The soap bubble has finally burst

■ I CAN’T say I’m surprised viewing figures for the soaps are plummeting (Mirror, March 27). I stopped watching them when they went up to four nights a week – which led to a drop in quality – but mainly because most of the storylines are so unbelievable.

Nearly every new cast member turns out to be a heinous villain or ends up that way, weddings are never without some sort of drama... and the list goes on.

I totally understand that some of the plots have helped viewers who are experiencing some of the issues covered in the soaps, which is a good thing, but blink and you miss any humour now. l know the writers have to compete with other soaps but please give the viewers a break from all the doom and gloom!

Theresa Cripps Horsham, West Sussex ■ I no longer watch any soaps because I find the storylines too far-fetched and lacking in humour. Coronation Street was always tongue-in-cheek but that’s gone now and all you get are ridiculous plots and characters screaming at each other. Who wants to watch that? Not me.

Personally, I’d much rather watch something like The Repair Shop, The Great Pottery Throw Down or Grayson’s Art Club which are gentle, entertaining and at least have a point. I don’t have Netflix either so it’s not just about people switching to streaming.

Lily Jackson

Macclesfield, Cheshire

■ Soaps are not the only reason viewers are switching off from traditional telly. One day last week I counted five cooking programmes on BBC1 and BBC2 and it’s the same on any given day.

If you don’t like these programmes then viewers aren’t getting value for our licence fee money. And even if you do like them, surely you can see this is over the top. I used to think the BBC was well worth the money but in my opinion it has gone downhill regarding the choice of programmes.

Mike Alan, Ottery St Mary, Devon ■ I wouldn’t write off the soaps yet. People complain they’re unrealistic but they deal with issues relevant to what’s going on in today’s society, such as mental health, cancer, same-sex relationships etc. Let’s not forget how many acting careers the soaps have help launch and how many stars return to them, the late great Barbara Windsor for one.

B Newton, Bexhill-on- Sea, East Sussex

■ I’m not at all surprised that TV soaps have taken a dip in audience figures. It has always puzzled me why anyone would enjoy watching people suffering all sorts of trauma, not least the tears and altercations that accompany them.

I would have thought in these stressful times these type of programmes would offer very little in the way of comfort or release.

Mike Smith, Chatham, Kent

■ It’s no surprise people are turning away from the soaps. We stopped watching Corrie when Hayley Cropper died. Now we don’t watch any soaps at all and are the better for it.

They all tend to have the same problems, storylines and terrible acting – judging by the trailers at least

Tony Howard, Salford

■ It seems the soaps’ bubble on traditional TV has finally burst. It was bound to happen as viewers switch over to streaming services. But plenty of people can still watch on catch-up or on their ipads or phones.

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