There’s a big change coming behind the scenes at ITV, as the man overseeing both Coronation Street and Emmerdale – and ITV’s entire Northern operation – has confirmed he’s stepping down.
John Whiston, a key figure at ITV for 27 years, will retire at the end of the month. His departure marks the end of an era for two of Britain’s most iconic continuing dramas.
“I’ve always said I’ve got the best job in TV. I used to say it privately in case ITV stopped paying me,” he joked in a statement.
Reflecting on his time leading ITV’s soaps, Whiston added: “It has been nothing short of an honour, as well as a blast, to work on the soaps this last decade or so. We’ve had joy, we’ve had fun and we’ve had seasons in the Sun. We’ve also had misery and mayhem.”
He continued: “We’ve had motorway crashes, tram crashes and floods. We’ve had stories which have squeezed your heart till tears came out of your eyes… and we’ve covered pretty much anything and everything that people have to face in their own lives and we’ve done that with care and humanity.”
Before joining ITV, Whiston’s eclectic CV included credits across the BBC – from Timewatch and Omnibus to Shooting Stars, Red Dwarf and The Royle Family. He later led Yorkshire Television and was appointed Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North in 2010.
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He leaves as Coronation Street and Emmerdale prepare for a shift to five episodes a week – with a crossover “mega mash-up” episode already teased.
Creative Director Iain MacLeod and Chief Operating Officer Matt Cleary will now take the reins, with Julian Bellamy praising Whiston as a “brilliant, inspirational leader” and Kevin Lygo hailing his influence on the soaps: “His fingerprints are all over Coronation Street and Emmerdale.”
