Coronation Street, Britain's longest-running soap opera, is facing a leadership crisis after ITV failed to secure a new producer to replace Iain MacLeod, who left the role last week for a bigger position at the broadcaster. Several television executives have reportedly turned down the prestigious job, leaving the network with what insiders describe as a 'huge headache'.
Huw Kennair-Jones, ITV's top drama boss and former editor of The Archers, has been drafted in to resolve the issue. He has approached executives from the BBC, Channel 4, and Sky, but so far none have accepted the role. As a temporary measure, MacLeod's wife, Verity MacLeod, who served as his deputy, is filling in, but staff say this arrangement is deterring candidates who fear being caught in a 'MacLeod sandwich'.
The soap has faced criticism in recent years for abandoning its loyal audience with an obsession with younger characters and 'unbelievable' plotlines. Ratings have plummeted, with Wednesday's episode drawing just 3.2 million viewers, compared to 26.65 million for the most-watched episode in 1987. Last Christmas Day, only 2.6 million tuned in, down eight million from a decade earlier.
Actress Maureen Lipman, who plays Evelyn Plummer, recently urged the show to return to its roots, saying: 'We've come to a point in Corrie now where people are getting murdered in knicker factories. We're having domestic abuse. Anything that ticks the box of social problems in the 21st century is going to be in your local soap.' She called for more light-hearted conversations, reminiscent of the show's earlier years.
ITV has yet to comment on the search for a new boss, but the situation remains unresolved as the network grapples with declining viewership and internal tensions.
