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
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.
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