Father of Linus (born 1964) and Vanya (born 1967) by his first marriage and father of Verity Elizabeth (born 1981), Edwina (born 1982, died 1984) and William James (born 1986) from his second marriage. Spoke out in 1999 of his unhappiness on the sensationalism and violence needed to attract viewers in British soaps. Is a dedicated 'druid', a kind of astronomy group which predict the fate of their lives by the turning of the moon. Was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Soap Awards in 2000 after playing his role as Ken Barlow in highly watched British soap-drama "Coronation Street" (1960) for 40 years, after appearing in the very first episode on 9 December 1960.