Talk:Ken Barlow/Archive 1

This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

Age

Ken was born in 1939 making him 67 years old. He celebrated his 60th in 1999. Whoever keeps changing it to 1936 is wrong.

Marital status

I can understand the other edits but Ken and Janet were divorced, and she only died after the divorce, so it's still correct that...

Ken and Val were married and she died, making him a widower
Ken and Janet divorced and she died, leaving them divorced
Ken and Deirdre married, divorced, and were married again, making them divorced once and currently married. Mike H. That's hot 03:33, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

In 1977 when Janet showed up at Kens door he asked her "Have you come to ask for a divorce?". They were only SEPERATED AND NOT DIVORCED.

No need to shout, you know. I actually asked another contributor to make sure if I was correct, and from what I've seen, I may very well have not been. Again, no need to be rude. Mike H. That's hot 09:07, 7 December 2005 (UTC)

I own a few episodes on DVD from 1977 and one shows Janet returning and Ken asks her "What have ya come back for...a divorce?" So they were not legally divorced. However in 1981 when Ken and Dedire wed in 1981 the streets Vicar refused to perform the ceremony because Ken was divorced. Also while him and Dedire were breaking up in 1990 he said "I never though I would have to go back to the divorce courts" So it seems like it depends on what show you watch where you get your infromation. 18 December 2005

I want to know why my version I done on March 7 was erased and replaced with that horrible, messy version that I cleaned up. The current verion IS HORRIBLE !!!!!!!!! Please put something like my revision back up so this page wont be a dump!!!!!!!!!!

The old revision was not "horrible." Some of your version had good facts but it wasn't put together correctly. I'll try to add facts from your version in, but it will not be the same thing. Mike H. That's hot 02:59, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

I see then. Well if both versions could be merged it would probilly look good. I really am not a good writer so if someone could do the version then please work it together. 10 March 2006

I can do that. However, I'm busy with a few things so it may not be RIGHT away, but it will be within the next couple of days. Mike H. That's hot 05:42, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

It says Kens father died of heart pains Since when has heart pains killed anyone. According to the show fan website Frank Barlow died of old age. Im going to change it here.

A different Ken Barlow

How do we make a new Wikipedia entry for this guy?

Radar picks up cold front for new CBS4 forecaster By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa Thursday, January 19, 2006 - Updated: 12:38 AM EST

Don’t say we told you. Because nobody’s supposed to know. But these are stormy times inside Channel 4’s weather center.

Word is, longtime CBS4 meteorologists Barry Burbank and Mish Michaels haven’t exactly warmed up to new guy Ken Barlow. In fact, we hear, relations are about as frosty as an Alberta Clipper!

The principal bone of contention, it seems, is that Barlow — the new guy hired to replace longtime weatherdude Ed Carroll — didn’t know how to work the equipment. Specifically, Ken couldn’t run that fancy-schmancy Doppler Radar the Channel 4 folks are always bragging about!

<snip>

But Ken was unable to make any forecasts during his debut, because he didn’t do Doppler! (Doppler, named for the Austrian scientist Christian Doppler, is more complicated than traditional weather radar, producing extremely complex images that are very difficult to understand.)

Station spokesgal Ro Dooley said the plan always was for Barlow to start work this week — after a week of training on Channel 4’s equipment. And, in fact, Barlow did start forecasting on Monday.

<snip>

Complicating the chilly reception for Ken was an in-house memo advising news staffers that CBS4 will no longer be ponying up the estimated $15K to submit entries to the New England Emmy Awards. So newsies who want to be considered in the contest have to pay their own way.

“And yet, they can pay a weatherman who can’t run the Doppler a half million dollars and pay Josh Binswanger to sit on his butt for the rest of his contract,” said one disgruntled grunt.

More: http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=121959

NiftyDude 01:59, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

All of you folks are ignorant. Ken Barlow came from a completly different system. The doppler was invented by Paul Douglas from CBS in Minnesota. Ken Barlow came from NBC, Ken actually replaced Paul Douglas at NBC. You should be on your knees and ever so grateful to have Mr. Barlow.

Valerie Barlow

Could someone clear this up: The current text says "his house burned down in 1971 (killing his wife Valerie)" and "His first wife, Valerie Tatlock (Anne Reid), died when she electrocuted herself with a faulty hairdryer in 1971"

Which is correct?

82.7.240.23 23:10, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

They are both 'correct'. Valerie was electrocuted by a faulty hairdryer, and as she collapsed she knocked an electric fire into a suitcase which set alight and burned down the Barlows' flat. One is a direct result of another, so really they should be written together. Ben 04:30, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

Work needs doing

When I can find the time, I am going to give this page a large overhaul. It is sloppy in places and information does not run coherently, and importance is put on wrong pieces of information, for instance: 'After his house burned down in 1971 (killing his wife Valerie), he lived with his Uncle Albert' Surely the important piece of information is that Valerie died...not that his house burned down?! Many areas of this article need better development. 'their divorce caused great personal turmoil for both of them (culminating in Ken's suicide attempt)' - we don't even get to know about Ken's suicide attempt, yet the article suggests we have prior knowledge. The article relies far too much on brackets. Much, much more could be added to this article. Ben 04:27, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

Intro

Utter rubbish. Known as the 'Silver Fox'? By whom? Citation needed. 'Most famous for having a quiff'? Aaaargh. This is SACRILEGE!

I agree, I sense Bob Bore of Bor-a-nation Street is editing his own page to give himself a personality. Steve hill4 (talk) 20:58, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

Can we please?

Can we somehow make it so this page cannot be edited by random people, cause i'm getting sick of the random vandalism aimed at me (ie the Kevin Ock Barlow, Danny Knapper stuff, so if you see it it's aimed at me from my friends. I'm sick of it —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kezock (talk • contribs) 12:56, 7 March 2007 (UTC).

Fair use rationale for Image:K bARLOW cs.jpg

Image:K bARLOW cs.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 05:34, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Image copyright problem with Image:Ken barlow.jpg

The image Image:Ken barlow.jpg is used in this article under a claim of fair use, but it does not have an adequate explanation for why it meets the requirements for such images when used here. In particular, for each page the image is used on, it must have an explanation linking to that page which explains why it needs to be used on that page. Please check

That there is a non-free use rationale on the image's description page for the use in this article.
That this article is linked to from the image description page.

This is an automated notice by FairuseBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. --02:07, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Reflist Nightmare!

On the article page, in the ref list, there is something not quite right. There is a list of websites to visit to do extra research into Ken Barlow, why is that needed. It should be on the talk page not the article!! I can't get rid of it either. RAIN the ONE (Talk) 14:20, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

How bizarre! One of the references was using {{news}} instead of {{cite news}} which was causing the problem. Took a while to work that one out! Frickative 14:28, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

Move proposal

The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: moved Kotniski (talk) 07:58, 24 December 2010 (UTC)

Ken Barlow (Coronation Street) → Ken Barlow — Looking at the viewing statistics of this Ken Barlow article and comparing them with the other Ken Barlow, it is obvious that the Corrie star is far more notable. Thus I suggest, as is the case with many highly notable articles such as David Cameron, Time and Gordon Brown, we move this Ken Barlow's article to the un-bracketed title and include a hatnote to the basketball player. —Half Price 20:05, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

It's a disambiguation page. It must name all duplicate articles. Or I suppose we could call it Ken Barlow (Disambiguation) --GSorby Desroid - (Contribs!) 20:13, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

Well, there isn't really even a need for a dab page as there are only two Ken Barlows. We just need a hatnote on the Corrie Ken's page. —Half Price 13:21, 17 December 2010 (UTC)

Support as long as it's done properly, not cut and paste. Dab page won't be needed, as Half price said. Anemone Projectors 15:47, 17 December 2010 (UTC)
Support - As per above, should never have been split in the first place IMO.RAIN..the..ONE ^HOTLINE 18:46, 17 December 2010 (UTC)
Support - Clear that this is the intended target for the vast majority of users. FWIW, the original split was performed by a persistent, now indef-blocked vandal. Frickative 18:56, 17 December 2010 (UTC)
SupportGunGagdin^Moan 10:52, 21 December 2010 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Plan structure to-do list

Just for clarification, I thought I'd do another plan for anyone who wants to chip in. We can cross out when complete

Creation - I have included stuff on casting, but anything from Tony Warren would be useful.
Characterisation - Personality and how he has developed.
Longevity - anything on the character's duration

Relationship

Valerie
Deidre
Denise
Other relationships - possibly including Janet, Alma, Martha, Wendy Crozier any of the othe 8000 women he dated. Janet may merit her own section but that I suppose will depend on how much info is out there. She seems to be the most forgotten Mrs Barlow.

Family

Kids/grandkids - Peter, Susan, Tracey, Daniel, Lawrence, grandchildren
Parents/sibling - Ida, Frank, David
In-laws - Blanch, Albert Tatlock

Feud with Mike Baldwin

Career - Journalism, Teaching, he was an escort once etc.

Other media - any appearances in other media

Reception

Popular culture - spoofs etc, mentions on mainstream programmes.

GunGagdin^Moan 00:05, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

Issues

I have found a few things wrong on my ref check.

~~Ref no. 15, is deadlink - the new ITV profile no longer supports the claim~~
~~Ref no. 21 is odd, does it support the claim, is it a reliable source?~~ - GSorby removed the ref and struck this, but gave no reason why. - JuneGloom Talk 22:19, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
~~Ref no. 17 is google cache link from the guardian, that is dead.~~ Fixed - JuneGloom Talk 22:11, 29 April 2011 (UTC)

Thankyou June for that. George said he felt it was not a reliable source, it wasn't reliable tbh.. but if anyone objects we can discuss it further.Rain the 1 ^BAM 23:02, 29 April 2011 (UTC)

In the text, we have 56 refs, but in the reflist it only lists 52. Any ideas why?GunGagdin^Moan 13:47, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

Fixed For some reason, a couple of refs with no archive URL had the parameter included but half hidden, so it was hiding the references that came afterwards. Out of curiosity Rain, how come you hide the archiveurls? Frickative 14:23, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

They are only needed when the link goes dead aren't they? Otherwise it would would just take you the click to the archive link. Is there another was of including it without hiding it? It is probably my browser causing ref breaks - Each time I edit, I have to preview the text to see where random spaces have been added (the ref in the infobox breaks each time I edit without fail).. So if you see random spacing in my edits, it is not intentional. Junegloom is always correcting me and this only started happening when I brought a new laptop. :/Rain the 1 ^BAM 14:58, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

Sure, I just wondered whether it was personal preference, or a guideline I didn't know about. Never seen it done like that before is all :) Ack, new laptop sounds like a PITA. Frickative 15:08, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

It sure is. There was something else I wanted to ask - what do you think we should do about the ITV ref?Rain the 1 ^BAM 15:17, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

Has wayback archived the page?GunGagdin^Moan 15:34, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

If it's the comment about him having more GFs that the rest of the street put together, it isnt an essential quote, so I would say get rid of it.GunGagdin ^Moan 15:40, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

This says something similar.[1]GunGagdin^Moan 15:42, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

That is perfect, I'll add it now.Rain the 1 ^BAM 16:16, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

I had a look fopr a citation template for a song but couldnt find one for the half man half biscuit reference. The song comes form an EP called [Editor's recommendation http://www.amazon.co.uk/Editors-Recommendation-Half-Man-Biscuit/dp/B00005NFFA]. It wasnt re;eased as a single. So is it possible to cite an album?GunGagdin^Moan 23:13, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

Yeah that should be fine, a lot of the time singles use Itunes as a cite.Rain the 1 ^BAM 23:34, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

There's {{Cite album-notes}} and {{Cite music release notes}} but I don't think there's one to cite an EP itself. Maybe I was wrong to {{cn}} it though. I don't think it's mandatory to use {{cite episode}} if you put in the text "In "This Episode" X does Y", so maybe it was okay to just attribute it textually? Just revert me if I did something dumb. Frickative 23:37, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

I added the album notes template. It hopefully covers the info. How silly that you can cite a TV programme but not an actual song on wiki!GunGagdin^Moan 09:07, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Rain, can you check out the Sic template someone added to the spelling of rein/reign in the quote box. It's from a book. Common spelling is free rein apparently, so if the book says "free reign" as is typed in the quote box, we apparently need to put a sic.GunGagdin ^Moan 15:50, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

Just looked in the Annual again and I can confirm it does have it spelled it as "reign". :)Rain the 1 ^BAM 16:21, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

Collaboration

I'll start off with what I'd do - Okay so this page could be worlds better.. as we know.

I think it would be a good idea to do some development sections first. Half of his storylines are focused on 2009-present and most is nothing that note worthy. I think storylines should come later though as it needs more sourced content. In the end a rewrite of the SL's could be done when we fully know what is worth mentioning and what is not. We will obviously know what is more notable and what is not after we have addced stuff. (However the last few paragraphs could be chopped down in the meantime..)

As he has had 50 years worth of storylines the development could be focused on various themes. I think a good starting point is to get Ken's most notable ladies out of the way. There is four of us at present so:

Marriage to Valarie
Marriage to Deirdre
Denise
Affair with Martha

I think Janet and his other affairs could come after. Junegloom expressed interest in Martha, but I'll chose last when Gungadin and Frickative have chosen too. Obviously you can add what casting, reception and characterisation info in the meantime. I think if all of us concentrate on the hard ones first, it will get easier.

What do you think - opinions please. ;)Rain the 1 ^BAM 20:49, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

This is probably a very unpromising note to start off on, but I'll put my hand up and say I'd never heard of Denise until just now. Haven't watched much in recent years, alas. I sort of feel that his marriages should come before girlfriends and lovers, but I don't know much about Janet, either - was she not a very prominent character? Frickative 21:14, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

I know nothing about Janet either. :D Denise is a 90's character who he had a son with, I think there should be something on her from her last return. So perhaps you may be better with Deirdre.Rain the 1 ^BAM 21:22, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

I think Deirdre's the only one I've actually seen on screen, so that's probably right! The Women of Coronation Street only goes up to 1998, but when I pull it from the library this week, I'll scan in anything related to Ken and Valerie, or Janet (or any of his other lady friends). Do you think there's anything useful in the Corrie books you've got, Rain? Frickative 21:30, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

Because he's had so many women, it might get a bit much to cover them all in-depth? Not sure. Like Frick I am a fairweather Corrie viewer. I do know Denise though, so I dont mind finding some stuff on their relationship if it's out there. Should we do a section about his feud with Mike Baldwin? His family relationships will be important too I should imagine? GunGagdin^Moan 23:13, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

Perhaps a section on his jobs too? He used to be a teacher didnt he?GunGagdin^Moan 23:16, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

Yeah I was going to come to that - his career and how he has sort of always thought he was too good for the street. I think with the old relationships and SL's there won't be that much - compared too later ones. Just a couple of paragraphs probably. We could see how we go for now on those relationships as they profile something from near enough each decade. I think the storyline section could be made really small if we get plenty of OOU info on what is already mentioned within the section.Rain the 1 ^BAM 23:28, 25 April 2011 (UTC)

storylines condensed.GunGagdin ^Moan 12:06, 30 April 2011 (UTC)

Great stuff! :) I started the Valerie section, so I took that one lol - There is more I can add too. I'm going to start a family section as there should be plenty to do with this. James and Lawrence is the easiest one so I will start with them. Blanche, Peter and Susan, Daniel and Adam are other points I'd think would relate well - he was a pretty useless father - treated the grandchildren better, that may be the angle I'll go for when the is more.Rain the 1 ^BAM 12:54, 30 April 2011 (UTC)

Added some more on Ken and Deidre, but there's probably loads more that could be included. Your books must have loads on them? GunGagdin^Moan 13:59, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

Are these [2] [3] at all relevant to the bit in characterisation about Ken being boring? I know they're mostly about Roache, but suing a newspaper for calling you as boring as your character is pretty amazing. Also, sorry I haven't pitched in much yet (usual end of the month lack of time), but I just found out my town library has a copy of this in stock, so I'll be popping down to claim that on Tuesday :D Frickative 14:59, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

Great that'll be really useful no doubt, but hopefully the book wont be too 'boring'! lol I have added the stuff about the libel case.GunGagdin ^Moan 16:52, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

Should an affairs title should be added, which could cover Ken's infedelities? Including Marth and Wendy C? I dont know if Denise warrants her own section either, maybe just a general "Other relationships section would suffuce?GunGagdin^Moan 21:01, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

Yeah an affairs section would be good. I've found some info for Denise btw and there is stuff on them in one of my Annuals, and another book I have - so I'm not sure if she should or shouldn't have a section.. Valerie's section is bugging me, I'm not sure if the "growing bored of the kids" info would be better in the family section or staying put.Rain the 1 ^BAM 23:02, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

Oh just seen this. Added some Denise stuff. But could use more, so if you have it, great. You could always repeat the growing bored of the kids stuff. Doesnt have to be a direct quote in both sections?GunGagdin^Moan 23:19, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

I just collaborated. YAY! I'll go now. ;) –Anemone Projectors– 09:11, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

I collaborated too! A little late, but I knew I'd get it done eventually. - JuneGloom Talk 22:04, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

Great stuff. :) I do rather adore this article.Rain the 1 ^BAM 00:22, 28 May 2011 (UTC)

A quote from a producer, briggs

I'm not sure where or what to do with these one. The section with Deirdre is big - it is creation of the plot, but did he praise Bill too.

Producer Mervyn Watson: "It was normal story conference and we looked at the Ken/Deirdre marriage and had the idea of her having an affair with somebody in the Street. It was extremely passionately debated because there were categorical and opposite view points expressed. Some actors become very disturbed by the prospect of what their character is about to experience and find it uncomfortable, but then they sort of bite the bullet, as they have to really, and get on with it, then they turn in probably the best performances of their careers. I think certainly that was the case for Bill."

Johnny Briggs said "I thought that was magnificent. I mean the whole of the country was locked in their rooms watching it. I thought it was a fabulous piece of writing to get the trio going."

The quotes are from Page 165, of Daran Little's "Thirty years of coronation street" which is in use as ref number 24.Rain the 1 ^BAM 13:40, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

I think the storyline conception stuff is relevant to Ken and Dierdre section for sure. The Briggs comment could be spliced into the commentary from Briggs in the feud section?GunGagdin^Moan 14:04, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

~~Then there is this, but is it for Longevity or casting?~~

The only surviving cast member of the first episode is William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow. Now 78, he was paid £10 for each show - compared with the £3,000 he is reputed to get now. 'I needed to be convinced that it wasn't a mistake to sign up,' he recalls. 'If I had known it would turn out to be my life's work, I would have run a mile.'[4]

[5] <-- This covers SO much of his stuff. Really useful for a number of things.Rain the 1 ^BAM 20:21, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

£10! Wow. I'd lean towards putting that in casting, somewhere towards the end of the second paragraph maybe, but it could work in either section. Casting talks about his trepidation in joining the show though, so it ties in neatly. As for the Mervyn Watson quote, maybe slip that in after He believes that Ken was thereafter included in "much stronger stuff" as a result, including a storyline in which Deirdre had an affair with his rival, Mike Baldwin (Briggs).? Frickative 23:20, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

~Thanks for the help. =) - I've added two of those, but I have left the Briggs quote out, if it is needed it can be added still.Rain the 1 ^BAM 00:36, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Ken Early Image

Which version should be used? There is only one shot at this as it is an additional non free image. There are two files with four different revisions, so three need deleting. So we need to decide which one is best to help reader identify with his early image. I think the head on shot at the table is the one that correctly identifies him. (Gsorby made the mistake of reverting with the poor rationale: "prefer this one")Rain the 1 ^BAM 16:42, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

I think the current image is a lot better. The reader can easily identify who Ken is by the forward facing shot. - JuneGloom Talk 16:45, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Definitely the current one. If we could make a wider crop of it from this, it's even got the A1 sauce bottle in it that encapsulated Ken's entire conflict with his parents and working-class roots in a single scene. In the Sean Egan book I'm working through now, it even links in the way his wearing a tie to the dinner table reflects Ken's snobbishness. Frickative 16:51, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

When that information is added perhaps we could make a wider crop then, as it would help better illustrate the said text. I have reverted it back again as it was cropped further into Ken's face, which is not what the we seem to have wanted here.")Rain the 1 ^BAM 17:51, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Right...okay. Will you let me do the honours of cropping the black border off it at least? GSorby - Talk! 17:51, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

It's not really necessary if we're going to change it for a wider crop anyway. Does anyone have any thoughts about maybe leaving his father in? The juxtaposition between father and son further highlight's Ken's characterisation: Frickative 18:14, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

Critical commentary

Cut to the Barlows' front room, where Frank, Ida and Kenneth Barlow are eating their tea. We soon find out that Kenneth would probably bristle at the use of the word 'tea' in favour of 'dinner'. Wearing a tie, he declines brown sauce on his meal and can't quite keep the disdain off his face when his shirt-sleeved father pours some on his. (Egan)

In my very first scene on Coronation Street Ken's mum, Ida, enters the room carrying a pot of tea. Ken is sitting at a table with his father, Frank, eating a meal and is asked by his mother if he would like some sauce with his food.

'No, no thank you,' says Ken.

They were my first-ever lines on the show. Just four words, but at the same time the context in which they were said helped establish something about the character of Ken early on, and also the sort of relationship he had with his father and mother. Ida goes on t tell Ken that she 'got it special, you always liked it when you were little'. It's obvious that brown sauce is something Ken has clearly grown out of as he's matured, and when he then sees his father pouring sauce onto his plate, it's quite clear he doesn't approve.

'What's up?' asks his dad.

'Nothing,' replies Ken unconvincingly.

'What's that snooty expression for then?' Frank adds. He then proceeds to smother the rest of his food with the stuff and this is clearly a step too far for Ken.

'Oh no,' Ken says instinctively, and at the same time he obviously regrets blurting the words out. Frank sees this as the opportunity to give vent to his feelings about a son he believes has become a bit of a snob during his time at college.

'Don't they do this at college then?' Frank says angrily. 'I bet the don't eat in their shirtsleeves either!'

It's all good character-defining stuff, and by the end of that scene it was pretty obvious that there was conflict between Ken and his dad, and that Ken was looking for something better than what Coronation Street had to offer. (Roache).

Longest Running Soap Character?

"December 2010 marked Ken's 50th anniversary on-screen, making him the longest-running character in a televised soap opera."

Is it supposed to say "male?" Correct me if I'm wrong, but As the World Turns is as televised soap opera and Helen Wagner played Nancy for 54 years, making her the longest-running character in a televised soap opera. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.241.57.49 (talk) 23:31, 1 July 2011 (UTC)

I would assume the Guinness World Records have taken into account the fact that Wagner wasn't in the role continuously, having both been fired and quit at various points. If you search the actress on their records database, the top result is 'Longest time in same role - TV series', but the actual entry attributes that accolade to Roache. That said, both the source in the article, and The Telegraph refer to him specifically as the longest serving soap actor, so I'm sure a slight change of wording wouldn't hurt. Frickative 23:47, 1 July 2011 (UTC)

FA

Dare I say it? Could this be Corrie's first FA? GunGagdin^Moan 13:58, 20 May 2011 (UTC)

I'd think it could be in with a chance if we stick by it. When are we nominating it for GA though? Isn't it only a career section we need to add, or is there more?Rain the 1 ^BAM 03:43, 23 May 2011 (UTC)

It could well be! Wrt career, I'm not sure how much scope there is. I rearranged part of "Characterisation" earlier in the month with the intention of splitting some off into a "Education and career" section, to give it a slightly wider scope, but even then, there wasn't a great deal. I think what there is ties in nicely with "Characterisation", eg When it came to the sort of job he would do, it was clear that teaching fitted perfectly with him as a person. Not only did it help satisfy him intellectually, it also allowed him to help others and at the same time give him a degree of control, which he probably always wanted. - ties it back in to his personality. That said, I haven't really scoured the 'net for more, and I do still have half of Egan's book to read. Frickative 11:00, 24 May 2011 (UTC)

One thing that needs to be done is the a nice expansion of the lead. It doesn't cover much of the article at present. Are we nominating it for GA now, then getting getting a peer review before FA? Or the other way around?Rain the 1 ^BAM 02:24, 26 May 2011 (UTC)

I agree, the career section is covered in characterisation. Unless of course it would be significant to mention his sacking from being a teacher from that Aidan Critchley storyline. Ken hit Aidan, and IIRC that was quite a prominent storyline at the time, with Ken then having to become a trolley pusher. He was also a male escort which got a fair bit of publicity. Was the plan not to add more stuff on the Martha affair initially, or is that overkill?GunGagdin^Moan 13:15, 26 May 2011 (UTC)

I did suggest more Martha. Perhaps only because it was recent and it was to do with the whole plot about Ken trying to redefine himself. It was around the point he was going on about how he had wasted his life and always thought he was too good for the street.Rain the 1 ^BAM 14:13, 26 May 2011 (UTC)

Well, when we have all decided that the article is as complete as we want to make it, I wonder if we should go for FA before GA? Simply because GA takes so long and we could be waiting ages, and also in FA you tend to get multiple revieweres chipping in, so even if it doesnt pass, we'd get lots of feedback on how to improve it hopefully, and then we can resubmit. Not sure how you all feel about that? One thing I know we need to do is add all books to bibliography and do ref with page numbers per the autobiographies in this article. The lead needs expanding and we need to make an air tight fair use rationale on the images etc.GunGagdin ^Moan 08:52, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

I definitely don't mind trying for FA first - I think we've all got enough experience to know that we can put together GA quality articles anyway - but I think a Peer Review first would be a good idea, and that can be pretty slow-going too. A copy-edit from the GOCE would be handy as well, just to get a fresh set of eyes to check for any inconsistencies stemming from three different authors. Frickative 10:15, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

I'll request a copy edit now as sometimes they can be backlogged. Never requested peer review before though so I'll leave that to you. I can take a look at the lead too.Rain the 1 ^BAM 17:13, 27 May 2011 (UTC)

One thing we should probably try and look at is the length. It's at about 105kb now, so according to the size rule "almost certainly should be divided". I'm not suggesting that we remove information for the sake of it, but length is one of the FA criteria insofar as "It stays focused on the main topic without going into unnecessary detail". I know there were probably a few quotes & titbits & whatnot that I included while reading Roache's autobiography that might cross the line from comprehensive to 'only-interesting-to-fans' (eg. falling out with Pat Phoenix for two years over a scripting dispute - I love that, but will it help anyone understand Ken better? Maybe not!) Obviously given the fact he's been in Corrie for 50 years, the article was always going to be a long one, but it might be a good idea to try and pre-emptively rein it in a bit. Frickative 14:21, 28 May 2011 (UTC)

Oh. That's a real shame to think we'd have to cut info out. Or have to split it. What a horrible dilemma to face. If we cut info out, realistically we wouldn't get it down to a good size. Even if we did away with the storyline section.RaintheOne ^BAM 01:12, 2 July 2011 (UTC)

Rain, can you check out the citation needed template the copy editor put in? I think it's on a part you added :) GunGagdin^Moan 16:43, 2 July 2011 (UTC)

Sorry Gungadin, only just checked back here. Sorted. :)RaintheOne ^BAM 22:18, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Madame Tussauds waxwork

'Coronation Street' stars meet Ken and Deirdre waxworks! So if anyone's planning a trip to Blackpool, we could nab a great free image :) I'll keep an eye on Flickr, too. Frickative 19:54, 25 July 2011 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 19 external links on Ken Barlow. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 18 January 2022).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 03:31, 4 May 2017 (UTC)