A beloved soap icon who worked on EastEnders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Brookside has died, with colleagues sharing heartfelt tributes
A UK soap opera legend has died.
Peter Rose passed away on Saturday 17 January, with the sad news confirmed by his friend, screenwriter and author Harry Duffin, who shared a tribute on Facebook.
Posting alongside a photo of Peter by the seaside, Harry wrote: “It is very sad to say that a great friend of ours, Peter Rose, died last weekend. I first met him when we worked together on Howards Way in the 1980s — he was a director and I was script editor. He later went on to direct Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale until last year.
“Even after we left London, we remained close friends and met whenever we could. Peter and his partner, Mick Cawson, spent holidays at our villa when we lived in Spain. He was a lovely man, and Chris and I will miss him greatly.”
Fellow friend Kathryn Davies also paid tribute in a heartfelt Instagram post, sharing clips of Peter enjoying a meal. She wrote: “RIP Peter Rose — director of Howards Way, EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale. So sudden. I’m grateful we had lunch in December — nobody to tell me off now! Bless you,” the Express reports.
Fans and colleagues quickly filled Harry’s post with heartfelt tributes to the director, who received recognition at the 2015 British Soap Awards with a Scene of the Year nomination for the memorable “Deirdre Throws the Trifle” moment.
One mourner wrote: “I’m so saddened to hear this news. Peter was such a wonderful man. We had so much fun co-casting Howards Way together,” while another added: “So sorry, Harry. We always expect our friends to be there as they’ve always been, so it’s a real shock when they’re not. You and Chris must be devastated. It’s very difficult.”
In addition to his work on Emmerdale, Peter directed 111 episodes of Coronation Street between 2011 and 2024, along with 126 episodes of EastEnders from 2003 to 2010.
His soap career also included stints on Channel 4’s Brookside, Channel 5’s Family Affairs and ITV’s Crossroads. Beyond soap operas, he worked on a range of other productions, including The Enid Blyton Adventure Series, Trainer, Virtual Murder and Come Outside.
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