David Plowright David Plowright , CBE ( 11th December 1930 - 24th August 2006 ) joined Granada Television in 1957 as a researcher and became Managing Director in 1981 and Chairman of the company in 1987 . Along with the path of this meteoric rise he fulfilled such roles as news editor for current affairs , a producer in that same department , editor of " World in Action " , department head and then programme controller . Unlike some others at Granada who at Sidney Bernstein ' s insistence were moved from one department to another in a rather eclectic manner ( Brian Armstrong , producer of " Coronation Street " from 1971 to 1972 moved from current affairs to drama and finally became head of comedy ) , Plowright ' s experience was wholly in current affairs . His main connection with the field of drama was in being the brother - in - law of Laurence Olivier and Granada were able to make full use of this in persuading the ennobled actor to act in , direct or present a series of plays from 1976 to 1978 under the umbrella title of " Laurence Olivier presents … " Another coup was to have the actor portray , at the correct age for the character , Shakespeare ' s King Lear in a production of the play which is viewed by some as being a definitive performance and also guest star in the acclaimed adaptation of " Brideshead Revisited " . Olivier ' s frequent attendance at Granada ' s Quay Street studios meant that he often met the cast of " Coronation Street " and lavished compliments on Doris Speed and Jean Alexander when he was introduced to them ( although filming commitments meant that he had to drop out of the role of Ozzie , a tramp who spent the night camped outside a department store prior to a sale with Hilda Ogden in two 1978 episodes ) . Plowright , perhaps recognising the value of " Coronation Street " to Granada more than his predecessors , had four notable connections with the programme : firstly , on 5th May 1982 , accompanied by Sir Denis Forman , then company chairman , he escorted Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip when they visited the Castlefield area of Manchester and officially opened the new outdoor set . All of the regular cast were present dressed " in character " but at the same time , " at their best " ( e . g . Hilda Ogden wore no curlers ) and were stood outside their respective fictional dwellings . The Royal couple were first introduced to Bill Podmore , H . V . Kershaw , Tony Warren and Denis Parkin , the programme ' s original designer , before walking down the street and meeting the cast in turn . Eight years later in 1990 , in his role as chairman , Plowright marked the programme ' s thirtieth year when he presented the cast with the keys to the new Stage One complex , a converted warehouse which was the new base for the programme containing a studio for the exclusive use of the serial , permanent dressing rooms for the cast and other production facilities . In 1991 Plowright secured another term as an ITV franchise with a low bid of nine million pounds ( against a rival bid of thirty - five million ) and with groundwork laid down by being a vociferous supporter of the Campaign for Quality Television which led to a quality threshold being a crucial aspect of the franchising process . He also publicly stated that if Granada were not successful in their bid , he would sell " Coronation Street " to satellite television and deprive the ITV network of its most valuable asset . Upon winning the bid he appeared in a celebratory photocall with Julie Goodyear . Just a few months later , on 3rd February 1992 Plowright was ousted as Chairman of the television company by Gerry Robinson , newly - appointed chairman of the Granada group and ex - head of Compass Caterers , who clashed with him over the need to squeeze more profits from the television arm . People in the industry were outraged with Granada executives signing a letter of protest which said that the removal of , " this efficient and universally respected programme maker has undermined the morale and intentions of the Granada Group ethic … we await to see whether they [ the new owners ] will reassert the Granada ethic of quality and diversity . " John Cleese was more to the point , faxing Robinson with a short letter which said , " F * * * off out of it , you ignorant upstart caterer . " Plowright ' s sacking came to be regarded as one of the turning points in which ITV began to focus less on quality programme making in favour of increasing profits . As another gesture of protest , Granada staff hurriedly changed all of their programme credits to be shown that night to show Plowright as Producer in a gesture of solidarity with their fallen chief . " Coronation Street " was no exception and Episode 3340 was broadcast with this unique credit . Obituary in " The Daily Telegraph "