David Anderson wrote one episode of Coronation Street -- Episode 1390 (13th May 1974).
On the internet blog Was it Something I Wrote? [[1]], Anderson contributed a comment in April 2007 which said:
- "Once, long before you guys were born, a dream came true. I made it onto the Street writing team.
- I'd sent in a spec script, met the then producer (a delightful man called Eric Prytherec, whose name I have undoubtedly misspelled), wrote a trial half episode. And got on the invites list to writing conferences.
- I was young, totally inexperienced, had only one published piece of work to my name and knew buggar all about television writing.
- I was on the team for a year. Went to conferences every three weeks. Was totally overwhelmed by being surrounded by highly talented, massively experienced, unbelievably enthusiastic and very, very loud writers. The likes of Harry Kershaw, Leslie Duxbury and Adele Rose, to name but a few.
- I became totally blase. Huh, another boring conference...
- Got my first commission. My first commissioning conference. My first episode screened. There were changes. Of course. A whole section of the script, with Hilda Ogden doing a cleaning job on a cruise liner, was rewritten. But the experience of watching that episode on air was awesome.
- Then they changed producers. Someone who couldn't put up with my silence at conference. Someone who didn't believe in second chances.
- My second commission. My script came in too long. I did a feverish rewrite. Delivered it by hand to Granada reception. Too late, of course. My fault. Entirely unprofessional. End of story.
- Now I have a good mate who's writing for the show and making a damned good job of it. Me, I'm still writing. I've sold a dozen of so short stories. But I have to make a living writing advertising copy.
- I've tried to get back onto the Street, but they never reply. They don't even return spec scripts.
- Still, I continue plugging away. Just finished another spec feature, and started a new one. I just can't help remembering that once I was handed the keys to the kingdom. And threw 'em away."
The "new" producer that Anderson refers to is undoubtedly Susi Hush. Anderson's sole script for Episode 1390 shown on 13th May 1974 was ironically the first to be credited to Hush as sole producer after eight weeks of sharing the credit with Prytherch. The "good mate" he refers to is confirmed in another comment to be Julie Jones.