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Haha!! I remember that.
So looks like Ian McLeod has been promoted to Executive Producer of both Corrie and Emmerdale at the same time, cost-cutting measure and a further warning sign that the ITV soaps could be in danger of being axed?
Got to say really doesn't inspire you with confidence.
Got to say really doesn't inspire you with confidence.
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I don’t think the big itv soaps are in any real danger of being axed.
Corrie still averages around 4.5 million viewers per episode, which might not sound a lot, but is in fact enough for all of its episodes to feature in the top 10 most watched tv shows of the week.
That's simply not true. For the week 25 Dec - 31 Dec on the +7s the highest rated episode of Corrie came at 15th most watched programme of the week.
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That’s true for that week (and even the 15th most watched show isn’t to be sniffed at ratings wise).
It’s also worth noting that it was itv’s 2nd highest rating show of the week so, why would they axe it?
And generally speaking most of its episodes do get into the top 10 tv shows in most weeks.
And the fact remains that itv top brass would kill to get ratings like Corrie gets for most of their tv shows.
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The ITV soaps won’t be going anywhere any time soon. If anything, I’d say they’ll be the last to fall when the time does come although I can’t see that being soon given that they prop up the evening schedules on ITV at present.
I honestly think once William Roache and Barbara Knox retire (or sadly, more likely pass away) the show will lose even more viewers. They're the last of the classic characters that people actually turn into watch and the last from the generation of actors that treat soaps as a serious acting job rather than a stepping stone or something that pays the bills. The dip in the quality of the show with these characters appearing less due to their age is already evident - other actors simply don't have the chops to compete with them.
The show has lost half it's viewership in just 3 years and ITV bosses don't seem to care.
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How do you know what people tune in to watch it for?
The likes of Barbara Knox and William Roache are rarely in the soap these days so it can’t be to watch their on screen characters.
The writers certainly seem to have fallen out of love with both Rita and Ken and I can’t remember the last time either one of them had a proper storyline. At best, they are “supporting“ actors rather than “main cast” and I won’t miss them when they leave.
Indeed, they’re so elderly now and their appearances so infrequent that I’m not sure they’d be capable of carrying a major storyline nowadays. And I actually think that they can come across as quite “hammy” in their performances.
For me, it is the younger generation of actors who are currently front and centre of the show that are the future of the cobbles.
As for your comments about declining viewing figures over the last three years you could apply this same argument equally to most programmes (including both Eastenders and Emmerdale) over the same period.
The likes of Barbara Knox and William Roache are rarely in the soap these days so it can’t be to watch their on screen characters.
The writers certainly seem to have fallen out of love with both Rita and Ken and I can’t remember the last time either one of them had a proper storyline. At best, they are “supporting“ actors rather than “main cast” and I won’t miss them when they leave.
Indeed, they’re so elderly now and their appearances so infrequent that I’m not sure they’d be capable of carrying a major storyline nowadays. And I actually think that they can come across as quite “hammy” in their performances.
For me, it is the younger generation of actors who are currently front and centre of the show that are the future of the cobbles.
As for your comments about declining viewing figures over the last three years you could apply this same argument equally to most programmes (including both Eastenders and Emmerdale) over the same period.
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Corrie was once compulsive viewing for me, I switched off a while back but still like this thread, read it regularly and if someone says it was a good episode i may tune in once in a while
And i always liked Ken, Rita, Gail, david, Audrey
But its the oldies i tuned in for - i did see an episode in Dec and Maureen Lipman and David Neilson were great, she is wasted on Corrie
But some of the acting was shocking
I couldnt stand Gemma, Chesney, Billy, Paul (the healthiest, chubbiest chops MND patient Ive seen and didnt need the head support on that wheelchair) and the annoying brat that stays with them (cant recall name)
Didnt see Fiz or Tyrone, maria, Kirk and co but they are pretty ropey
and as for Yasmin - still hasnt been to acting school - dont know who Kenny Rodgers was along side her, but boy he was dull and as for the Bailleys - with 1 exception - they were dire
and most children appear to be woodentops and should be banished to a bedroom upstiars for at least 15 years!
I do wonder if Soaps will be around in this format in 10 years time. Viewing habits have changed, my taste has changed too
But its a shadow of its former self - the northern wit, drama, and pathos has gone and it seems every show ends with a helpline for some cause or another
And i always liked Ken, Rita, Gail, david, Audrey
But its the oldies i tuned in for - i did see an episode in Dec and Maureen Lipman and David Neilson were great, she is wasted on Corrie
But some of the acting was shocking
I couldnt stand Gemma, Chesney, Billy, Paul (the healthiest, chubbiest chops MND patient Ive seen and didnt need the head support on that wheelchair) and the annoying brat that stays with them (cant recall name)
Didnt see Fiz or Tyrone, maria, Kirk and co but they are pretty ropey
and as for Yasmin - still hasnt been to acting school - dont know who Kenny Rodgers was along side her, but boy he was dull and as for the Bailleys - with 1 exception - they were dire
and most children appear to be woodentops and should be banished to a bedroom upstiars for at least 15 years!
I do wonder if Soaps will be around in this format in 10 years time. Viewing habits have changed, my taste has changed too
But its a shadow of its former self - the northern wit, drama, and pathos has gone and it seems every show ends with a helpline for some cause or another
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I think this is partly to the changing times and how we live.
As I still watch and very much enjoy the soaps, it’s hard to see that great characters like Blanche, Les, Ivy from Corrie, Edna and Seth from Emmerdale will never be replaced because it feels like they can’t have misogynistic, homophobic and racist characters any more. As I watch Classic Corrie and Classic Emmerdale I see the main difference between them and now is that the majority (if not all) of current characters appear to be tolerant of everyone.
It’s like the producers want to hide away the reality of communities like they have removed all the smokers.
Plus with so many people feeling offended by almost everything, they stick a warning or a helpline.
Honestly I'd be surprised if linear TV as we know it survived to 2034 - the major networks are already focussing on a streaming first strategy. I don't think the soaps lend themselves well to streaming services. The only way I can see them surviving is if someone like Amazon wanted to take them on with a better budget and improved cast.
Comparison between highest rated episode from last week of 2019 to last week of 2023.
2019 - 2023 comparison
7.38 - 4.91 - Coronation Street (66.53%)
6.47 - 4.42 - Emmerdale (68.31%)
7.20 - 5.45 - EastEnders (75.69%)
So Corrie has the worst retention rate of the 3 soaps over that period. Yes overall viewing figures are down for all soaps, but Corrie's been hit the hardest by falling viewership and it's only going to get worse.
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I would be quite happy if they showed 1960s (wasnt around to see it) 1970s and 80s Corrie in a 7.30pm slot x 2 / week
Soaps are on too many times and for too long - and all out to Shock - with somewhat unbelievable stoylines - I dont want far fetched storylines but a bot of humour wouldnt go amiss.
Current Corrie writers (and I say Corrie as i have never watched EE and last saw Emmerdale when it was Farm and my Nan was alive in the 80s) should watch old episodes and see what made the show work
I could see Maureen Lipman in a 1960/70s Corrie (her late husband could have written her into the show) and she would fit in perfectly
The acting seemed to be of a higher calibre and the writing most definitely was
Soaps are on too many times and for too long - and all out to Shock - with somewhat unbelievable stoylines - I dont want far fetched storylines but a bot of humour wouldnt go amiss.
Current Corrie writers (and I say Corrie as i have never watched EE and last saw Emmerdale when it was Farm and my Nan was alive in the 80s) should watch old episodes and see what made the show work
I could see Maureen Lipman in a 1960/70s Corrie (her late husband could have written her into the show) and she would fit in perfectly
The acting seemed to be of a higher calibre and the writing most definitely was
Unfortunately it seems unlike we're going to get the early years of the show shown on TV or even added to a streaming service any time soon. Fans have been asking ITV about this for more than a decade now. The ideal is if they just began adding the early episode to ITVX in the same way Brookside is being added to STV Player but them starting the 'Classic Corrie' reruns with 1989 shows they're not too keen on putting the early stuff out there. Another option could be amazon buying the rights to the back catalogue. A re-run or a streaming collection that starts from the absolute beginning is what's needed. "Classic Corrie" is now well into the 2000s, which isn't what most people would class as Classic Corrie. I don't know if there's some sort of rights issue preventing them from doing that or whether they are worried putting the early stuff out there would devalue the current show too much. I'm sure there's a good enough demand to see the 1960s and 1970s episodes to warrant doing it but for whatever reason ITV don't share that view-point. ITV didn't have a wiping policy like that in place like the BBC so as far as I'm aware it all exists, but there's resistance to actually making it available to viewers.
It's worth remembering the sensationalist plots were a feature of soaps all the way back to the beginning - May Hardman's death to start off with and Sheila Birtles suicide plot (which was scrapped as too controversial) the difference is they were apparently acted much better in the early days. Or we at least think they are because we can't watch most of it.
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There is strong brand recognition with Corrie, regardless of the state of the show, which I think is one of the reasons ITV won’t touch it. It’s a legacy show, even if it’s a shadow of its former self.
Funnily enough, only yesterday I saw people on X complaining about this, after a new illness storyline for one of Chesney’s kids was announced. One person said the show had turned into a pamphlet with a new “issue” every week.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the five terrestrial channels for sure. Interestingly, while everyone is focusing on digital first and audience shares have been decreasing, Five’s audience share has actually grew again in 2023.
Five years of growth for Channel 5 - RXTV
While other linear channels are struggling, Channel 5 has become the only public service broadcaster to increase its total share of the UK viewing audience.
rxtvinfo.com
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I think your calculation is flawed.
In order for the figures to be meaningful you would need to calculate it using the average rating per episode for the year (ie over 52 weeks) rather than using the single highest rating episode in a week.
Eastenders, for example, always out rates Corrie at christmas time but has the lowest average ratings of the three big soaps
I‘m confident that using this methodology would show a broadly similar decline in viewing figures for the three big soaps.
And it’s also worth noting that Corrie is still on average easily the highest rating soap.
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I can't find averages for 2019 so I'll leave that debate alone as I don't have time to calculate them. It was the highest rating episode for the last week in December not the whole year just to be clear. But yeah it's probably not the 'best' measurement so here:
The year on years are available on Digital Spy:
2023 Averages (Jan-Dec)
Coronation Street - 4.67m (down 460k yoy)
Emmerdale - 4.1m (down 460k yoy)
EastEnders - 3.59m (up 100k yoy)
Whatever measurement you want to use, Coronation Street and Emmerdale are struggling at the moment and our going to continue to struggle. Yes, Corrie is the most watched soap but it's status as the bigger soap opera it's had traditionally has been diminished. A load of actors need sacking, the cast needs streamlined and the storylines need to become less over the top.
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Some people will always find excuses to complain about something these days...
Not to mention those who state the obvious by saying Coronation Street is different now to what it was like in the 1960s...
I'm glad it is... times, technology, fashion and people aren't the same as they were 60 years ago.
We already have Coronation Street that represents life in the 1960s...
Coronation Street made in the 2020s should, and does, reflect the 2020s... hence why, in recent years, there have been stories centred around more contemporary issues, such as social media, drones and other internet-related business.
Of course they have dramatic stories, and always have, hence the fact that it's a "drama" serial... if Coronation Street "only" showed people sitting on a sofa with cups of coffee and talking about the weather, that would be so boring no-one would watch!
Regarding so-called low viewing figures... the figures released are only the television viewing figures...
The number of millions who watch on streaming & catch-up services is counted separately from those who watch through ordinary television signals.
Not to mention those who state the obvious by saying Coronation Street is different now to what it was like in the 1960s...
I'm glad it is... times, technology, fashion and people aren't the same as they were 60 years ago.
We already have Coronation Street that represents life in the 1960s...
Coronation Street made in the 2020s should, and does, reflect the 2020s... hence why, in recent years, there have been stories centred around more contemporary issues, such as social media, drones and other internet-related business.
Of course they have dramatic stories, and always have, hence the fact that it's a "drama" serial... if Coronation Street "only" showed people sitting on a sofa with cups of coffee and talking about the weather, that would be so boring no-one would watch!
Regarding so-called low viewing figures... the figures released are only the television viewing figures...
The number of millions who watch on streaming & catch-up services is counted separately from those who watch through ordinary television signals.
That's not true and hasn't been for years. The BARB viewing figures cover people who watch on TV live and people who watch the show within 7 days of broadcast including on ITVX. The figures used above were those figures. Around 5 million people do watch Corrie when catch-up is included but it used to be in the tens of millions on the night. That's the difference. But no show gets tens of millions viewers these days as the audience is far more diverse. Corrie still undoubtedly remains one of the most watched TV shows - and probably isn't going anywhere - but it's viewing figures and chart placings are lower than they were even a few years ago - catchup included.
Nobody suggesting it should go back to the 60s set up (which we don't actually have because no matter how many people email them about releasing it to view - ITV at present won't release the 60s episodes or most 70s episodes in full to be viewed by the public - it appears there might be a rights issue or other practical/good reasons given they only released the odd episode of note on Britbox when that was a thing. Hopefully one day they'll be available on ITVX. But at the minute you get the stock response that Classic Corrie is on ITVX - despite it now being 2004 which isn't the era fans have been asking to be re-ran for years - that's the 60s and 70s.)
The differences is in the 60s and 70s from what we know; Corrie did actually represent life in the 60s and 70s with it's storylines. - even if it did have more outrageous plots on occasion even then. The current show doesn't reflect life in the 2020s, it exists in a bubble that's different to real life and the increasingly extreme/unbelievable plots have become tiresome for some viewers. If it reflected life in the 2020s the factory would have been mothballed by now; the rovers would have shut down years ago and none of the neighbours on the street would actually know each others names as nobody would be speaking to each other. There'd also be a lot less crime. That wouldn't make good telly; but there's a balance and at the minute the balance is wrong with too many unrealistic crime related plots.
A sign of the demise of Corrie is opening ITVX - back when it was ITV Player Corrie was generally the first result you'd see - these days you have to search to find both Corrie and Emmerdale - they're not on the front page; that shows ITVs attitude to their once golden gooses has changed.
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