In photographs marking Bill Roache’s 90th birthday, his son has captured his father’s “vibrant essence.”

On Monday, the Coronation Street icon, who has played Ken Barlow in the drama since its inception, celebrated his 50th birthday.

Will, Bill’s son, has commemorated the occasion with fresh pictures of his father taken at the family home in Cheshire, which show him smiling and calm.

The veteran actor said: “Will is really talented, he studied photography when he was younger so he has a lot of technical knowledge but for me it was about how relaxed we all felt.

“Will set everything up in the conservatory and we were all just chatting and laughing and he knew just when to capture the moment.

“I can honestly say those are the best photographs I’ve ever had taken.”

“We had a lot of fun taking these shots,” Will, who recently participated in an ITV documentary commemorating his father’s milestone birthday, continued.

“I think just having the family there made my father feel more relaxed which enabled me to capture his true vivacious personality and vibrant essence, the part of him that we are lucky enough to see every day, but is rarely seen publicly.”

The two previously unseen photos were part of a set of new images created for the re-release of Bill’s book Life And Soul — his existence teachings for living a happy, healthy life.