CORONATION Street stalwart Bill Roache has bagged a new six-figure pay deal to stay on the hit soap aged 93.
The actor will continue as Ken Barlow after signing another one-year contract.
It extends his world record stint on the ITV soap to 66 years — and he hopes to go on to reach his 70th milestone.
The deal also comes as a relief to fans who feared he’d be killed off in a huge car crash — which was this week revealed to be the centrepiece of the upcoming mash-up with Emmerdale called Corriedale.
A TV insider said: “Devotees of Corrie and Emmerdale know that they aren’t afraid to bump off certain characters in sensational storylines.
“So when they saw the image of the burning wreckage of two cars in publicity shots for the special episodes, they could have feared the worst.
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Thankfully they’ll have cobbles icon Ken on their screens for at least another 12 months.”
Twice-married dad-of-five Bill has always said he wants to be still playing Ken on Corrie when he reaches his 100th birthday.
He holds the world record for the longest-serving TV actor in a continuous role.
Bill, who lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire, is believed to be one of the highest-paid stars on Corrie on around £250,000.
But last year he was locked in a battle with the taxman, when it was claimed he owed £550,000 and was almost declared bankrupt by the High Court.
But he was spared the extreme measure and given more time to repay the debt, and given more time to “allow for the sale of property.”
He had previously been declared bankrupt in 1999, with creditors estimated to be owed £600,000 in unpaid debts.
