Tuesday, 24 April 2012

Top 60 Corrie Characters - No. 19

19. Ken Barlow 1960- (93 votes)

Like the cobbles, Ken is a firm fixture on Coronation Street. He is the longest running character and for 27 years was the only original character still in the show. During his time on the street, Ken has married four times and has had 22 girlfriends! Not bad eh? His first marriage to Valerie lasted nine years before she was electrocuted in 1971. Second wife Janet left him after a few months of marriage but returned a few years later. When Ken rejected her, she took an overdose. He embarked on a relationship with true love Deirdre in 1979 and they married in 1981. The marriage ended in 1990 when Ken had an affair with Wendy Crozier. Fifteen years later, they remarried. Miraculously, he’s only fathered four children – Lawrence (b. 1961), twins Peter and Susan (b. 1965) and Daniel (b. 1995). Known for his quiff, Ken’s had numerous jobs that have included teacher, male escort, supermarket trolley pusher, warehouse executive, cafĂ© waiter, newspaper editor and columnist and community development officer. Ken had a 20 year rivalry with business tycoon Mike Baldwin due to Baldwin having an affair with Deirdre and the feud erupted further when Mike married Ken’s daughter Susan. Ironically, Mike died in Ken’s arms in 2006. Although referred to as boring, Ken has starred in comic scenes – with Uncle Albert in the 70s and 80s and then with mother in law Blanche in the 00s.  

Should Ken be at 19? Should the longest serving character be higher or in the top 10? Fan of his quiff? Leave a comment!

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3 comments:

  1. It really makes me puzzle why this awful actor has been kept on. He is an embarrassment to himself and the show with his stupid antics like apparently being telepathic and him sleeping with thousands of women. Disgrace, he is only kept on because he has been in it since the start.

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  2. Not a fan. There really seems to be a blurred line between the character and the actor and I often feel like we're just watching the actor read his lines. He's essentially become back filler and strikes me as a man with a nasty temper (the actor and the character).

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  3. Must have been those 1000 women voting for him.!

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