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Western Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
ITV Emmerdale and Coronation Street icon reveals retirement
John Whiston, who was Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North, has revealed he will be stepping down. The soap boss oversaw both Coronation Street and Emmerdale. He will step down at the end of the month, with Iain MacLeod and Matt Cleary taking over. ITV Emmerdale and Coronation Street icon reveals retirement On his retirement, the ITV soap icon said: 'I've always said I've got the best job in TV. I used to say it privately in case ITV stopped paying me. '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, we've had motorway crashes, tram crashes and floods. 'And we've had stories which have squeezed your heart till tears came out of your eyes. 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. 'With the appointment of Iain MacLeod as Creative Director and Matt Cleary as Chief Operating Officer and with fantastic stories in place for the move to five episodes a week next January, and a never-before-seen mega mash-up between the two shows, the future for our ITV Soaps is set fair. 'So it's the right time to leave and for me just to say thank you… to colleagues, to ITV and to our loyal, appreciative audience.' During his time at ITV, Whiston has overseen a number of other shows, including A Touch of Frost, Heartbeat, Lewis and Vera. Whiston's retirement comes just after the announcement of the first-ever crossover between the ITV soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street. Get ready for the drama to double! We're SO excited to announce that Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be producing a special hour-long crossover episode 🎉 Read more here: — Emmerdale (@emmerdale) May 13, 2025 Recommended reading: The hour-long crossover episode will air in January 2026, with characters from the Yorkshire town and Weatherfield coming together for the first time. ITV said: "The producers, scriptwriters and production teams have conceived an ingenious way of linking the two universes, but with characters then returning to the soaps they are renowned for inhabiting in Manchester and Yorkshire. "The episode will be self-contained, but the consequences of the high-stakes drama will have repercussions for both communities and see them linked forever as familiar faces depart and exciting new characters arrive into both soaps."
Rhyl Journal
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
ITV Emmerdale and Coronation Street icon reveals retirement
John Whiston, who was Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North, has revealed he will be stepping down. The soap boss oversaw both Coronation Street and Emmerdale. He will step down at the end of the month, with Iain MacLeod and Matt Cleary taking over. On his retirement, the ITV soap icon said: 'I've always said I've got the best job in TV. I used to say it privately in case ITV stopped paying me. '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, we've had motorway crashes, tram crashes and floods. 'And we've had stories which have squeezed your heart till tears came out of your eyes. 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. A post shared by Coronation Street (@coronationstreet) 'With the appointment of Iain MacLeod as Creative Director and Matt Cleary as Chief Operating Officer and with fantastic stories in place for the move to five episodes a week next January, and a never-before-seen mega mash-up between the two shows, the future for our ITV Soaps is set fair. 'So it's the right time to leave and for me just to say thank you… to colleagues, to ITV and to our loyal, appreciative audience.' During his time at ITV, Whiston has overseen a number of other shows, including A Touch of Frost, Heartbeat, Lewis and Vera. Whiston's retirement comes just after the announcement of the first-ever crossover between the ITV soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street. Get ready for the drama to double! We're SO excited to announce that Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be producing a special hour-long crossover episode 🎉 Read more here: Recommended reading: The hour-long crossover episode will air in January 2026, with characters from the Yorkshire town and Weatherfield coming together for the first time. ITV said: "The producers, scriptwriters and production teams have conceived an ingenious way of linking the two universes, but with characters then returning to the soaps they are renowned for inhabiting in Manchester and Yorkshire. "The episode will be self-contained, but the consequences of the high-stakes drama will have repercussions for both communities and see them linked forever as familiar faces depart and exciting new characters arrive into both soaps."
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Huge blow to Coronation Street and Emmerdale fans as ITV soap boss quits after a whopping 27 years with broadcaster - penning emotional goodbye to colleagues
Coronation Street and Emmerdale 's boss has quit after 27 years with ITV. The broadcaster has announced that Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North Jon Whiston is stepping down from his role at the end of the month to enjoy his retirement. With 40 years in the television industry and 27 with the channel, he is going to be missed after working on programmes such as The Chase, Vera and Heartbeat, and currently oversees the soaps. Iain MacLeod and Matt Cleary will take over the role from Jon. Announcing the news, Jon said: 'I've always said I've got the best job in TV. I used to say it privately in case ITV stopped paying me. 'It has been nothing short of an honour, as well as a blast, to work on the soaps this last decade or so. The broadcaster has announced that Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North Jon Whiston is stepping down from his role at the end of the month to enjoy his retirement 'We've had joy, we've had fun and we've had seasons in the sun. 'We've also had misery and mayhem. 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. 'And all that is down to the 600 or so people - the writers, crew, cast and editorial – who have kept the show on air and at an incredible quality day in day out. 'And it's them who have made my job ridiculously easy. Just don't tell ITV. 'With the appointment of Iain MacLeod as Creative Director and Matt Cleary as Chief Operating Officer and with fantastic stories in place for the move to five episodes a week next January, and a never-before-seen mega mash-up between the two shows, the future for our ITV Soaps is set fair. 'So it's the right time to leave and for me just to say thank you… to colleagues, to ITV and to our loyal, appreciative audience.' Iain, who is currently Executive Producer for Continuing Drama, will be promoted to Creative Director. He will take on all the editorial responsibility for creating the two popular soaps. Meanwhile Director of Production, UK Scripted for ITV Studios Matt's new role will be Chief Operating Officer for Continuing Drama - and will have to make sure that everything day to day runs smoothly. Managing Director of ITV Studios, Julian Bellamy, said: 'John has been a brilliant, inspirational leader at ITV for over 27 years. 'He's pretty much done it all and done it brilliantly. 'His wisdom, creativity and razor-sharp editorial judgement has powered the soaps success. 'Alongside many others at ITV, I will miss John hugely and wish him the very best for the future.' Managing Director, Media and Entertainment, Kevin Lygo added: 'John has been a stalwart of ITV, the North, and the soaps for a very long time. 'His fingerprints are all over Coronation Street and Emmerdale and they are all the better for it. 'Every twist and turn of the plotlines have had input from John and he will be sorely missed by all that have worked with him. 'ITV and I have been very fortunate to work with such a wonderful man. We wish him well in the next episode of his life.' It comes after it was revealed Emmerdale and Coronation Street are set to make soap history with a landmark crossover episode. Fans of the ITV soaps will be over the moon to know that characters from Weatherfield and The Dales will be teaming up for a dramatic stunt that will change their lives forever. The crossover, which will be a one-off special hour-long episode, is to mark the channel's new power hour of soap - which starts in January next year.
The Sun
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Coronation Street and Emmerdale boss QUITS after 30 years as ITV soaps set for huge shake-up after cash crisis
CORONATION Street and Emmerdale boss John Whiston has quit ITV after nearly 30 years. The channel veteran has overseen epic live episodes and helped shape storylines that have pulled in millions of viewers. 2 2 In a statement, Whiston said: 'I've always said I've got the best job in TV. I used to say it privately in case ITV stopped paying me. "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. 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. "And all that is down to the 600 or so people - the writers, crew, cast and editorial – who have kept the show on air and at an incredible quality day in day out. And it's them who have made my job ridiculously easy. Just don't tell ITV." Replacing him will be Iain MacLeod as Creative Director and Matt Cleary as Chief Operating Officer. John continued: "With fantastic stories in place for the move to five episodes a week next January, and a never-before-seen mega mash-up between the two shows, the future for our ITV Soaps is set fair. "So it's the right time to leave and for me just to say thank you… to colleagues, to ITV and to our loyal, appreciative audience.' Tributes to the highly-respected TV man came from the very top of the station. Kevin Lygo, Managing Director, Media and Entertainment said: "John has been a stalwart of ITV, the North, and the soaps for a very long time. His fingerprints are all over Coronation Street and Emmerdale and they are all the better for it. "Every twist and turn of the plotlines have had input from John and he will be sorely missed by all that have worked with him. ITV and I have been very fortunate to work with such a wonderful man. We wish him well in the next episode of his life.' Whiston began his career at the BBC where he helped BBC2 rival BBC1 for viewing figures after introducing theme nights. He also launched hugely successful shows like Vic & Bob's Shooting Stars and Lee & Herring's Fist of Fun. A move to Manchester saw him commission and produce iconic shows that are still much-loved to this day. Among them was Red Dwarf, The Mrs Merton Show and The Royle Family. He switched to rival ITV in 1999 as Director of Programmes at Yorkshire TV, immediately making an impact on the likes of Emmerdale, Heartbeat and A Touch of Frost. His stellar eye for a good drama showed no sign of abating with At Home with the Braithwaites, Fat Friends and Lost For Words among his successes. Whiston followed this by taking over ITV's drama stable including programmes like Poirot, Marple, Prime Suspect, Vera, Lewis, the Oscar-winning feature film, The Queen and Coronation Street. He was promoted to Director of ITV Productions in 2005, a role he held for five years before finishing as Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North.
Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
ITV soap stalwart quits after almost 30 years: 'It's the right time to leave'
ITV has announced that its Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North, John Whiston, is retiring after 27 years in the company. The executive's role was to oversee Coronation Street and Emmerdale, having spent over 40 years in the television industry. In a statement, John said that the role is "the best job in TV", adding: "I used to say it privately in case ITV stopped paying me. 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. "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. "And all that is down to the 600 or so people - the writers, crew, cast and editorial – who have kept the show on air and at an incredible quality day in day out. And it's them who have made my job ridiculously easy. Just don't tell ITV." He went onto say that Iain MacLeod and Matt Cleary will be taking over after his exit. "With the appointment of Iain MacLeod as Creative Director and Matt Cleary as Chief Operating Officer and with fantastic stories in place for the move to five episodes a week next January, and a never-before-seen mega mash-up between the two shows, the future for our ITV Soaps is set fair. "So it's the right time to leave and for me just to say thank you… to colleagues, to ITV and to our loyal, appreciative audience." It comes after the ITV soaps announced big changes over the last few months - including an upcoming Corrie and Emmerdale cross-over special and a move to slash episodes next year.
