Deirdre Barlow Dies on 'Coronation Street' (Video)

William Roache stars as 

Coronation Street was Wednesday's most-watched show in the UK as 6.3 million tuned in for Deirdre Barlow's death. Actress Anne Kirkbride played the role of Deirdre for 42 years, until her death on January 19, 2015.

In the episode, Deirdre's pal Bev (Susie Blake) returned to Weatherfield to deal the crushing news to Ken (Bill Roache) and Deirdre's daughter, Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford), as the pair were finalizing plans for her welcome home party.

Roache is the longest running actor in the same role in soap opera history, breaking Don Hastings' run of nearly 50 consecutive years shortly after As the World Turns finished its run in 2010.

Watch the Barlows learn about Deirdre's death below:





Wednesday's Corrie episode held off competition from ITV rival Emmerdale, which raked in 5.31 million viewers as Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller) and Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) reunited.

Another 318,000 tuned in to Corrie on +1, while Hollyoaks managed 725,000 viewers (491,000 tuned in to E4's first look).

RELATED:
- 'Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street' book will be released on October 22