Emmerdale boss to switch to Corrie

The boss of TV soap Emmerdale is to take over as the top figure on Coronation Street.

Stuart Blackburn, who is overseeing the 40th anniversary celebrations for Emmerdale with a live episode, will pop across the Pennines to take over as producer of Corrie in January.

Phil Collinson, who has produced the Street since 2010, will move into a new role developing new ITV drama from the broadcaster's base in Manchester.

Blackburn previously worked on Coronation Street as story editor until he moved across to the equivalent position on the west Yorkshire soap in 2009. He became producer the following year and has been involved with memorable storylines such as Jackson's assisted suicide and will be in charge of the live edition on October 17.

He said: "I'm in the very privileged position of producing Emmerdale's hour-long live episode to celebrate the programme's 40th birthday and I get to produce Coronation Street too. Life just couldn't get any better."

Collinson - who joined the show from the BBC, where he had produced Doctor Who - handled Corrie's 50th anniversary week, with its tram crash disaster. Current storylines include a surrogacy plot with Tina carrying a child for his Izzy and Gary.

Collinson said: "It's been an honour to produce Coronation Street and I'll be sad to leave. But the drama can only stay at the top of its game if the Producer is re-energised every two to three years."

"By the time I say farewell I'll have been with the programme for nearly three years and produced almost 750 episodes."