Oates is due to begin work at Weatherfield in February 2016.
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Blackburn has been responsible for quite a few controversial storylines during his three year tenure including the murder of Tina McIntyre, the death of Hayley Cropper, a fire that killed Kal Nazir and Maddie Heath and the current drug dealer storyline involving the custody of Max, Kylie Platt’s son.
He said: “I’ve loved every minute of producing Coronation Street”.
Gregson, 40, has played the six-time married pub landlord since 1989 and previous year won a gong at the British Soap Awards for best comedy performance.
“Emmerdale is an exceptional programme and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with the cast, writers and crew”.
A friend told the Mirror: “There is no one more passionate about soaps than Kate, she will throw herself into the new job and Corrie will really benefit from her new ideas”.
Current Hollyoaks boss, Iain MacLeod, will become the new Emmerdale producer when Oates leaves the show.
“She will identify what is missing and bring in a new family to the Street”.
And Kate has admitted she is feeling “very blessed” to move from one soap to the next. “Stuart’s characters did not work and he seemed obsessed with big-name comebacks”. She has that rare combination, a sharp editorial eye for a compelling story together with deep understanding of what drives characters caught up in such drama.
“She has also brought sexy actresses like Gemma Atkinson into Emmerdale so expect some new glamour coming on to the cobbles too”. He moves to Emmerdale from his position as Series Producer at Hollyoaks, a role he has held since 2013.
And Emmerdale’s Kate is in!
“Under Stuart, Corrie has been in the safest of hands”. What I do know is that under Stuart’s stewardship, Coronation Street has been at its wonderful best – dramatic, relevant and amusing all in equal measure. The show is indeed fortunate to have had such a class act at its helm for the last three years. We’re literally on the edge of our seat right now.
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EastEnders once again dipped below the 5 million mark as it went head-to-head with Emmerdale, claiming 4.51m (22.8%) at 7.30pm on BBC One with Abi’s outburst at Max’s trial.
