…Researched and contributed by Henry George.
Coronation Street’s Kenneth Cope, who played Jed Stone, has surprised fans of the long-running soap after a photo emerged of him looking significantly different from his days on the cobbles.
To celebrate his 92nd birthday, Cope uploaded a celebratory post to Facebook in which he looked full of glee while posing with a glass of wine at the dining room table.
The renowned actor, who provided comic relief during his time on the show, traded his clean-shaven face and trademark flat cap for a grey beard and a bucket hat.
He wore a black sweatshirt and black trousers and tucked into a roast dinner featuring an array of sprouts, potatoes and carrots.
The veteran actor accumulated supporters not only in Manchester but also in Liverpool, where he starred in Brookside as Ray Hilton.
However, it is his role as Jed Stone in Coronation Street that he is most famous for. Cope first appeared on the show in 1961, left in 1966, and returned in 2008.
His character was pitted against fearsome property developer Tony Gordon, with whom he went toe-to-toe in a dramatic comeback.
After several months of action, he left the show again prior to showing his face one last time in 2014 for the trial of Ken Barlow.
Cope has now retired from acting and has started pursuing a career in writing, scribing a weekly column for the Southport Visitor newspaper.
Fans responded to his birthday post, wishing him well.
One user said, “Great to see you enjoying your birthday,” while another commented, “Bless you, sir.” A third user wrote, “Always loved your work; take care.”