HAS THE SOAPS BUBBLE FINALLY BURST?

The well-trodden cobbles of Coronation Street could be leading to a dead end as long-time stars face their toughest storyline yet... the one where it ends. Amid falling ratings and rising costs, could it really be last orders at the Rovers Return?

- Fran Winston

SOAPS on the telly go with evenings on the sofa like Betty's hot pot and a pint but thi this could all be about to change in the era of on-demand programming, streaming and myriad channels to choose from.

It will seem like a distant memory to most but, on Christmas Day 1987, a staggering 27 million people tuned in to watch iconic Coronation Street character Hilda Ogden, played by Jean Alexander, wave goodbye to the cobbles after 23 years.

Fast forward 37 years to Christmas Day 2024 and another iconic and much-loved character, Gail Platt (Helen Worth), exited the soap after a remarkable 50 years. But despite the hype in advance of her departure, just 2.47 million viewers tuned in for the broadcast on the day rising to 4.4 million including catch-up. Not terrible by any means, but a drop in the ocean compared with the viewing figures of old.

While live TV viewing figures are in decline across the board, that same day more than 12 million people watched the final episode of Gavin & Stacey. And this stark drop in popularity is just one of the issues facing Coronation Street, as it suffers a cast exodus and the ignominy of losing an episode a week from next year.

It was also revealed recently viewing figures for the BBC's EastEnders have plummeted from its 1980s peak of 30 million.

Just four million viewers tuned in for the BBC One soap's critically acclaimed 40th anniversary live episode, filmed and broadcast in real time for the first time since 2015. Even so, ratings were about 1.5 million above the soap's daily overnight average.

However, they were down on the last live episode from Albert Square, when more than 10 million people tuned in for the show's 30th birthday.

BBC bosses point to a change in viewing habits and a growing rise in the number of people watching the show on catch-up.