Coronation Street star Bill Roache avoids bankruptcy threat over tax bill
Coronation Street star Bill Roache has been spared a bankruptcy order after settling a tax bill with HMRC.
The 91-year-old, who has played Ken Barlow on the soap for more than 60 years, was given 12 weeks in March to settle the dispute with the taxman.
At a High Court hearing lasting less than a minute on Monday, a judge ordered that the case against Roache be dismissed.
HMRC requested the dismissal, and was awarded £1,129.20 for the costs of bringing the dispute to court.
It was initially reported that Roache owed a £546,348.53 debt to HMRC, though the true figure – said to be lower – has not been revealed.
At the hearing in March, a judge agreed to adjourn the bankruptcy petition to "allow for the sale of property".
The court did not hear any details on Monday about how the debt had been paid.
Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nicholas Briggs asked if Roache was present for the hearing, and was told he was absent.
“I shall dismiss with costs, summarily assessed at £1129.20,” said the judge.
The actor, a married father-of-five, was previously declared bankrupt in 1999.
He was made an OBE in 2021 in the Queen's New Year Honours list for his services to drama and charity.
He is the longest-serving actor on Coronation Street, having starred in the primetime soap continuously since it was first broadcast on ITV in 1960.
