Coronation Street has paid tribute to director Kay Patrick following her death at the age of 84. A silent card at the beginning of Monday’s (June 29) end credits dedicated the episode to her memory.
Early Life and Career
Born Patricia Jackson in Hull during the Second World War to parents Alfred and Ethel, she was the youngest of four children. She adopted her stage name upon securing her first professional job. 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 moving into directing and producing.
Coronation Street Legacy
Kay was a major figure behind the scenes on Coronation Street, directing 259 episodes between 1994 and 2015. She also served as associate producer from 1996 to 1997. One of her most memorable episodes was in 2014, when Hayley Cropper took her own life during her battle with cancer. Actress Julie Hesmondhalgh recalled at the time that Kay created a 'holy atmosphere' in the studio during the shooting of Hayley’s final scenes, as reported by The Guardian. '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,' Hesmondhalgh said.
Other Soap Work
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 series producer for Crossroads, a role she held until 2003, overseeing 416 episodes during that time.
Later Life and Charity Work
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.'
