Coronation Street producer Derek Granger has died at the age of 101.
The ITV soap producer was behind the scenes on the cobbles in its early days between 1961 and 1962, shortly after the long-running drama first began in December 1960.
A statement from his close friends said: "Brideshead Revisited producer Derek Granger has died peacefully at his home at the age of 101."
Granger reflected on the period of his life working as the producer on the soap during a recent interview, in what he once called a “god-like role”.
In an interview with the Telegraph ahead of his 101st birthday, he said: “I had more fun doing that than anything else I’ve done in television.
“It’s a god-like role, it’s marvellous. You’ve got the power of life and death, love and sex.”
A statement from ITV following the announcement of his death read: “With great sadness the production team at Coronation Street and ITV Studios would like to send heartfelt condolences to Derek’s family and friends.”
Granger had previously worked as a journalist at The Financial Times, where he had been the paper’s first drama and film critic, before he became the Head of Drama at Granada Television.
His appointment partly coincided with the Equity actors’ strike, which meant that his cast was reduced to fourteen members.
After a period working at London Weekend Television and the National Theatre, he returned to Granada.
Granger worked on a variety of dramas including Country Matters based on H.E. Bates’s stories and the 1976 production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Laurence Olivier, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner.
He is best known as the producer of the award-winning adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited.
After he left Granada he produced a number of films including A Handful of Dust.
