Ex-‘Coronation Street’ producer Kate Oates has landed a new role with BBC Studios, which will see her serve as executive producer on ‘EastEnders’, ‘Holby City’ and ‘Casualty’.
As exec producer, Kate will oversee the storylines on all three shows and in a statement released on Wednesday, she described the job as “an amazing opportunity”.
“I’m excited about meeting the teams and talent behind each show and can’t wait to get stuck in and tell some unmissable stories,” Kate said.
John Yorke, who has been temporarily in charge of ‘EastEnders’ since June 2017, will step down from his role.
Kate will work with John in the coming months, and BBC Drama boss Piers Wenger added that he’s “particularly excited to see Kate unveil her plans for the residents of Albert Square”.
Addressing the changes, BBC Content Director Charlotte Moore said: “Kate Oates is a really thrilling appointment; she has a real passion for soaps and I have no doubt that her experience, creative flair and dynamism will excite the next generation of BBC One soap fans.
“I would like to thank John Yorke for everything he has done over the last year on ‘EastEnders’ and I look forward to seeing Kate take over the creative baton.”
During her time at ‘Corrie’, Kate oversaw storylines including Pat Phelan’s reign of terror, Bethany Platt’s grooming storyline, and more recently, David Platt’s rape.
While the plots made an impact - with calls to rape charity Survivors Manchester increasing by 1700% since David’s story began - some long-term fans bemoaned the darker direction the show had gone in.
Kate’s ‘Corrie’ departure was announced back in April with a statement that explained she would be leaving to work on the second series of ITV drama ‘Bancroft’.
Prior to ‘Corrie’, Kate worked at ‘Emmerdale’, where she rose from story editor to series producer in six years.