Not so soft soap

As an avid Coronation Street fan since the mid 1970s I have seen it rapidly go downhill over the years in terms of quality of acting and storylines.

Last Friday night’s episode where two characters were murdered, shown before the watershed, was totally inappropriate and highly offensive and completely out of keeping of the original idea of the soap opera – life about a working class street in Manchester, with drama and northern humour thrown in for good measure. This recent episode was more like a horror film. Many of my friends felt the same.

While of course society and culture has changed since 1961, and it is important for soap operas to reflect that, the original working class humour has gone out of it. I will not be watching it again; instead I will be watching the classic Coronation Street on ITV3, which is currently showing episodes from 1986, where the humour and original ideas are still very active.

Creator Tony Warren would be turning in his grave if he saw it now. GORDON KENNEDY Simpson Square, Perth