Roache, 78, has played the character for almost 50 years, and is the only actor who has been with the soap since its inception in 1960. As such, he will officially become the longest-serving actor in a TV soap on November 22.

The current record holder is American actor Don Hastings who portrayed Dr Robert (or Bob to his friends) Hughes on American soap As the World Turns until the show ended after 13,858 episodes. Bet he’s a little bitter about that…

The two are set to meet at the ceremony. Roche told Coronation Street’s 50^th anniversary magazine: “Guinness World Records have been in touch and want to fly me over to New York for some sort of ceremony with Don Hastings.”

Yep, he sounds THAT excited about it.

Roache, in all seriousness, has always been loyal to Corrie, and has insisted that the show improved his life and that he has no plans to retire.

“I always say that, while I can still do it and while they still want me retiring isn’t an option. I’ve met the Queen on numerous occasions. I’ve been to Buckingham Palace, Downing Street and Chequers. I’ve played golf with top professionals and I’ve written two books. Those things have enriched my life.”

Aww.

Since the show’s inception, Roache’s character Ken Barlow has been a cult favourite. In particular, he’s well known for his tumultuous love life, in which he has been married four times, widowed twice, divorced once and has had 27 girlfriends, including one played by a pre-fame Joanna Lumley.

He’s some boy.



Both of Liu Wei’s arms had to be amputated when he suffered a severe electrical shock at the age of 10. After discovering that he could use his feet to dress, eat, brush his teeth and use his computer, he decided to have a go at music, and found that he could play the piano using only his feet. And despite the fact that one, rather mean spirited piano teacher told him he’d never succeed, he got pretty good. And by good, we mean really good.

When he first auditioned, he gave a rather brave speech, telling judges:

“For people like me, there were only two options. One was to abandon all dreams, which would lead to a quick, hopeless death. The other was to struggle without arms to live an outstanding life.”

Throughout the show, the judges continually praised Wei’s determination, and urged him to continue pursuing his dreams. The Beijing native was gracious in his victory, and joked that “At least I have a pair of perfect legs.”

Modest bugger.

China’s Got Talent has been a huge hit since it began in July, and is, of course, part of Simon Cowell’s Got Talent franchise, which, for those keeping score, now has versions broadcasting in more than 30 countries, including Georgia, Serbia and the Ukraine.  In all seriousness, whilst the shows have regularly thrown up sob stories in the hope of garnering sympathy for contestants, this really was a contestant that had suffered and persevered, and who is now receiving his just rewards.

Here he is performing…

Satellite broadcaster Sky has snapped up the rights to screen hit US television drama Mad Men in the UK. The new deal, which will see Season 5 of Madmen air on Sky next autumn, marks the end of the show’s run on free-to-air channel BBC which was fundamental to its early success.

Sky is reported to be paying anywhere from £200,000 to £250,000 an episode to Mad Men’s  producers Lionsgate. While this figure is four times the £65,000 an episode the BBC paid for Mad Men under the previous deal, it pales in comparison to the £1m that broadcasters are often expected to stump up for each episode of high profile US dramas like Waking The Dead. Previously, Sky paid £800,000 an episode to snatch Lost away from Channel 4.

The deal is a clear sign of Mad Men’s continuing popularity in the UK, where it attracts over 370,000 viewers every week but will be seen as a major loss for the BBC, which has come under pressure in recent months to reduce its £100m per year expenditure on foreign-made programming and to instead invest in new British shows.

Earlier this year Sky bought the UK rights to HBO’s back catalogue of shows, including hit series like The Sopranos and The Wire and highly anticipated upcoming shows including fantasy epic A Game of Thrones and prohibition-era drama Boardwalk Empire. The broadcaster is set to launch a new channel, called Sky Atlantic, to showcase the best in US drama before the end of 2010.

Image via Wikipedia

It’s not very often that fantasy fiction makes it to the small screen. While sci-fi series like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and Firefly are ten-a-penny on television, it’s difficult to think of any large-scale swords ‘n’ sorcery shows that have lasted more than a few episodes. Even in cinemas fantasy was a rarity before the Lord of the Rings trilogy blew away audiences around the world so it’s hardly surprising that TV producers have traditionally been hesitant to bankroll hows based on the the genre, with their inevitably enormous budgets for wardrobe, prosthetics and on-location shooting.

All that is set to change, however, when A Game of Thrones hits our screens in Spring 2011. Named after the first novel in the Song of Ice and Fire saga by American author George R. R. Martin, this new HBO series promises to confound audience expectations by eschewing fantasy conventions like hobbits and wizards, instead drawing viewers into a world riven by strife and intrigue, where the humans are at least as nasty as the monsters. The novels have found favour with fans for their gritty depiction of a medieval society torn apart by war and betrayal, one where sex, violence and swearing are just as much a part of life as they are in modern times.

The story of A Game of Thrones is told from the perspective of multiple characters, a narrative device that is likely to transfer well to television. Sean Bean has been cast as Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, a key player in the novel. Best know for his performances as Boromir in the Lord of the Rings movies and as Sharpe in the television adoptions of Bernard Cornwel’l's Napoleonic War novels, Bean is no stranger to fantasy or historical roles and should bring a sense of gravitas to a stern and foreboding character.

The series has been joking referred to as “The Sopranos in Middle-Earth” by producers, reflecting its marriage of gritty intrigue and realism with a fantasy setting and HBO’s pedigree for producing high quality adult drama. The premise for the show has also been compared favourably with the highly successful HBO and BBC project Rome.  Principal photography for A Game of Thrones began at the end of July with filming taking place in Northern Ireland and Malta. The series is expected to arrive on our television screens some time next spring, showing on HBO in the USA and on Sky in Britain.

The wait is likely to be a long one for fans who have been starved of good fantasy productions for years but should ultimately prove to be worth it. For the time being, HBO is keeping appetites whetted with a new teaser trailer.

Related articles:

• New Teaser Trailer for HBO’s Fantasy Series GAME OF THRONES (geektyrant.com)
• HBO Releases New Game of Thrones Teasers (seattlepi.com)
• Is A Game of Thrones the most eagerly anticipated TV show ever? (guardian.co.uk)

Popular Twitter feed,’Sh*t My Dad Says‘ is to become a TV sitcom, with William Shatner playing the titular dad.

The feed was launched in August 2009 by 29-year old Justin Halpern who used Twitter to post the bizarre musings of his elderly father. The stream now has more than one million followers and landed Justin a book deal, as well as an offer to write a TV pilot.

Financed by CBS, the pilot script has been put together by Justin with the help of Patrick Schumacker will be executive produced by Will& Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick.

Featuring Daleks, Weeping Angels and more the trailer borrows heavily from the new Doctor Who artwork – or maybe it’s the other way round! – but the trailer does offer a little more insight as to how Matthew Smith will play the 11th incarnation of the Time Lord.

Meanwhile, The Sun newspaper report comic actor James Corden is to make an appearance in the show but insiders have refused to let slip whether Corden – star of Gavin & Stacey – will play a friend or foe of the Doctor

In the image the duo are seen to be caught in a swirling vortex – not unlike the vortex seen in the old John Pertwee/Tom Baker credits – surrounded by some of the Time Lord’s most feared enemies, including Daleks, Weeping Angels and a Smiler.

The new trailer for the upcoming series featuring Smith as the eleventh Doctor will broadcast on Saturday on BBC One, and will also simulcast the official BBC Doctor Who website.

The new series is scheduled to air in April 2010 on BBC One.