Coronation Street star William Roache has said he considered leaving the soap when he was in his 40s.
The actor, who plays Ken Barlow in the ITV show, has been a part of the cast since its inception.
The 88-year-old said he had thought about quitting the soap, now celebrating its 60th anniversary, but decided he loved being on the cobbles.
Roache told BBC Breakfast: “When I was about 40 and Ken moved from being a bit of a Jack the Lad and the writers didn’t quite know what to do with him, I did consider, I thought about it for a bit, but not seriously and very quickly came to the conclusion that this is what I love…
“I did think about it but not for long and not too seriously.”
He added: “I remember a director once saying that you get some scenes in Coronation Street that are just as good as any film or play that’s going anywhere.
“And that is true. It’s a happy place to be. I love going to work. You get job satisfaction and you get continuity, which is not usual for actors.”
Asked about the soap’s enduring appeal, he said: “The programme has been changing with the times – had we not, we’d have become dinosaurs.”
Ladies and gentlemen, our final #60For60 could only ever have come from our Queen of the Cobbles, the magnificent Barbara Knox.
A huge thank you to every one of you and please join us in wishing a very happy 60th Anniversary to Coronation Street! 🥂#Corrie60 @ITV @WeAreSTV pic.twitter.com/RA21fMSize
— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) December 9, 2020
And he added: “There’s no reason why it shouldn’t go on forever.”
Roache, who has previously explained why he does not like the term ‘soap’, said: “It was this day 60 years ago we were all getting a bit nervous to do the first live episode.
“It was unbelievable … because we were all part of this new realism…
“We were the cutting-edge drama – that’s why I don’t like the word soap very much. But we have to accept that’s what it is now.”