TV director Peter Rose, who worked on EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, has sadly died.
TV director Peter Rose, who worked on EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, has sadly died.
Monde Mwitumwa TV and Celebrity Reporter, Fran Winston and Bekka Barnard
11:17, 04 Feb 2026
A beloved figure in the UK soap opera scene has died, and tributes have already been pouring in.
Peter Rose died on Saturday 17 January, with his friend, screenwriter and author Harry Duffin, sharing the heartbreaking news in a Facebook tribute.
Alongside a picture of Peter by the sea, he penned: “It is very sad to say that a great friend of ours, Peter Rose has died last weekend. I met him when we worked together on HOWARDS WAY in the 1980s.
“He was a director and I was script editor. He went on to direct for Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale until last year.
“Even though we left London we stayed friends together and met whenever we could. His partner, Mick Cawson and Peter spent holidays at our villa when we lived in Spain. He was a lovely man, and Chris and I will miss him very much.”
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Another close friend, Kathryn Davies, paid her respects with a heartfelt Instagram tribute, sharing clips of him enjoying a meal: “RIP Peter Rose, Director, Howards End, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale.
“So sudden. Happy we did lunch in December, nobody to tell me off now! Bless you.”
Harry’s post was inundated with warm tributes from fans and colleagues alike, honouring the director who gained recognition at the 2015 British Soap Awards with a Scene Of The Year nomination for the memorable “Deirdre Throws the Trifle” sequence, reports the Daily Star.
One mourner wrote: “I am so upset to hear this news. Peter was such a lovely man. We had so much fun co-casting Howards Way together.”
Whilst another added: “So sorry Harry. We expect our friends will be around just as they always were and it’s always a shock when they aren’t! You and Chris must be devastated. Very hard.”
In addition to his work on Emmerdale, Peter directed 111 episodes of Coronation Street between 2011 and 2024, and 126 episodes of EastEnders from 2003 to 2010.
His soap credits also included Channel 4’s Brookside, Channel 5’s Family Affairs and ITV’s Crossroads. Beyond the soap genre.
His directing work encompassed productions such as the Enid Blyton Adventure Series, Trainer, Virtual Murder and Come Outside.
