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'Coronation Street' Boss Kate Oates Announces Departure After String Of Controversial Storylines

Just last month she insisted she was 'not going anywhere'.
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By 

Entertainment Editor, HuffPost UK

Coronation Street’s top boss Kate Oates is leaving the soap following a string of controversial storylines. 

The executive producer announced she will be moving on from the cobbles just a month after insisting she was “not going anywhere”. 

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Kate Oates is leaving her role as executive producer of 'Coronation Street'
ITV

Since joining the ITV soap from rival ‘Emmerdale’ two years ago, she has overseen some huge moments, including Pat Phelan’s reign of terror over the Street, Bethany Platt’s grooming storyline, and most recently, David Platt’s rape. 

While the plots have made an impact - with calls to rape charity Survivors Manchester increasing by 1700% since David’s story began - many long-term fans have bemoaned the darker direction the show has gone in during recent times. 

It has now been confirmed Kate will be leaving, and will work on the second series of ITV drama ‘Bancroft’ starring Sarah Parrish. She will be replaced on ‘Coronation Street’ by current ‘Emmerdale’ exec producer Iain McLeod. 

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'Corrie' fans have bemoaned recent dark storylines, including David Platt's rape
ITV Pictures

Kate said in a statement: “Being a part of ‘Coronation Street’ has quite simply been one of the best experiences of my life. I am proud of the stories we have told and the impact they have had - and I’ve had a ball working with one of the best and most talented teams in television.

“I’ll be forever grateful for this opportunity and all it has given me; but I’m also excited to try something new. I can’t wait to make a start on ‘Bancroft’, working with the brilliant Sarah Parish and Tall Story Pictures - and I’ll continue to love watching both ITV soaps from the comfort of my sofa.”

However, just last month, she told the Daily Star she wouldn’t let criticism force her out of a job. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “The show’s in a good place, the figures are up year on year. 

“I’ve become more resilient to criticism. It drives me a little nuts but goes with the territory.”

News of Kate’s departure has been met with with a mixed reaction from fans - some are relieved to see her go: 

Others are sad about her exit, praising her good work on the soap, which has seen ratings improve over the last year: 

There were also some who worried about Corrie’s future under Iain’s watch: 

Of joining ‘Coronation Street’, Iain said: “Working on ‘Emmerdale’ at a time when it’s enjoyed such success has been a total joy and I will miss the people and the place immensely - it’s a special show full of huge talent. 

“Only ‘Corrie’ could have tempted me away. It gave me my first job in TV as an assistant researcher many years ago and to be returning as producer is the fulfilment of a longstanding dream. It’ll be like a reunion with an old friend and I look forward to continuing the amazing work already being done by everyone connected with the show.”

Iain will be succeeded on ‘Emmerdale’ by current ITV Drama Commissioner Jane Hudson, having helped lead the show to Bafta and NTA glory during his tenure. 

'Coronation Street' Continuity Errors
Tim Metcalfe Can't Read?(01 of06)
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When Tim Metcalfe, the biological father of Faye Windass, came on the scene, his new partner, Sally Webster, was shocked to learn later down the line that he couldn’t read. Not as shocked ss some viewers, though, who remembered that Tim first got in contact with Faye over the Internet and via text message, two tools which reading is pretty much fundamental for.This wasn’t the first time Tim stuck out to viewers for the wrong reasons, though, as some fans of the soap noticed that actor Joe Duttine, who plays Tim, had appeared on ‘Corrie’ just three years earlier, as detective Max Carr. (credit:ITV)
Todd Grimshaw's Black Eye(02 of06)
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It’s been very difficult to feel anything other than disdain towards Todd Grimshaw ever since he arrived back on the cobbles, but he managed to illicit a bit of sympathy from viewers last November, when his character was attacked by a group of youths in the street.However, the scenes of his attack prompted a negative reaction from some observant ‘Corrie’ fans, who noticed that producers couldn’t seem to make their minds up whether it was Todd’s left or right eye that had been damaged in the fracas. (credit:Rex)
Mike Baldwin's Secret Nephew(03 of06)
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When ‘Corrie’ icon Mike Baldwin first arrived in the soap, it was established that he was an only child, so you can imagine viewers’ surprise when suddenly his nephew, Danny Baldwin, came on the scene.Still, it did give us more Bradley Walsh on our screens, which is never a bad thing. (credit:ITV)
Bethany Platt's Accent(04 of06)
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Bethany Platt’s return to Weatherfield was much anticipated, not least because of the controversy surrounding her casting, which saw one actress sacked for lying about her age to gain the role.But the question on a lot of viewers’ lips was, if she’d spent practically her entire childhood in Milan, why did she speak with a broad Manchester accent? (credit:ITV)
Ivy Tilsley's Forgotten Husband(05 of06)
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Continuity errors aren’t a new phenomenon on the cobbles, though, and back in the 1970s, the show’s ever-growing audience were shocked when Ivy Tilsley’s first husband, Jack, was completely erased from history.In 1979, Ivy’s husband Bert Tilsley was introduced, who viewers were told she’d been married to for over 20 years… yet in 1972, she’d been seen on screen talking about her husband, Jack, who had been unfaithful to her. (credit:ITV/Rex)
The Rovers Return Loos(06 of06)
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Arguably the biggest continuity error of all the soaps is the toilets in the Rovers Return. There’s a reason they’re seldom-used or seen on screen, and that’s because, based on the geography of the street, the positioning of the toilet doors would lead directly into Ken Barlow’s kitchen.And that's why Ken prefers it when people try and hold it in... (credit:McPix Ltd/REX)
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