Coronation Street fans mourn death of show's creator

Tributes are pouring in for the man who created one of the most popular and longest-running British soapoperas, Coronation Street.

Writer Tony Warren, 79, died after a short illness, leaving behind a cultural fixture for millions of fans around the world, including Canada.

• Tony Warren, Coronation Street creator, dies at 79

"Very sad. I didn't know he was ill so I was very surprised," said Winnipegger Christine Warren, who is not related.

Warren grew up in Britain and said she was hooked from the very first episode, which aired on Dec. 9, 1960.

"We heard about this show that was starting, that was supposed to be totally different," said Warren.

"It was gritty and it was real. They were real people. They would get up in the morning and their hair would be in curlers. They looked like we did when we got up. It took off."

At its peak in the 60s, 70s and 80s, 20 million Brits watched each episode. These days, it still pulls in millions, vying for first place in the British TV ratings.

Tony Warren once talked about what it was like being gay at a time when it was a crime, and how it helped him write the show.

"I was the outsider. But you see, the outsider sees more. The outsider hears more. The outsider has to do that, to survive. And that's what qualified me to write Coronation Street," he said.

That attention to detail showed in hisworking-class, tart-tongued characters and their everyday drama.

"They can do tragedy and comedy in one episode and it blends. One minute you're laughing, then you're crying, then you're laughing again and I think that's what spans the generations," said Christine Warren, who writes a blog about the show and has visited both sets many times.

Warren wrote other TV programs and novels, but he remained a consultant on Coronation Streetright until his death.

Although the heart and soul of the show is now gone, it was always more than one person and the show will go on, Christine Warren said.

"He's left something behind that can't be matched and I think it will go on another 50. They've got enough stories that they can keep it going."