Street in December 2010. He was played by David Dawson in the BBC drama The Road to Coronation Street in September that year. In the 1990s he wrote a series of critically acclaimed novels: The Lights of Manchester (1991), Foot of the Rainbow (1993), Behind Closed Doors (1995) and Full Steam Ahead (1998). He was the subject of a This Is Your Life television programme on 11 October 1995. Awards and honours Warren won a number of awards, all in relation to devising Coronation Street. He received a Special Achievement Award in Soap at the British Soap Awards 2000 and the National Television Landmark Award in 2005. His most recent accolade was at the Royal Television Society awards in which he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The society described the show as "the most successful television programme in British history". In 1994, Warren was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire. In 2008 he was awarded an honorary degree from Manchester Metropolitan University "in recognition for his contribution to ground-breaking television and creative writing which has helped put Manchester and Salford on the cultural map". Personal life Warren was openly gay from his early years of Coronation Street, at a time when homosexual acts were illegal. Warren battled with drug and alcohol addiction before attending rehabilitation. Death Warren died on 1 March 2016 after a short illness, aged 79. His death was announced on Coronation Street Twitter account. References External links 1936 births 2016 deaths Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University Coronation Street English male screenwriters British gay writers British LGBT screenwriters English LGBT writers Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Swinton, Greater Manchester Writers from Lancashire People from Pendlebury 20th-century English male actors Male actors from Salford