Coronation Street star quits and announces final scenes have already aired

Coronation Street writer Jonathan Harvey has announced he's quit the ITV soap after 20 years, with his final scenes airing on the cobbles earlier this month

A Coronation Street icon has bid farewell to the ITV soap after an impressive two-decade tenure. Scriptwriter Jonathan Harvey, renowned for crafting some of the show's most unforgettable plots since joining in 2004, has confirmed his departure.

With a remarkable tally of 331 scripts, Harvey has shaped storylines for Weatherfield favourites such as Sally Dynevor, Helen Worth, and William Roache. Harvey revealed that his final scenes graced our screens on October 2, culminating with the dramatic send-off of Paul's funeral episode.

Taking to social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, he announced: "My last episode of Corrie is on tonight. Paul's funeral." He quipped about the episode, which he co-wrote with Jan McVerry, saying: "Jan McVerry's written the first half and me the second. Sure it'll all be plain sailing and everyone'll get on and it'll all be lovely," accompanied by a series of eye emojis, reports the Express.

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Despite his recent on-screen exit, Harvey disclosed that he actually stepped down from the Coronation Street writing team five months prior, with filming schedules causing a delay in his final work being broadcasted.

Clarifying the timeline, he posted: "I actually left five months ago but it's shot so far in advance it's taken til now to air my last one!"

The writer also teased the possibility of a future return, stating: "Needed a break after twenty years. Hopefully I'll be back!"

Fans flooded the comments with messages of appreciation, with one expressing gratitude particularly for Harvey's contributions to the character Carla, saying: "Oh wow didn't know you were leaving. Thanks for all the fabulous Carla writing over the years."

One person remarked: "It was a great episode as usual. And I have very fond memories of you and Jan McVerry coming to my classroom in South Wales 14 years ago! Looking forward to seeing what you do next (and hopefully a return to Corrie one day)".

Another gutted fan exclaimed: "What do you mean, your last? ? ? ? NO, surely not! ".

Last month saw him admit that he had 'stepped back' since he was craving a break, even though at that point he had two more episodes yet to air.

Jonathan's journey began as a secondary school teacher before he made the leap to become a playwright in 1987.

Despite initial hesitations about joining the Coronation Street team, he would eventually play an instrumental role with the crucial Todd Grimshaw's coming-out narrative and subsequently join the ranks of the show's regular writers.