Liz Dawn: 'William Roache should be Sir'

Liz Dawn has said that Coronation Street veteran William Roache should receive a knighthood for his services to the soap.

Speaking to This Morning presenters Holly Willoughby and Mark Durden-Smith, the actress, who portrayed Vera Duckworth for 33 years until 2007, said that Roache had contributed a great deal to the soap's history.

"He should be knighted, that man," Dawn said. "Fifty years in a popular show and all that work he's done over the years."

Talking about her time on the cobbles, Dawn joked: "Jack and Vera got that popular we were asked to open shops and I opened everything but a toilet - and I'd have opened that if the money had been right! It was amazing how it changed your life."

Dawn also praised the efforts of the show's current cast in this week's special 50th anniversary episodes.

"I nearly died watching last night's episode - I thought my bottom teeth had dropped out [I had my mouth open so wide]!" she said.

"They must've worked really hard, all the cast and crew."

Coronation Street's 50th anniversary commemoration continues all this week on ITV1, with a special live episode on Thursday.