Howard Baker (1932 to 1993) directed 124 episodes of Coronation Street including three episode co-directed with Brian Mills and Charles Lauder.
One of the earliest directors of the programme, he worked frequently on episodes broadcast between February 1961 and September 1963, including the famous "High Noon" episode after which he moved to programme production including three stints as Coronation Street's producer from Episode 458 (3rd May 1965) to Episode 469 (9th June 1965), Episode 472 (21st June 1965) to Episode 481 (21st July 1965) and Episode 494 (6th September 1965) to Episode 527 (29th December 1965). He returned to the programme as a director for a one-off assignment on Episode 923 (29th October 1969) which remains to this day the only edition ever to be made totally on film and which made use of his skills and experience in this medium.
After producing, among other programmes Crown Court, This Year Next Year (written by John Finch) and Love Among the Artists, he returned to directing and worked again on Coronation Street from June 1985 to April 1993 until just before his death at the age of 61.
The journalist and broadcaster Graeme McDonald who worked with Baker at Granada recalls that they were both dismissive of the Street when they first heard about its impending production in 1960 saying "We'll eat our hats if it ever took off."
Episodes directed by Howard Baker[]
1960s[]
1961 (30 episodes)
- Episode 17 (3rd February 1961)
- Episode 18 (8th February 1961)
- Episode 23 (1st March 1961)
- Episode 24 (3rd March 1961)
- Episode 29 (22nd March 1961)
- Episode 30 (27th March 1961)
- Episode 34 (10th April 1961)
- Episode 35 (12th April 1961)
- Episode 40 (1st May 1961)
- Episode 41 (3rd May 1961)
- Episode 46 (22nd May 1961)
- Episode 47 (24th May 1961)
- Episode 54 (19th June 1961)
- Episode 55 (21st June 1961)
- Episode 62 (17th July 1961)
- Episode 63 (19th July 1961)
- Episode 70 (14th August 1961)
- Episode 71 (16th August 1961)
- Episode 76 (4th September 1961)
- Episode 77 (6th September 1961)
- Episode 82 (25th September 1961)
- Episode 83 (27th September 1961)
- Episode 88 (16th October 1961)
- Episode 89 (18th October 1961)
- Episode 94 (6th November 1961)
- Episode 95 (8th November 1961)
- Episode 100 (27th November 1961)
- Episode 101 (29th November 1961)
- Episode 106 (18th December 1961)
- Episode 107 (20th December 1961)
1962 (10 episodes)
- Episode 112 (8th January 1962)
- Episode 113 (10th January 1962)
- Episode 118 (29th January 1962)
- Episode 119 (31st January 1962)
- Episode 126 (26th February 1962)
- Episode 127 (28th February 1962)
- Episode 134 (26th March 1962)
- Episode 135 (28th March 1962)
- Episode 140 (16th April 1962)
- Episode 141 (18th April 1962)
1963 (19 episodes)
- Episode 222 (28th January 1963)
- Episode 223 (30th January 1963)
- Episode 228 (18th February 1963)
- Episode 229 (20th February 1963)
- Episode 238 (25th March 1963)
- Episode 239 (27th March 1963)
- Episode 244 (15th April 1963)
- Episode 245 (17th April 1963)
- Episode 250 (6th May 1963)
- Episode 251 (8th May 1963)
- Episode 256 (27th May 1963)
- Episode 266 (1st July 1963)
- Episode 267 (3rd July 1963)
- Episode 278 (12th August 1963)
- Episode 279 (14th August 1963)
- Episode 284 (2nd September 1963)
- Episode 285 (4th September 1963)
- Episode 290 (23rd September 1963)
- Episode 291 (25th September 1963)
1969 (1 episode)
1980s[]
1985 (12 episodes)
- Episode 2524 (10th June 1985)
- Episode 2525 (12th June 1985)
- Episode 2528 (24th June 1985)
- Episode 2529 (26th June 1985)
- Episode 2544 (19th August 1985)
- Episode 2545 (21st August 1985)
- Episode 2554 (23rd September 1985)
- Episode 2555 (25th September 1985)
- Episode 2560 (14th October 1985)
- Episode 2561 (16th October 1985)
- Episode 2566 (4th November 1985)
- Episode 2567 (6th November 1985)
1986 (14 episodes)
- Episode 2636 (7th July 1986)
- Episode 2637 (9th July 1986)
- Episode 2644 (4th August 1986)
- Episode 2645 (6th August 1986)
- Episode 2660 (29th September 1986)
- Episode 2661 (1st October 1986)
- Episode 2666 (20th October 1986)
- Episode 2667 (22nd October 1986)
- Episode 2672 (10th November 1986)
- Episode 2673 (12th November 1986)
- Episode 2678 (1st December 1986)
- Episode 2679 (3rd December 1986)
- Episode 2684 (22nd December 1986)
- Episode 2685 (24th December 1986)
1987 (6 episodes)
- Episode 2696 (2nd February 1987)
- Episode 2697 (4th February 1987)
- Episode 2704 (2nd March 1987)
- Episode 2705 (4th March 1987)
- Episode 2718 (20th April 1987)
- Episode 2719 (22nd April 1987)
1988 (8 episodes)
- Episode 2833 (23rd May 1988)
- Episode 2834 (25th May 1988)
- Episode 2839 (15th June 1988)
- Episode 2840 (20th June 1988)
- Episode 2845 (6th July 1988)
- Episode 2846 (11th July 1988)
- Episode 2851 (27th July 1988)
- Episode 2864 (12th September 1988)
1990s[]
1990 (9 episodes)
- Episode 3057 (16th April 1990)
- Episode 3058 (18th April 1990)
- Episode 3059 (20th April 1990)
- Episode 3069 (14th May 1990)
- Episode 3070 (16th May 1990)
- Episode 3071 (18th May 1990)
- Episode 3081 (13th June 1990)
- Episode 3082 (15th June 1990)
- Episode 3083 (18th June 1990)
1992 (9 episodes)
- Episode 3430 (28th August 1992)
- Episode 3431 (31st August 1992)
- Episode 3432 (2nd September 1992)
- Episode 3442 (25th September 1992)
- Episode 3443 (28th September 1992)
- Episode 3444 (30th September 1992)
- Episode 3461 (9th November 1992)
- Episode 3462 (11th November 1992)
- Episode 3463 (13th November 1992)
1993 (6 episodes)
- Episode 3509 (1st March 1993) (Co-directed with Brian Mills and Charles Lauder)
- Episode 3510 (3rd March 1993) (Co-directed with Brian Mills and Charles Lauder)
- Episode 3511 (5th March 1993) (Co-directed with Brian Mills and Charles Lauder)
- Episode 3521 (29th March 1993)
- Episode 3522 (31st March 1993)
- Episode 3523 (2nd April 1993)