CORONATION Street fans are in shock after Ken Barlow announced he is quitting the cobbles after eighty years.
The legendary character – who is played by actor Bill Roache in the ITV soap – decided to move to a luxury retirement village after eight decades living on the street.
He is the only remaining character from the first episode of the soap that will celebrate its 60th anniversary in December.
In an episode packed full of reminiscence and strolls down memory lane, Ken struggled with the decision of whether to move with Claudia.
But after a frank discussion about regrets with old pals Rita and Audrey, Ken came to his decision and decided to say goodbye to the cobbles.
Walking Eccles down the deserted street he said: “Eighty years too late but finally time to go. Goodbye old friend.”
However ITV bosses were keen to stress that while Ken is leaving the cobbles, actor Bill will remain on the soap.
It was an emotional episode all round as Rita Tanner received the shock news her estranged husband Dennis had died – and he wanted her to scatter his ashes in Blackpool.
Her surrogate daughter Jenny organised a coach trip to the town to support Rita but it went wrong when the driver suffered a heart attack and the ambulance ran over Dennis’ ashes.
It coincided with Amy Barlow’s 16th birthday with a throwback to her dramatic conception when Roy Cropper presented her with a letter and a gift from he and late wife Hayley.
Amy’s mum Tracy had tricked Roy into thinking they had slept together and that she was Amy’s father and conned him into paying her off so they could raise Amy.
They were left devastated when Tracy took money from her grandmother Blanche to not give Amy up and instead she made them Amy’s godparents.
And Rita gave Elsie Tanner’s legendary ring to Amy for her birthday after finally saying goodbye to Dennis.
In an emotional scene voices of Corrie legends could be heard playing out as Rita took a moment in the Rovers to herself.
Alec Gilroy, Bette Lynch, Betty Turpin, Elsie Tanner, Mavis, Hilda Ogden, Annie Walker and even Rita herself could be heard.
The soap even went back to black and white as a homage to the earliest episodes.
As Ken walked back into his home for the final time, the colour’s faded from the screens and the old street appeared over the credits.
Fans were in shock at Ken’s decision to leave the street behind with one saying: “I can’t believe Ken’s leaving! It’s his home!”
Actor Bill Roache explained that Ken had to take his final chance of adventure: “This is a big decision for Ken but in some ways he thinks it is now or never.
“He has lived on the same street his whole life and in the same house for most of it. He feels that he had a chance to move away with Martha on the barge but he let her go. Part of him regretted that. He doesn’t want to make the same mistake again and Claudia is very persuasive.
“Filming that final scene of the episode was very poignant, just Ken and Eccles and the cobbles. He breaks the news to the family next week and they are surprised but very soon Peter and Tracy start squabbling over who will be given first refusal on the house.
“We have already started filming at the retirement complex and I am really enjoying it, it always feels different when we film away from the street.
“It seems fitting that Ken makes this decision in the 10,000th episode but it will be strange not filming in number 1 after all this time.”
