Kate Oates is reportedly stepping down as Coronation Street producer, it has been revealed.
The boss of the ITV soap will be moving to work on the channel’s drama Bancroft.
Current Emmerdale chief Iain MacLeod will take over from Kate, The Sun newspaper reports.
Kate said: “I’ll be forever grateful for this opportunity and all it has given me, but I’m also excited to try something new.”
A show source claimed that Kate’s controversial storylines during her two-years in charge had proved “divisive” behind the scenes.
“It was always a matter of when, not if, with Kate going, and now it’s been confirmed she’s leaving,” an insider alleged. “There’s a feeling of jumping before she was pushed. But she is staying within the ITV family.”
They added: “The storylines she worked on, while rating successes, were very divisive among viewers and the cast and crew.
“Everyone is looking forward to seeing what the future on the soap looks like now.”
Kate originally started working in soaps on Crossroads in 2003 before moving to BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers.
Her career then saw her working as a story editor on Emmerdale between 2010 and 2012. Kate joined Corrie in 2012 as an assistant producer before taking over as series producer in 2016.
As well as working on the show’s main storylines and characters, Katie was in control of the show’s move from airing five episodes per week to six episodes each week.
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