New Coronation Street boss says he doesn't have a 'hit list'

The new boss of Coronation Street has reassured fans he won't drastically change the soap and doesn't have a "hit list" of characters to kill off.

Iain MacLeod said "only an idiot" would try to "change the DNA of the show".

He said: "I'm the custodian of that DNA and that tone, so, no, I don't intend to do anything radically different."

His first shows in charge will air on ITV in the run-up to Christmas. "It will be, as it has always been on Corrie, an evolution," he said.

"Corrie has done very well for nearly 60 years before I got here and it will hopefully continue to do extremely well for 60 years after I've gone."

The arrival of a new producer on a soap often means major changes to a cast. But MacLeod, who has joined from Emmerdale, said that was not his style.

"I haven't got a hit list," he said. "I'm not going to be packing loads of people on to a bus that will... 'Oh, it's gone off a cliff, what a shame'.

"I think our viewers are very canny and they see that for what it is and it looks a bit cynical."

Recent storylines have included Aidan Connor's suicide - his body was found by his father Johnny, played by Richard Hawley

MacLeod has taken over from Kate Oates, who faced criticism by some for making the show darker.

But he defended her and said she "told some massive, really socially important stories that changed people's lives".

He said: "I think a lot of what she did was challenging but it was massively successful in terms of audience reaction and also social responsibility."

He also assured viewers he is keen to "achieve balance" between the darker storylines and the comedy.