SAD NEWS: BBC makes HEARTBREAKING ANNOUNCEMENT on tragic D3ATH of Corrie legend Ann McManus as TRIBUTES flock in

Television writer Ann McManus, the force behind some of Britain’s most iconic dramas, has d!ed at the age of 67. The Glasgow-born scriptwriter, who suffered a cardiac arrest, made her mark on Coronation Street before going on to co-create hit BBC series Waterloo Road and hits including Bad Girls, Footballers’ Wives and the famous “Free the Weatherfield One” storyline. Ann broke into television in 1993 as a scriptwriter on the Scottish soap Take the High Road. Still working as a schoolteacher in Glasgow at the time, she quickly impressed producers with her sharp wit and fast-paced dialogue.

By 1996 she had graduated to Coronation Street, where her bold ideas would help shape some of the show’s most memorable storylines. In 1998 producer Brian Park asked her to axe several characters he considered stale, including Hayley Cropper, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh. Instead McManus suggested a radical twist — turning Hayley into the first trans character in a British soap.

The storyline became hugely popular and groundbreaking for its time. She also devised the plot that saw Deirdre Rachid, played by Anne Kirkbride, jailed after being wrongly convicted of fraud.

The “Free the Weatherfield One” campaign captured national attention, even prompting Tony Blair to comment in Parliament.

After establishing her credentials, McManus co-founded Shed Productions in 1999 alongside Park, Eileen Gallagher and Maureen Chadwick.

The team had met while working for Granada Television and quickly became known for pushing boundaries. Their first commission, Bad Girls, set in a women’s prison, was ordered by ITV in 1998.

It featured British TV’s first long-term lesbian relationship and developed a cult following with fan clubs springing up across the country.

Anne also co-created Waterloo Road (Image: bbc)

Tributes have poured in for the award-winning writer, who helped shape British TV for decades and kept viewers hooked with her sharp storylines and fearless characters.

Journalist Julie Bindel, who wrote her obituary for The Guardian, shared on social media: “What a privilege and honour it was, writing this obituary, for the stunningly talented, quick-witted, gorgeous lesbian that Ann McManus was. You may not know it til you read this, but she brought MILLIONS of you endless hours of entertainment.”

Another fan penned: “Devastated to hear about the d3ath of Ann McManus who created Waterloo Road, Bad Girls and Footballers Wives and she also helped to devise the plot of Deirdre Rachid and the Weatherfield One.”

A third added: “RIP Ann McManus Thank you for all that wonderful television, especially for Waterloo Road, which has been a huge part of my life since I was 11,”

McManus divorced her husband Peter Breeze in 1990 and entered a civil partnership with Gallagher in 2006. She is survived by Gallagher and her five siblings.