Ann McManus has died at the age of 67, best known as the creator of Waterloo Road and a scriptwriter on Coronation Street.
The television writer died from a cardiac arrest, with an obituary from The Guardian paying tribute to her life.
The showmaker was behind such shows as Bad Girls, Waterloo Road, Footballer’s Wives, Free the Weatherfield One and much more.
Immediately, fans have paid tribute to the late star, remembering her career highlights and how she kept the nation on the edge of their seats for years.
‘RIP Ann McManus Thank you for all that wonderful television, especially for Waterloo Road, which has been a huge part of my life since I was 11,’ said MatthewPGormley on X.
Journalist Julie Bindel, who wrote her obituary for The Guardian, shared on social media: ‘What a privilege and honour it was, writing this obituary, for the stunningly talented, quick-witted, gorgeous lesbian that Ann McManus was. You may not know it til you read this, but she brought MILLIONS of you endless hours of entertainment.’
‘Devastated to hear about the death of Ann McManus who created Waterloo Road, Bad Girls and Footballers Wives and she also helped to devise the plot of Deirdre Rachid and the Weatherfield One,’ said camjmes0.
The star began her working life as a schoolteacher in Glasgow. She landed her first TV job as a scriptwriter on the soap Take the High Road in 1993, before moving onto bigger fish with Coronation Street between 1996 and 1998.
The star was previously instructed to cull some of the Coronation Street cast, but made a different decision when it came to axing Hayley Cropper, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh.
Instead of axing the role, Ann had the genius idea to make the character the first-ever trans role in the show. Something that became a hugely popular storyline and was the first trans character in a British soap.
McManus was also behind the storyline in Corrie that saw Deirdre Rachid, played by Anne Kirkbride, sent to prison after being unjustly convicted of fraud.
The hugely popular storyline sparked a massive public response with a campaign titled Free the Weatherfield One launched.
McManus was also at the helm of Shed Productions (later Shed Media), which was established in 1999 by the writer along with some other Granada Television co-workers, and her future partner Eileen Gallagher who she entered into a civil partnership with in 2006.
They commissioned Bad Girls, a show set in a women’s prison, and featured British TV’s first long-term lesbian relationship. They also worked on Footballer’s Wives, The Fugitives, and Supernanny.
She is survived by her partner Eileen Gallagher and by her five siblings, Veronica, Jim, David, Helen and Frances.
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