Writer John Stevenson dies – Corrie cast and Russell T Davies pay tribute
He was a regular writer on Corrie for three decades.
Tributes have poured in for screenwriter John Stevenson, who has died aged 86.
The writer is best known for his time on ITV's Coronation Street, where he worked on more than 400 episodes between 1976 and 2006.
The news of Stevenson's death was confirmed by former Corrie actor Sean Wilson, who played Martin Platt.
The soap star wrote on his social media (per The Sun): "It is with great regret that I hear of the passing of John Stevenson - the talismanic writer of many an episode of the halcyon years of Coronation Street.
"John headed up a writing team who steered the series into many 20 million viewer storylines but always had one eye in the comedic charms of Northern life. From a little knowing wink to a rip roaring belly laugh, John was a craftsman of TV humour."
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The statement concluded: "I swear you could walk down any street in the UK at 7:30pm and hear the whole country laughing at John's special humour. His like will never be seen again in TV it seems. He always had kind words for me throughout my tenure there and wrote some of my favourite episodes ever. Rest well John with a wry smile of contentment."
Screenwriter and television producer Russell T Davies also paid tribute to Stevenson, posting on Instagram: "A great lion of scriptwriters has passed away. John wrote hundreds of episodes of Coronation Street, and co-created Brass with Julian Roache. When I was at Granada, I was terrified of him. He once said 'Hello Russell' and I was happy all day that he knew my name.
"His writing bristled with truths and wit and insight. I was once in a commissioning conference, when Ken Barlow had come back from a very unhappy family holiday. Another writer piped up, 'But why did they go on holiday? If they're so unhappy?' John turned his mighty beard towards him. 'ALL unhappy families go on holiday.' Wonderful."
Charlie Lawson, best known for playing Jim McDonald, posted: "He was a good mate and a great writer.."
Fellow TV writer Daran Little, who worked on Coronation Street from 2000 to 2010, also paid tribute to Stevenson.
In post on X/Twitter, he wrote: "Just heard that John Stevenson has died. Totally devastated by this. Tony Warren aside, John was the greatest writer to ever work on Corrie.
"The creator of Mike Baldwin, Alec Gilroy, Jack Duckworth, Fred Elliott, Ashley Peacock and so many others. Taught me so much. John asked me to write his obituary when it was his time but I can't find any of the notes he sent because I've moved house!
"Oh John, my dear friend, dad figure… once voted the Scriptwriters Scriptwriter by his peers. The best of the best. A true comic icon."
Long-time Corrie writer Jonathan Harvey also wrote: "One of the best Corrie writers ever has sadly passed away. John Stevenson was so funny and so lovely to me when I first started on the show 19 years ago. He wrote some of the classic episodes and lines. We will all miss John x"
Other series Stevenson wrote for included The Last of the Baskets, Nearest and Dearest, How's Your Father?, The Brothers McGregor and Oh Doctor Beeching!. In 2005, he won the Special Achievement Award at the British Soap Awards.
