'Coronation Street': 'Who Pushed Ken Barlow?' Storyline Kicks Off, As He's Attacked In Shock Scenes

Who could possibly want to hurt Ken?
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‘Coronation Street’ has kicked off a brand new ‘whodunnit?’ storyline, after Ken Barlow was pushed down the stairs in an attempt to kill him. 

His body was found unconscious in the hallway of number one at the end of Monday (27 March) night’s episode, in a complete shock for viewers that had not been leaked prior to transmission. 

Fans were led to believe he had suffered another stroke after the scenes aired, but we can reveal Wednesday’s instalment will see his family informed Ken was actually hit on the head and pushed down the stairs. 

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Ken Barlow was pushed down the stairs in 'Coronation Street'
ITV

Things look set to be even more shocking over the coming weeks, as the hunt of his attacker begins, with six characters in the frame

They are: Ken’s grandson Adam Barlow; his son Daniel Osbourne, his other son Peter Barlow; his daughter Tracey Barlow; dodgy builder Pat Phelan and Daniel’s girlfriend Sinead Tinker. 

And all six of them also have a motive, having all fallen out with Ken prior to the attack.

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Six characters are all in the frame
ITV

William Roache, who plays Ken, claimed his character will be “absolutely horrified and very frightened” when he realises there’s a possibility a family member could have pushed him. 

“There is a moment when he looks at them all and is terrified as it could be any one of them because he has had rows with all of them,” he explained.

“To find that it could be someone who is very very close to you is very frightening. It really does upset him and he can’t remember. He is deeply hurt that a member of his family might want to kill him, that really hurts.”

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Ken is left fighting for his life following the attack
ITV

William also revealed he and the rest of the cast were kept in the dark about the identity of the culprit. 

“We didn’t know and only now, some weeks on from filming a lot of the story and as we get closer to finding out in scripts, have we been made aware,” he said.

“It was great to play it like that and all of the suspects were told to behave as though they were guilty or hiding something and they didn’t know. It was fun to be part of the secrecy and to act out the story not knowing the truth.”

‘Coronation Street’ continues on Wednesday at 7.30pm on ITV.

TV's Longest Serving Soap Stars
Bill Roache(01 of15)
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Played: Ken Barlow (1960 - Present, 'Coronation Street')

William, or Bill as he's known, was one of the original stars in Tony Warren's series. In the decades since, we've seen his character marry four different women, though Deirdre Barlow will always be his soulmate.
(credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Adam Woodyatt(02 of15)
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Played: Ian Beale (1985 - Present, 'EastEnders')

Not only is Ian the longest-serving 'EastEnders' character, but he's also the most married, following five ceremonies - though he did marry Jane twice.
(credit:REX/Shutterstock)
Chrisopher Chittell(03 of15)
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Played: Eric Pollard (1986 - Present, 'Emmerdale')

Pollard has been at the centre of many big storylines, but none were more touching than his - often hilarious -relationship with Val.
(credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Eileen Derbyshire(04 of15)
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Played: Emily Bishop (1960 - Present, 'Coronation Street')

Emily is the longest-standing female character in 'Corrie', and though she's taken a handful of breaks from the soap, actress Eileen has always returned to t'cobbles.
(credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Pam St Clement(05 of15)
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Played: Pat Butcher (1986 - 2012, 2016, 'EastEnders')

We thought we'd seen the last of Pat in 2012, when she was killed off in emotional scenes. Little did we know, she'd be back for Peggy Mitchell's farewell.
(credit:News (UK) Ltd/REX/Shutterstock)
Barbara Knox(06 of15)
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Played: Rita Tanner (1964, 1972 - Present, 'Coronation Street')

After making a brief appearance in 1964, Barbara returned to the soap just under a decade later.
(credit:Ben Curtis/PA Archive)
Richard Thorp(07 of15)
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Played: Alan Turner (1982 - 2013, 'Emmerdale')

Richard made his last appearance in the soap in July 2013, and his character was killed off, off-screen, three months later. Sadly, the actor then died in late October.
(credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Betty Driver(08 of15)
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Played: Betty Williams (1969 - 2011, 'Coronation Street')

Hotpot, anyone?
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Wendy Richard(09 of15)
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Played: Pauline Fowler (1985 - 2006, 'EastEnders')

The formidable Pauline was one of Walford's most-loved matriarchs.
(credit:REX/Shutterstock)
Stan Richards(10 of15)
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Played: Seth Armstrong (1978 - 2003, 2004, 'Emmerdale')

The role was at first a bit part but due to Stan's popularity, he stayed in the Dales. And it simply wouldn't have been the same without him.
(credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Steve McFadden(11 of15)
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Played: Phil Mitchell (1990 - 2003, 2005 - Present)

Steve was honoured for his work on the soap at the 2016 British Soap Awards, where he received the Outstanding Achievement Award.
(credit:Nils Jorgensen/REX/Shutterstock)
Sheila Mercier(12 of15)
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Played: Annie Sugden (1972 - 1994, 1995, 1996, 2009, 'Emmerdale')

What would Annie make of what her grandsons Robert and Andy are getting up to at the moment?
(credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Helen Worth(13 of15)
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Played: Gail Platt (1974, 1975 - Present, 'Coronation Street')

Over the years, Gail has had to deal with many unexpected moments, and Tina O'Brien's (pictured) teen pregnancy was just one of many that hit headlines.
(credit:WHAT'S ON TV/REX/Shutterstock)
Clive Horby(14 of15)
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Played: Jack Sugden (1980 - 2008, 'Emmerdale')

Between 1972 and 1976, the role was played by actor Andrew Burt, but Clive made it his own when he arrived in the Dales.
(credit:ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
June Brown(15 of15)
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Played: Dot Cotton (1985 - 1993, 1997 - 2012, 2013 - Present)

Words cannot even express how grateful we are to have Dot in the Square.
(credit:BBC)