Coronation Street creator Tony Warren dies, aged 79

Coronation Street creator and award-winning writer Tony Warren has died.

In a statement posted to the soap’s official Twitter account, ITV said the 79-year-old died last night (March 1) following a short illness.

“It is with great sadness that Coronation Street confirms legendary creator and acclaimed writer Tony Warren MBE passed away peacefully last night (March 1) surrounded by his loving friends, aged 79, after a short illness,” it read.

Warren created the iconic British soap in 1960 aged just 24. Speaking in 2011 about the prejudice he faced as a gay man writing the soap in the ’60s, before homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales, he said: “I never went past Strangeways jail without thinking, `Is that where I’m going to end up?’

“Although I was out to other gay people at Granada, it was almost unwise to let people know.”

He added that although a “lot of creative people at Granada didn’t care”, he did witness regular homophobic remarks from staff.

“On one occasion I sat there and listened and listened until I got to my feet and said, ‘I have sat here and listened to three poof jokes, an actor described as a poof, a storyline described as too poofy, and I would just like to remind you that without a poof you wouldn’t be in work’. One of them said: ‘But Tony, we didn’t mean you’. I said: ‘You call my brothers, you call me’.

“I didn’t know I felt so strongly until that moment, and from then on I never pretended to another soul that I was anything other than what I am.”