Ant & Dec have paid tribute to Adele Rose, the creator of Byker Grove after she sadly passed away at the age of 87.
Rose was a pioneer in British television, pushing for women to be able to write on Coronation Street and penning over 450 episodes herself. She also worked on Z-Cars, Heartbeat, Crossroads and many more shows, as well as creating the groundbreaking teen drama that brought the Geordie duo to fame.
After learning that Rose has died of pneumonia, the I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! hosts tweeted: "We are very sad to hear of the passing of Adele Rose, the creator of #BykerGrove.
"She was an incredible lady and a wonderful writer. We will always be grateful for what she did for us and the North East. Thank you Adele and rest in peace."
Byker Grove aired on CBBC between 1989 and 2006, and tackled issues such as homophobia, drug use, homelessness, joy-riding and life-long injuries. It actually featured the first gay kiss on British children's TV.
As well as Ant & Dec, the show helped launched the careers of actors Jill Halfpenny, Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Hardwick, Andrew Hayden-Smith and Laura Norton, and writers like Mamma Mia!'s Catherine Johnson and Life on Mars's Matthew Graham.
Others who paid touching tributes to Adele Rose include famed playwright Jonathan Harvey and veteran soap writer Daran Little.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer and resident Welsh person at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016.
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