"In Memoriam..."

R.I.P. Tony Warren

July 8, 1936 - March 1, 2016

Anthony McVay "Tony" Simpson, MBE, better known by his stage name Tony Warren, was an English television screenwriter, best known for creating the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He was an actor, created other television dramas and wrote critically acclaimed novels.

The World's Most Famous Public House

"The Rovers Return"

First envisioned by Tony Warren in 1960

Coronation Street is made by Granada Television at MediaCity Manchester and is seen throughout the UK and internationally. On 17 September 2010, it became the world's longest-running TV soap opera in production.  Coronation Street is noted for its depiction of a down-to-earth working class community combined with light-hearted humor, and strong characters.

*******

I owe a great deal to the genius of Tony Warren...

As an isolated, lonely, bullied little gay black boy, I found an escape from a dark and depressing existence in a world far removed from my own... a tiny street in a fictional town in the north of England, where for two hours each week, I didn't worry about my own troubles, but instead followed those of a cast of characters that gave me hope that perhaps someday, a pleasant tide of life might arrive for me as it sometimes did for my friends in "The Street."

I've been watching Coronation Street for more than 40 years now, I've seen almost every episode in the series, first on Canadian television (for years the CBC station in Windsor, Ontario had one of the strongest television signals in Metro Detroit), and now via streaming on Hulu.  

I know the cast of characters in "The Street" like family and some of my most memorable experience in my lifetime of viewing were the appearances of gay characters like myself who did all the things I had to do including coming out and finding love and a place in the world for themselves.  Knowing that this magical world was created by Tony Warren, a gay man like myself, increased my hope that someday my long dreamed of pleasant tide of life would arrive.

Now, nearly everything I dreamed of during more than 40 years of watching Coronation Street has come to pass... Like Todd Grimshaw, I came out more than ten years ago... Like Marcus Dent and SeanTully, I finally found love (and loss), confusion and redemption.  And, eventually the man I would marry and raise children with.  My husband and our ten year old son, Dustin have also become fans of "The Street" as well and watching Coronation Street is one of our favorite things to do and talk about together...

So, thanks for the hope, dreams and the memories, Tony!