Coronation Street has paid tribute to director Kay Patrick following her death aged 84.
A silent card at the beginning of tonight’s (Monday, June 29) end credits dedicated the episode to the director’s memory.
She was born Patricia Jackson, but adopted her stage name on getting her first professional job.
The youngest of four children, she was born in Hull during the Second World War to parents Alfred and Ethel.
Kay began her screen career as an actress in the 1960s, appearing in two episodes of Doctor Who alongside William Hartnell, among other projects,before turning her hand to directing and producing.
She was a major figure behind the scenes on Coronation Street, directing 259 episodes between 1994 and 2015. She was also the associate producer from 1996 to 1997.
One of the most memorable episodes she directed was in 2014, when Hayley Cropper took her own life amid her battle with cancer.
Actress Julie Hesmondhalgh recalled at the time of her exit that Kay hadcreated a ‘holy atmosphere’ in the studio during the shooting of Hayley’s final scenes, The Guardian reports.
‘She instinctively knew that it was a one-take moment, and so just blocked it and shot it with such understated love and sensitivity. It’s entirely down to Kay that those scenes were as raw and memorable as they were.’
Kay also directed episodes on fellow ITV soap Emmerdale from 1998 to 1999, as well as BBC soap EastEnders for three episodes in 1986.
In 2001, she became the series producer for Crossroads, a role she held until 2003. During this time, she oversaw 416 episodes.
In 2016, she released her debut novel, The Trial of Marie Montrecourt. Following her sister June’s dementia diagnosis in 2014, Kay decided to donate all proceeds from the book to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
‘I began writing it long before we knew about June’s dementia,’ Kay wrote in a blog post for the charity. ‘But as I finished it, I decided to use any money that I earned from the sale of the novel to support the work of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
‘If through what is happening to June we can contribute in even some small part to help advance an understanding of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and hopefully defeat them, then something positive will have been created out of a situation which could otherwise feel so negative.’
