William Roache, known for his role as Ken Barlow in the ITV show, is the longest-serving actor on the show. However, he has faced financial difficulties for the last 30 years. Recently, he was taken to court over a tax debt, the details of which were kept confidential. To address his financial situation, he is going on tour and selling tickets for a show called “An Evening With William Roache: The Best Of His Life And Times” in Scarborough this summer.
Roache, who received an MBE in 2001 and an OBE in 2022, is listed as the “debtor” with HMRC as “the petitioner.” Despite his ongoing contract with Coronation Street, he has faced financial challenges.
This is not the first time Roache’s financial issues have surfaced. Previously, he invested in a tax avoidance scheme in the Cayman Islands, resulting in a significant bill. He was one of 288 investors in the Twofold First Services LLP scheme, which was later ruled abusive and artificial by the treasury.
Additionally, Roache filed a successful lawsuit against a newspaper that had labeled him as “boring” and was awarded damages. However, the settlement was insufficient to cover his legal costs, leading to his bankruptcy in 1999 after he turned down an out-of-court settlement offer.
