Legendary Coronation Street star Barbara Knox has signed to continue in her soap role just days before her 90th birthday.

The actress – who has played Rita Tanner continuously since 1972 following an initial appearance in 1964 – will remain on screen and has committed to working into 2024.

Barbara, who turns 90 on 30 September is the second oldest Corrie cast member to Ken Barlow actor Bill Roache, who is 91.

An insider told The Sun: ‘Barbara is in Corrie’s DNA. She is a true pro and the executives were delighted that she put pen to paper to ensure she’s on screens into next year.

‘Corrie is a lovely, steady place to work with a supportive team so it makes it easy to fit around family, having kids and as the cast have grown older.

On board: Legendary Coronation Street star Barbara Knox has signed to continue in her soap role just days before her 90th birthday

On screen: The actress – who has played Rita Tanner continuously since 1972 following an initial appearance in 1964 – will remain on screen and has committed to working into 2024

‘It was a no-brainer for Barbara to sign on the dotted line when the regular renewal of contracts came around this year.’

It is thought Barbara commands a healthy £200,000 per year for her role as Rita. 

It comes after it was announced Barbara’s 90th birthday would be marked with a one-off ITV special.

She will join TV presenter Bradley Walsh to look back at her life in a new documentary.

Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at ITV, said: ‘It’s easy to throw the words “legend” and “icon” around, but Barbara Knox really does embody both of those terms.

‘It’s a privilege to tell the story of one of British television’s most enduring stars as she celebrates a very special birthday.’

The documentary will arrive on ITV1 and ITVX in October, and it will trace the cobbles legend’s first footsteps into showbiz before her 1964 debut in Corrie.

She will also discuss some of her memorable storylines, such as the infamous Tram accident in 1989, and she will revisit the site.

Special: It comes after it was announced Barbara’s 90th birthday would be marked with a one-off ITV special (pictured in 1978)

Barbara will reflect on being awarded an MBE in 2010, and the documentary will feature interviews with several of her current and former Coronation Street co-stars.

What’s more, Barbara will share never seen before photos from her childhood.

The soap queen met the real Queen Elizabeth – who passed away in 2022 aged 96 – when she visited the Corrie set in 2021.

The monarch was greeted by soap stalwarts Barbara, William Roache, Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts) and Helen Worth (Gail Platt) outside the Rovers Return.

She looked delighted to meet the Corrie quartet, and during her cobbles visit – to celebrate the show’s 60th anniversary – she learned how the soap adapted its filming process amid the coronavirus pandemic.

She also chatted to Sally Ann Matthews (Jenny Connor) about hotpot during her visit to Manchester’s MediaCityUK in July 2021.

Speaking on Lorraine, she said: ‘We were still operating under COVID restrictions so we were all at two metres.

‘It was phenomenal and she had the sparkliest, smiley eyes you’ve ever seen and I chatted to her about take-away hotpot.

‘She was so engaged and for someone who’s met everybody and does three or four engagements in a day she listened to everybody and you could see she was taking it all in.

‘We were all in the Rovers practising our curtsy.’

The Wood Group have won a contract with Britain’s largest North Sea oil and gas producer, which it says will provide hundreds of jobs in the Aberdeen area.

The London-listed company said it has entered into a five-year contract with Harbour Energy for $330million (around £262million).

In a statement, Wood said it will ‘provide engineering, procurement and construction and operations and maintenance services, including digital and decarbonisation solutions, for a number of Harbour’s offshore assets critical to UK energy security.’

The Aberdeen-based company said that has entered in a five year contract with Harbour Energy for $330million (around £262million)

Steve Nicol, Wood’s executive president of operations, said: ‘We are incredibly proud to have been selected and trusted by Harbour Energy to partner with them across their North Sea assets. 

‘We share a commitment to ensuring safe, reliable and sustainable energy production and are confident our integrated digital solutions and world-leading engineering, operations and decarbonisation expertise will enable Harbour to maximise their investment and ensure the UK continues to have the energy mix it needs.’

Last week, Harbour Energy revealed it had swung to a small first-half loss as the effect of declining energy prices was compounded by high tax payments.

Britain’s largest North Sea oil and gas producer reported an $8million loss for the six months ending June, having made a $1billion profit for the same period last year.

The company saw turnover from hydrocarbon production plummet by around a quarter to $1.99billion as oil and gas prices slid from their elevated highs.

Nicol added: ‘We have worked on North Sea assets for more than 50 years and excel in designing and managing the complexity of energy infrastructure while at the same time seeking to minimise associated emissions. 

‘This new agreement and new contracts are testament to Wood’s role as a trusted technical partner to the energy companies of the future, where our priority is to help our clients deliver the energy the world needs and be able to transition to a low carbon future.’

Audrey Stewart, Harbour Energy’s vice president of supply chain, said: ‘Harbour is excited to develop our relationship with Wood and the signing of this contract is an important step forward in establishing our suite of long-term strategic partnerships across our North Sea assets.’

This partnership will support the employment of hundreds of people from Wood’s Operations business in Aberdeen and offshore across the two EPC and O&M contracts, with further recruitment expected in 2024.

Harbour shares were up by 0.55 per cent to 255p in Monday afternoon trading. 

John Wood Group has upgraded its annual profit guidance following major contract wins and strong growth within its projects business.

The FTSE 250 engineering services company told investors on Tuesday its adjusted core earnings for this year are now forecast to be ‘ahead of our previous expectations’.

Wood Group has also raised its revenue outlook after turnover expanded by about a fifth at constant currency rates to $3billion (£2.4billion) for the six months ending June.

Upgraded forecast: The engineering services company John Wood Group said its adjusted core earnings for this year are now forecast to be ‘ahead of our previous expectations’

Sales in its projects division jumped by 29.6 per cent to $1.25billion, thanks to robust demand from the chemicals, and oil and gas sectors, which offset the run-down of lump sum turnkey activity.

Compared to the same period last year, the segment was the only one to see an uplift in its order book, after gaining a major engineering services contract with Euro Manganese and a life sciences engineering deal from GSK worth around $50million. 

But the group’s overall headline order book increased by 5 per cent from the end of December to about $6billion.

Other major contracts recently won by Wood Group have included an estimated $250million two-year extended deal to provide services to Brunei Shell Petroleum, Brunei’s largest energy producer.

Ken Gilmartin, chief executive of Wood Group, said: ‘As we look ahead, we are confident that our actions, the business model we have implemented and the market growth opportunities to which we have aligned, support the momentum we are building in our business. 

‘As such, we are increasing our full-year guidance… for revenue and EBITDA.’

John Wood Group shares were 3.8 per cent, or 5.6p, higher at 153.7p on Tuesday morning, making them the second-best performer on the FTSE 250 Index.

Wood Group further announced on Tuesday that chief financial officer David Kemp would be standing down after a decade in his role. 

Kemp joined the firm in 2013 from Trapoil, later renamed Jersey Oil and Gas after being relaunched by entrepreneurs Andrew Benitz and Ronald Landsell.

During his tenure at Wood, the company acquired major rival Amec Foster Wheeler, but sold off numerous divisions, including its nuclear and consulting arms, partly to reduce its high debt pile.

The sale of the former business came just before the coronavirus pandemic started, when plunging oil prices slashed demand for the group’s services.

More recently, Wood was the subject of an unsuccessful takeover approach by private equity giant Apollo Global Management.

Wood’s board opened the firm’s books following a fifth bid worth £1.7billion, but Apollo walked away from the potential deal without explanation.   

Adam Vettese, an analyst at eToro, said: ‘The reasons that led Apollo to bid for the firm in the first place persist, which means another bidder could move in at some point with the share price depressed – or even Apollo again once its six-month cooling off period expires.’

Manchester City are reportedly making a late intervention in a bid to convince Bernardo Silva to extend his stay at the club.

Silva starred for the Sky Blues last season as City secured the historic Treble by winning the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup, but has been tipped for a potential exit.

The riches of Saudi Arabia have piqued Silva’s interest who has been offered a deal that would see him earn over £75m-per-season, with Al-Hilal pushing hard to bring the winger to the Kingdom.

The oil-rich nation has already snapped up some of Europe’s biggest names with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante all joining the Saudi Pro League in the past 12 months.

However, City – although unable to match the Saudi mega-money – have offered Silva a new and improved deal in an effort to convince the player to remain in England, according to the Times.

Manchester City have reportedly made an improved contract offer to Bernardo Silva

Silva played an influential role in City’s Treble success last season but could leave the club

Silva’s existing deal still has two years to run, meaning that City could command a hefty transfer fee for the Treble-winning star. However, the club appear keen to ward off any clubs interested in entering negotiations.

The English champions aren’t strapped for cash and if Silva left the club then he would become the first European superstar to leave for the Middle East while at the peak of his career.

Jamie Carragher has warned that if Silva was to move then it would be a game changer for Saudi football, tweeting: ‘Bernardo Silva is in his peak years & has been one of the best players in Europe for the last five years!

‘I wasn’t worried about the Saudi League taking players in their 30’s, a touch worried with players below the elite (Ruben Neves) but if this happens it feels like a game changer.

The 28-year-old is well-loved at Manchester City and has played a pivotal role in the club’s domineering success in recent seasons.

He started 24 of his 34 Premier League appearances and was influential in the Champions League, scoring crucial goals in the competition’s quarter-final and semi-final against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively.

City boss Pep Guardiola (left) is keen to keep hold of the Portuguese star for next season

Silva is being chased by Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal who are able to offer a huge wage

Guardiola is eager to keep hold of Silva and described him as ‘irreplaceable’ at the end of the season.

‘I’m happy that Bernardo became a winning player,’ Guardiola said. ‘Of course the highlights will be of Erling. But we cannot forget what Bernardo has done, scoring the goal and creating down the right side in the second half.

‘What amazes me about Bernardo is that when the game is going wrong he makes a step forward, he loves to play in this situation. He’s comfortable with it,’ he said.

‘Some players maybe step backward and he makes a step forward. That’s why he is irreplaceable in many ways for us…’