Coronation Street fans in Canada join the rest of the ‘Corrie’ community world-wide, in mourning the man referred to as the “father” of the program,
Tony Warren, MBE, died on Tuesday, March 1st, “surrounded by his loving friends,” after a brief illness, according to broadcaster ITV. He was 79.
The world’s longest-running TV soap is a big hit in Canada. In 2012, the CBC moved the half-hour program into the 7:30 pm slot to anchor the evening programming. 775,000 Canadians tune in to see what’s happening in the Rover’s, the local pub so much at the heart of the action over 56 years.
Born Anthony McVay Simpson, he took Warren as a stage name. At the age of 24 he wrote the first 13 episodes for Granada Television and it went to air on December 9, 1960. Over time the haunting horns of the opening theme might have driven away as many people as it drew in.
But fans were diverse, from actor Ian McKellen to rapper Snoop Dogg, Members of the Royal family are known to be fans. Prince Charles once made a cameo appearance and wife Camilla pulled a pint in the Rover’s Return while visiting the set.
His amazing ear for dialogue and storylines about the ups and downs of working-class people in northern England made Coronation Street a huge hit. Tony Warren credited it to his feeling like an outsider. As a young gay man, he did a lot of observing and listening.
His success however took its toll and in a 2010 interview he revealed that the pressure of creating the show left him addicted to alcohol and morphine for many years.
Actress Helen Worth, who has played the Gail McIntyre character since 1974, called Warren “a genius of our time.” “He brought real life into our homes for us all to relate to and enjoy. He will, of course, live on forever through Coronation Street,” she said.
With files from The Associated Press
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