Daniel to be taken away by his mother. The actor felt that Ken would not accept this; he would fight. The scriptwriters apologised, but it was too late to re-write the plot.[88]
After Valerie's death, Ken became responsible for looking after her uncle, Albert, and he later became known as Ken's "Uncle Albert".[89] Albert would often make attempts to interfere in Ken's life, as he had no one else. At one stage, Ken was making plans to leave Weatherfield. When Albert revealed he could not pay his bills on his pension, Ken opted to stay. The storyline has been called a turning point for Ken—when he realised he belonged in Coronation Street and had to help the community and Albert alike.[90] Ken moved in with him and Albert gradually saw Ken as "the son he never had".[91] Roache enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with Howarth, whom he first met as a schoolboy. He characterised Ken and Albert's relationship as "often a little bumpy and uncomfortable, but underlying all of that was an affection the two had for each other."[92]
Ken had a largely antagonistic relationship with his "acid-tongued" mother-in-law Blanche, Deirdre's mother, who has been described as a "thorn in Ken's side".[93] She would criticise his looks, and on one occasion she accused him of being homosexual.[94] When Ken's affair with Martha was exposed, Blanche took her comments too far: she tormented Deirdre for staying with him, which resulted in her being thrown out of the Barlow household and forced to live with Peter.[95] However, she was seen as "the glue" of the Barlow family in the modern era, holding them together.[96] Blanche was willing to put her wit aside and fight to ensure that Ken and Deirdre stayed together,[96] although most of the time, she interfered in his life.[97] Even in death, Blanche managed to make a final remark aimed at Ken, through her will. The storyline was described as giving her the chance to have "the last laugh".[98]
In 2010, it was announced that Roache's own children, Linus and James, would be joining the cast. They played his long-lost son and grandson, respectively.[99] In the storyline, Ken finds a letter which discloses he had a secret son with a short-term girlfriend. Roache said he looked forward "immensely" to working with his children during the fiftieth-anniversary year.[100] The reunion was short-lived due to a rift between Lawrence and James. Lawrence was a bigot who could not accept that the fact James was homosexual. The producers decided to run the storyline to highlight the fact homophobia still exists. Gay rights activists approved of the storyline because the producers showed both sides of the issue. On-screen, Ken was opposed to Lawrence's views and decided to embrace James' sexuality. He urged him to be true to himself and ignore his father's bigoted views. Lawrence does not agree with Ken's liberal stance.[101] In 2011, James returned to stay with Ken.[102] Ken was grateful for the chance to get to know him better. Ken sees James as his "intellectual match", and has a lot of respect for him because he is a "well-educated, erudite young man". He became carried away and moved him in because Ken has always "longed for intelligent conversation".[103]
Feud with Mike Baldwin
Television researcher Helena Robson has discussed the appeal of soap operas, and suggests that "many soap stories are never finally resolved and conflicts between characters may run throughout the programme's history". She uses the "undying hatred" between Ken Barlow and Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) as an example of this, suggesting that viewers "welcome the sense of stability this offers although the element of change offers as much enjoyment for viewers."[104] It was suggested in an ITV documentary in 2006 that Ken and Mike's hatred was a clash of cultures: "Barlow the lefty do-gooder versus Baldwin, the cut-and-thrust money grabber."[105] Briggs has claimed that Ken was envious of Mike because he was rich and successful while Ken was not, and Roache has claimed that the reason Ken disliked Mike was because he was a self-centred and self-made individual.[105]
Ken's feud with Mike—spanning over 20 years—began in 1983, when Ken discovered that his wife, Deirdre, was having an affair with Baldwin. His dislike for Mike pre-dated the affair, however, and Roache has stated:
"The truth was that Ken never liked him, but having his wife go off and have an affair with Mike turned dislike into hatred, which was wonderful for the programme. Just the mention of Baldwin's name was enough to get Ken twitching with barely contained anger, and for Johnny Briggs and me it was absolutely wonderful. At best the two characters sometimes tolerated each other in an uneasy truce, but at worst the two of them not only threw insults at each other, but punches too. It was a relationship that ran for many years, and although towards the end of Mike Baldwin's time on the show you might say there was a little mellowing going on, it was never a relationship that was going to be anything other than uneasy."
— William Roache, 50 Years on the Street.[106]
Of the love triangle storyline, Briggs has said, "the way it captured the nation was amazing. Everyone was talking about it and the pubs were empty. Men were shouting out: 'Go on Mike, give her one.' People were disappointed when she went back to Ken".[107] The storyline had significant cultural impact, with the press claiming that the country was divided between those who thought Deirdre should remain with Ken, and those who thought she should leave with Mike.[108] In her 2003 book, Hobson suggested that Ken "spent at least nineteen years unable to cope with the sense of rejection and betrayal" caused by Mike and Deirdre's affair.[32]
Scriptwriters capitalised on the rivalry between the characters when, in 1986, Mike married Ken's daughter Susan, a union that Ken strongly opposed.[107] Numerous fights between Ken and Mike were featured, and Briggs has suggested that they became famous for their brawls. The first fight between the pair occurred in 1986, when Ken confronted Mike in his factory about Mike's maltreatment of his daughter.[107] Of the confrontation, Briggs has said, "It was a classic – Baldwin getting it in his own territory, the factory. It took a lot to get Ken angry but after the way Mike had treated his daughter, he was furious. He marched into the office and let him have it. This was one of those rare times he caught Mike off-guard."[107] Mike was shown to get revenge on Ken, though it took a further four years before he could do so on-screen. In a scene which aired in 1990, Mike punched Ken, knocking him over a table in the Rovers Return public house.[107] Briggs has suggested that he and Roache became old hands at doing on-screen fistfights, and that both really enjoyed doing the stunts. According to Briggs, no choreographers were ever used. In 1998, one incident left Briggs with an injury after he fell backwards.[107]
Ken and Mike were forced to work together in 2000, when they were featured in a storyline dubbed the "Freshco siege".[109] Ken and Mike were among several series regulars held up at gunpoint in the soap's local supermarket, where Ken had been working as a trolley pusher. The episode was broadcast after the 9 pm watershed due to its depiction of violence. Ken and Mike were bound together by armed robbers, which facilitated an end to their feud; Ken helped Mike to combat a panic attack.[109] The pair resolved to put the past behind them; it was a temporary reprieve. Mike had unknowingly fathered a son, Adam, during his brief marriage to Susan Barlow; she kept the baby a secret from him. Mike discovered Adam's existence in 2001; Susan attempted to flee, but was killed in a motor accident. Then followed a battle between Mike and Ken for custody of Adam, with Ken adamant that Mike should not look after his grandson. The storyline led to the fifth fistfight between Ken and Mike in the soap's history, with the pair brawling at the funeral of Susan.[110]
The feud came to an end on-screen in 2006, when Briggs quit the role of Mike. Mike was killed off, dying of
Reflecting on the feud in 2006, Roache gave reasons why he thinks Ken and Mike clashed so often: "Ken felt threatened when Mike arrived on the street, but it made the part more exciting for Bill. Ken is a nice guy, a loyal guy, a reliable guy. But he isn't terribly exciting. So the exciting guy [Mike] comes along and he's a bit flash, isn't he? But I've always liked the physical side of acting, so my punch-ups with Johnny were probably the best bits. I shall miss those terribly."[113]
Who Attacked Ken?
In March 2017, Ken was at the centre of a "
Appearances in other media
In September 2010, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Coronation Street, BBC Four aired a drama film titled The Road to Coronation Street, which depicted Tony Warren's struggle to get his soap opera commissioned, and the filming of its pilot.[116] Roache himself (as well as playing the character Ken Barlow) appeared in the film and was portrayed by Roache's son, James.[117]
In 2011, ITV filmed a spin-off, web-based series featuring Ken and Deirdre, entitled Ken and Deirdre's Bedtime Stories.[118] Created by Coronation Street writer Jonathan Harvey, the webisodes featured Ken and Deirdre mulling over the events of their day while in bed.
In 2010 a comedy play about Coronation Street was produced, titled Corrie!, penned by scriptwriter Jonathan Harvey. Ken Barlow was played by Simon Chadwick in the production.[119] Harvey has suggested that when he researched the play, in the top five storylines for each of the 50 years of Coronation Street, three characters regularly featured—Ken, Deirdre and Gail Platt. Harvey therefore tried to shape the play around their journeys over the years.[120]
In February 2011, Ken was among various Coronation Street characters to have his portrait auctioned for charity in the exhibition 'Behind the Street' at Manchester's Generation Pop Gallery. The black-and-white shots were taken by photographer Rob Evans, and raised £8,600 for charity. The highest bid on a photograph was for a shot of Ken, standing amongst rubble after the Weatherfield tram crash in 2010, a storyline marking the show's 50th anniversary.[121] In 2010 ITV began selling Coronation Street merchandise featuring Ken, including gift wrap[122] and novelty congratulations cards.[123]
A parody song written about the character, entitled "Ken!", was included on
In May 2012,
Reception
For his portrayal of Ken, Roache won the Lifetime Achievement award at
Ken has a reputation for being boring.[130] The British band Half Man Half Biscuit highlighted this point in their 2001 song "Lark Descending", comparing him unfavourably with a member of the US underground music scene, with the lyric: "I could have been like Lou Barlow, but I'm more like Ken Barlow".[131] Despite Ken being fictional, critic Jim Shelley, writing for the Daily Mirror in 2009, labelled Ken "the most boring man you could ever meet".[132] Roache sued for libel in 1990 when The Sun newspaper ran an article branding Ken boring and making allegations that Roache was disliked among the cast of Coronation Street.[133] Roache said to the jury at the court case, "I felt extremely distressed. I could not believe those words had been written, that they had raked into my past. I broke out in a sweat. [...] They were saying that I was not doing my job, that I was a joke to the storyline writers, which is not true". Roache added in regard to Ken, "If people find someone who has had 23 girlfriends and three wives boring, that's fine by me."[133] Roache won the case and was awarded £50,000; however, he was forced to pay legal costs, which bankrupted him.[133] Brian Viner has suggested that it is remarkable that Ken has been labelled boring in spite of the many plots he has been involved with over the years. Brian Viner said, "It is easy enough to see, despite the extraordinary number of broken relationships and personal crises in his wake, why Ken tends not to make the pulse race when he opens his mouth. After all, he usually opens it only to drink halves of bitter, or to say something sensible or worthy. For 50 years he has been the nearest thing Weatherfield, the fictional area of Greater Manchester where Coronation Street is located, has had to a social conscience."[130]
In a Channel 4 televised poll that was broadcast in 2001, Ken Barlow was voted the third most-hated TV character of all time, coming behind Phil Mitchell from EastEnders and Mr Blobby.[134] In a Radio Times poll of over 5,000 people in 2004, 15% chose Ken as the soap character they would most like to see retired. He came second in the poll, behind EastEnders' Den Watts (17%).[135]
Television personality
In 2009, viewers complained to
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{{cite AV media notes}}
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Bibliography
- Egan, Sean (25 September 2010). 50 Years of Coronation Street: The (Very) Unofficial Story. London: JR Books. ISBN 978-1-906779-80-1.
- Hobson, Dorothy (2003). Soap opera. Cambridge; Malden, MA: ISBN 978-0-7456-2655-0. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- Hobson, Dorothy (2008). Channel 4: The Early Years and the Jeremy Isaacs Legacy. London: ISBN 978-1-84511-613-2. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- Kay, Graeme (1991). Life in the Street. London: Boxtree. ISBN 978-1-85283-161-5.
- ISBN 978-0-7522-1019-3.
- ISBN 978-1-84850-015-0.
- Roache, William (7 October 2010). 50 Years on the Street: My Life with Ken Barlow. Edinburgh: ISBN 978-1-84596-655-3.
- Sharp, Rob (1996). The Official Coronation Street Annual 1997. World International. ISBN 978-0-7498-2815-8.
External links
- Ken Barlow on IMDb
- Ken Barlow at itv.com
- Ken Barlow at STV
- Ken Barlow at TVNZ
- Ken Barlow at Holy Soap
- Ken Barlow at What's on TV