Beloved ITV soap Coronation Street has been a staple on screens for decades – but it was almost called something completely different

Coronation Street nearly went by a completely different title – and this revelation is sure to stun fans.

The ITV favourite, crafted by Tony Warren, has graced our TVs for over 60 years with its premiere dating back to 1960. Through the decades, Corrie has kept us on the edge of our sofas with riveting storylines and memorable Weatherfield residents.

Throughout its tenure, Coronation Street has introduced a legion of actors to viewers, alongside numerous trailblazing and intense narratives. From scandalous liaisons to dark secrets, life is anything but dull in Weatherfield.

Yet, Bill Roache, who’s famously played Ken Barlow, dropped a bombshell about the soap’s original name. Bill is not just any cast member; hes been part of the landscape for six decades and even boasts a Guinness World Record as the longest-serving soap opera star.

Corrie almost had a totally different name(Image: ITV)

During the touching 2022 ITV tribute, Happy Birthday Bill, the soap icon disclosed a surprising fact: Coronation Street, during its inception, was known by another moniker, reports Lancs Live.

As he reminisced, Bill explained: “It was called Florizel Street when we started rehearsing and everything. I remember coming in the room and saying Flor-aI-zel and a groan went up.”

Bill didn’t stop there; he continued to narrate how the change came about: “Apparently a lot of people had been not liking it and one of the cleaners had said it sounded like a sanitary detergent.”

The decisive moment arrived when the producer stepped in decisively stating, “So, the producer came in and said right, ‘I don’t care what name you’ve got, so long as it’s Coronation Street’,” thus cementing the shows iconic name.

The actor revealed the name change(Image: Will Roache, Will Roache Photography Ltd.)

The actor reminisced: “My agent persuaded me to come up and do the pilot. He said, ‘You’re not working, you’ve got nothing on, you might as well do it.’ And this is the contract. Wow, £21.”

The reason behind the disapproval of the name Florizel Street remains unknown, but it’s believed that Granada’s tea lady, Agnes, wasn’t a fan, stating it sounded like disinfectant or Izal, a toilet paper brand popular at the time.

In another part of the documentary, Bill made it clear he has no plans to retire. He stated: “People will say when are you retiring? Are you going to take a break? But then what happens? “.

“As long as I can do it, and they’ll have me, I have no intention of retiring. I am so fortunate to work for an organisation that is happy to have me”, he further added.

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX