Losing the ratings war

WINNING awards such as the BAFTAs is one thing. The real fight in soapland, though, is the ratings battle.

Whichever way you tickle the numbers the BBC is facing a painful truth right now: EastEnders is not only being trounced by a resurgent Coronation Street, it is also taking regular beatings from Emmerdale – particularly when it goes head-to-head in the schedules with its Yorkshire rival.

Just last Monday in the overnight ratings Coronation Street pulled in 7.6 million, with Emmerdale taking second spot on 6.4 million, and EastEnders bringing up the rear with 5.95 million. The BBC will no doubt point to the amount of iPlayer requests EastEnders receives each month, but in most observers’ eyes a must-see soap is one that must be seen live. Aside from Christmas and New Year, EastEnders is very rarely event TV these days. In recent memory I’d say Peggy Mitchell’s suicide, left, was the last time the soap had a genuine water cooler moment that didn’t occur during the festive season. If EastEnders doesn’t come up with unmissable episodes regularly I fear it will continue to languish in third place.