Yate the Entertainer. Eating places in the centre include McDonald's, Boswells and Wetherspoons. During the 1980s and into the mid-1990s, the shopping centre hosted Yate’s annual festival. On opening day a celebrity launched the festival by releasing balloons and stayed to sign autographs. Celebrities have included Carole Lee Scott, in character as Grotbags (from Rod Hull and Emu's enemy), Timmy Mallett, Keith Chegwin, Ross Kemp ("EastEnders"<nowiki>'</nowiki> Grant Mitchell), Ken Morley ("Coronation Street"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Reg Holdsworth), David Neilson ("Coronation Street"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Roy Cropper), Beverley Callard ("Coronation Street"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Liz McDonald), Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog, and the Milky Bar Kid. The festival also brought
Joe McIntyre (Coronation Street) Joe McIntyre (Coronation Street) Joseph “Joe” McIntyre is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, "Coronation Street". The character was portrayed by actor Reece Dinsdale. Joe was introduced as the father of Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan), and made his first appearing on-screen during the episode that aired in the UK on 26 May 2008. After Dinsdale quit the show in 2009, the character was killed off in February 2010, when Joe tried to fake his own death in order to claim insurance money, but died in a boating accident when he was knocked overboard by the sail, and