We haven't heard him mentioned on screen since his last scenes in May, but now the Coronation Street writers have finally decided what's going to happen to Bill Roache's Ken Barlow while the actor waits to stand trial.
As per the Radio Times, Ken, who had been due to play a pivotal role in a storyline involving his son, Peter, will actually be taking a keen interest in one of his grandchildren instead. Long-suffering and sometimes adulterous wife Dierdre (Anne Kirkbride) will reveal all the details when she tells daughter Tracey (Kate Ford) that Ken's popped off to Canada. It seems his grandson Adam has been pushing himself too hard and had a bit of an incident at work, so Ken heads abroad to take care of him.
There's no indication as to when we might see Roache back on screen though: As we mentioned above, he isn't due to stand trial until January, and ITV has confirmed that he will not return to Coronation Street until all legal proceedings are concluded.The same can be said for co-star Michael Le Vell, who faces trial in September.
The actor, who plays car mechanic Kevin Webster, is charged with 19 child sex offences, which had previously been dismissed. He's been off screen for months and was last referred to in April when Sally said he'd gone off to Germany to look after his dad, who'd suffered a major heart attack.
