This week the soap has lost another two big characters – with their final scenes due to air soon
A CORONATION Street boss has quit after 10 years – and has moved to a rival soap.
Amid a cast exodus on the long-running ITV series, the show has lost one of its big bosses.
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Lee Rayner, the Head of Production for Corrie, has handed in his notice after more than a decade.
He’ll leave the cobbles for rival soap Hollyoaks in a fresh blow to the cash-strapped production.
In a statement, Lee said: “I am thrilled to be embarking on a new adventure at Lime Pictures as head of production for Hollyoaks and helping to deliver such an engaging high-end drama.
“I’m also very excited to reunite once again with the incredibly talented Hannah Cheers and really looking forward to getting to know and working with the production team, who have an industry-wide reputation as highly-skilled filmmakers.”
Lee joined Coronation Street in 2011 and worked for two years as an assistant director.
He then became a production manager in 2013 before being appointed head of production in 2021.
Coronation Street will soon be saying goodbye to some of its fan-favourite characters including Shelley King, who The Sun revealed this week is leaving after 11 years.
Paddy Bever – who plays Max Turner – has also quit and filmed his final scenes.
His exit comes after five stars — Charlotte Jordan, Sue Cleaver, Sue Devaney, Colson Smith, and Luca Toolan — have announced they are leaving or being written out since November 2024.
However, each departure would have been decided in the last six to 12 months, which is typically normal for soaps operas.
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ITV bosses are locked in a battle to save the cash-strapped soap.
This means that a number of stars have either been axed from or have abandoned the long-running serial drama.
Colson Smith – Craig Tinker
The character of Craig Tinker has been axed by bosses after 14 years. After he was told of the news in Autumn 2024, Colson Smith confirmed that would be written out of the show with scenes to air later this year. Craig’s on-screen mum, Beth Tinker, also left the show in the summer when actress Lisa George was written out from the role.
Sue Cleaver – Eileen Grimshaw
After 25 years playing Eileen Grimshaw, former I’m A Celebrity campmate Sue Cleaver will quit the show. The Sun on Sunday reported in January that she’s already begun to film her exit scenes. However the character will not be killed off in case Sue opts to make a return in the future.
Luca Toolan – Mason Radcliffe
Bosses decided to axe the teenage character after just 16 months after he first joined the show. Recent scenes saw Mason stabbed by his criminal brothers after his pal Dylan brought a knife in an attempt to defend him.
Sue Devaney – Debbie Webster
In November 2024, we revealed that Debbie Webster is set to be killed off after 40 years on the cobbles. The character will die as part of a heartbreaking long-running dementia storyline.
Charlotte Jordan – Daisy Midgeley
The actress became the fifth star to leave Coronation Street in just one month. We revealed that she will bow out of the ITV soap later this year after four years on-screen. Charlotte told sources that she’s hungry to see what other opportunities await.
Shelley King – Yasmeen Metcalfe
The actress has played Yasmeen Metcalfe on the cobbles for the past 11 years and we revealed in January that she finished filming her final scenes. This follows the departure of her on-screen partner Stu Carpenter.
