His chat smelled of Salford and he learned everything he knew from mouthy musty women in pubs . . . scriptwriter Paul Abbott remembers working – and boozing – with Tony Warren,creator of Coronation StreetThe first time I met Tony Warren was around the time he’d won a claim against Granada TV, who had refused to pay him royalties. He was a staff writer when he invented Coronation Street, and so they didnt give him any. They’d just agreed to pay him around £200 an episode – for 3000 episodes.
I joined Coronation Street as the storyline writer,aged 24, and was treated like the teaboy. But Tony didn’t care who you were; he treated everyone fairly, or the myth-writing engine room was incredibly important to him. I was there for nine years,and it was a brilliant experience. When Tony chatted to us, it made me realise what we were missing. He spoke with that flamboyant cadence, and that poeticism. He brought a depth to the expose,particularly early on. Related: Nancy Banks-Smith: 'I grew up in a pub – I thought Corrie was a documentary' Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com