Corrie pays tribute to colleague who devoted 30 years to the soap

Coronation Street has had TV viewers glued to their tellies for decades.

All that drama – the tears and tantrums, the fights and struggles – has been enough to keep anyone on the edge of their sofa.

Sadly, we can report that the ITV soap’s most prolific writer – Peter Whalley – has passed away.

And luminaries from the industry have been queuing up to pay tribute to a man described as “a master”.

Whalley scooped the Lifetime Achievement award at the 2009 British Soap Awards (Credit: ITV)

“Peter was not just a prolific and brilliant writer, he was also an invaluable source of great ideas and equally great wisdom in our story conferences,” commented Coronation Street executive producer Kieran Roberts.

“Everyone who knew Peter will also remember the lovely man behind the great writing talent.”

Read more: Diversity star killed in car crash

Gareth Philips, who worked as an assistant producer on the programme, added: “Just heard that Corrie writer Peter Whalley has died.

“He was a joy to work with. His scripts always so effortlessly fantastic. RIP. #Corrie.”

And another Corrie writer, Jonathan Harvey, paid his respects by saying: “So sad to hear of the death of Peter Whalley, who wrote for Corrie for 35 years. So supportive to his fellow writers. A master. RIP Peter x”

EastEnders writer Daran Little, who used to work on its ITV rival, responded to the news by tweeting: “Devastated by the death of a great friend Peter Whalley who wrote more Coronation Street eps than anyone else. He was a story genius.”

One of Whalley’s last scripts saw builder Pat Phelan brawling with Gary Windass (Credit: ITV)

Whalley penned over 600 episodes of Coronation Street – more than anyone else in the show’s 57-year history.

And in 2009, he was handed the Lifetime Achievement award at the British Soap Awards, before retiring in 2013.

Read more: Coronation Street SPOILER: Maria’s got herself a new man – and he’s one of Michelle’s old ones

 

Let’s hope he passed on some of that brilliance to the next generation of writers.