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~ 1998 ~

Brian Park announced that he was stepping down as producer in April, feeling that he'd accomplished what he set out to do. His replacement was David Hanson, who received his first credit on 6th December. Coronation Street's former executive producer Carolyn Reynolds returned to her old role at the same time.

The most noteworthy character created this year - and Park's proudest achievement on the programme - was Hayley Patterson, a new Firman's Freezers recruit who, upon starting a romance with Roy Cropper, confessed to him that she was a pre-op trans woman. Before Hayley, Coronation Street had never featured an LGBT character and ITV had started making enquiries about whether they planned to introduce one. Script editor Ann McManus pitched the character as a way to have the programme be seen to be leading the way instead of chasing the other soaps' coattails. Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson filmed scenes in Amsterdam when Hayley went there to complete her transition, with Roy joining her there and the couple returning together to Weatherfield. Despite the initial focus on Hayley's transgenderism and the difficulties she faced in her everyday life, writers were careful to avoid having it define Hayley's character. Her warm personality and friendships were established before revealing the truth to the audience, and over time her transgenderism was mentioned less and less.

To celebrate 60 years of Coronation Street on television, we're going through the programme's entire history a year at a time. The full version of this article can be found here. Check back on 30th September for 1999!

48 | Yasmeen Metcalfe

Profile: Yasmeen is the co-owner of Speed Daal along with her husband Geoff and granddaughter Alya. A former librarian, Yasmeen was made redundant with the closure of Weatherfield Community Library in 2014. As the Nazirs - Yasmeen, her first husband Sharif, their widowed son Kal, and grandchildren Alya and Zeedan - moved into 6 Coronation Street, Yasmeen tried her hand at running the new community centre, Jamila House. Gradually Yasmeen was left alone as Kal was tragically killed in the Victoria Court fire in 2015 and the following year Yasmeen kicked Sharif out over his seven-year affair with her friend Sonia Rahman. In 2018, she married Geoff Metcalfe, a man who doted on her but had a controlling nature. In 2020, when threatened by Geoff Yasmeen stabbed him in the neck, unable to bear his abuse any more. He recovered, but Yasmeen is currently in Norcross Prison awaiting trial for attempted murder.
Did you know? The character was introduced to the series as part of the show's first Muslim family.
Played by: Shelley King

...that Anthony Schaeffer holds the current record of most roles in the programme with fifteen credited to date?
...that the first episode of the programme ever transmitted that did not feature any of the original cast members from 1960 was Episode 1428 (23rd September 1974)?
...that Stanley Wood, who wrote Episode 1237 (22nd November 1972), was the father of comedian Victoria Wood?
...that in Episode 1183 (17th May 1972), the character of Rita Bates gave her maiden name as "Foster" and not the later-established "Littlewood"?
...that although the character of Armistead Caldwell had died in 1935, his voice was heard in Episode 1256 (29th January 1973)?
...that the first ever repeat of an episode of Coronation Street was on Friday 10th February 1961 when strike action prevented the transmission of that night's edition and Episode 1 was shown in its place?