ITV Coronation Street star William Roache spared bankruptcy after tax bill threat
Soap legend William Roache, who has played Ken Barlow in Coronation Street for over 60 years, was given 12 weeks in March to settle his taxes.
Coronation Street's longest-serving star William Roache has settled his tax bill with HMRC at the High Court. The 92-year-old, who has played Weatherfield stalwart Ken Barlow for more than 60 years, was given 12 weeks in March to settle the dispute.
At a hearing on Monday which lasted less than a minute, Anam Razvi, for HMRC, requested the dismissal of the case on behalf of the tax body. Chief Insolvency and Companies Court judge Nicholas Briggs agreed and dismissed the case, court staff said.
Roache was absent from the hearing, which was held at the specialist Insolvency and Companies Court in London. In February it was reported the star was facing bankruptcy as he owed the taxman almost £550,000. He had a petition filed against him by HMRC, despite earning £250,000 per year on the ITV soap playing Ken Barlow.
It is understood that he initially owed £588,015.18 which he entered an agreement in 2018 to clear, but had paid just £41,666.65 of the hefty bill up to that point. In March Jacquille Jarrett, representing HMRC said he was planning to sell his house to clear the remaining debt.
It was revealed in 2018 that he faced a large bill after allegedly investing in a £500 million tax avoidance scheme. It's unclear how much he invested in Twofold First Services LLP, a company based in the Cayman Islands.
He was one of 288 investors who joined a scheme, each putting in about £1.75 million on average. He signed up for it in March 2012, the Mirror reported.
This tricky plan said that a business owning land lost lots of money, so the investors could pay less income tax.
But, a court agreed with HMRC, saying the scheme, called Twofold, was just to dodge taxes. The Treasury said it was "abusive and artificial".
Roache holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving TV soap star in the world for his portrayal of Ken Barlow in the ITV soap after making his debut in its first episode in 1960.
This surpassed the previous record held by Don Hastings from the American soap opera As the World Turns.
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In 2010, he declared that he had no intention of leaving the role and would stay on Coronation Street as long as the producers wanted him.
Roache was made an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list in December 2021 for his services to drama and charity.
His cobbles character Ken is set to have a huge health scare in upcoming episodes when he is found collapsed at the bottom of the stairs.
His family rushed to visit him in the hospital, where they learned that he would require constant care during his recovery.
Although they assure him they will rally around him to ensure he receives the necessary care at home, the family received just a forced smile from Ken.
