In December 2019 Coronation Street will have been running for 59 years. But can a show that’s nearly six decades old continue forever?
It’s on six times a week – that’s quite a lot of schedule gaps to fill if the show were to end!
It was reported by Ofcom in 2018 that while soaps are the most watched shows every evening, the viewing figures are down from 10 years ago with an average of only 6.9 million tuning in each night in 2017, compared with 8.7 million in 2007.
There have been cries from fans of Coronation Street that the show, its plots and characters are becoming increasingly far-fetched.
Viewers are getting more and more wound up as the soap that used to be known for its light relief and comedy characters, has become darker and more sinister over the last couple of years. That’s not to mention the stories that have dragged on and on and got sillier as they continued.
In 2017 and 2o18, Pat Phelan’s reign of terror came in for much criticism as it felt endless from the beginnings of his evil character that saw him rape Anna Windass, right the way through to his eventual death at the hands of Anna herself after he’d had a hand in three deaths and left many others fighting for their lives.
Meanwhile, the recent factory collapse that saw the death of Rana Habeeb and is set to send Carla Connor on a downward spiral as she struggles to cope with the guilt of knowing the roof is unsafe, has left many viewers cold.
Read more: Coronation Street’s most explosive stunts
We’ve got a supervillain lurking somewhere in the background in either the shape of Carla herself, Nick Tilsley, Peter Barlow, Gary Windass, Robert Preston or Seb Franklin, who tampered with the roof and made it collapse.
Other current storylines include Sinead Tinker and Daniel Osbourne caring for baby Bertie while she battles cervical cancer – a plot so hard-hitting at first, that seems to have been largely put on the back-burner.
Elswhere, Gemma and Chesney are in the throes of a new relationship, that seems to end every week for one reason or another.
Even the old-school characters, so beloved and ingrained in Corrie history have been sullied in recent months.
Take Jim McDonald, who returned in October 2018 to con ex-wife Liz by convincing her their daughter Katie, who so tragically passed away at just one day old in 1992, was still alive.
Although Liz and Jim have been through some big stuff before now, including his violence and several stints behind bars, there’s surely no coming back from this for the classic Corrie couple?
Another huge name, Sally Metcalfe was imprisoned for fraud, money laundering and bribery last year in a trial that was largely blasted for its catalogue of errors.
So without even taking care of characters we know and love, can the show continue?
Fans recently hit out on an online forum saying they think it is “dying”.
A user posted a poll on a Digital Spy forum entitled: “Honest question: Do you think Corrie is dying/dead?”, saying:
“Please don’t bite my head off for asking this. I don’t know a single person who thinks this show is good anymore and I see so many negative comments on here about the state of it now.
“I just wonder if people are exaggerating (I’m definitely not) or they really do think Corrie’s best days are gone (yep I do) or well let’s be honest…dead.”
They then asked people to vote in a poll. Viewers were quick to respond and at the time of writing the majority think “it’s not dead yet, but it’s definitely on its way out.”
One wrote: “I think Corrie has been slowly but surely dying since the end of the 2000s. It still has the same name but it is like a totally different show nowadays.
“Also think that with all the old episodes around for people to watch on YouTube or TV everyone will always prefer the past. I definitely will!”
Someone else added: “I think there are definitely cracks and [Kate] Oates did paper over them to a certain extent but they’re still very much there.”
Though someone else pointed out the show will never go completely because it’s a “flagship” show for ITV.
“It’s the shambling zombie of Coronation Street. It can’t die because it’s ITV’s flagship so it’ll always live, but it’s not alive.
While another said: “It has been dying gradually. The last truly golden period of the show was around 2004 though we’ve had memorable moments like Jack’s death.”
Read more: Coronation Street’s most memorable deaths
There were others confident Corrie could turn it around: “I think Corrie has gone through lean patches before and then got better again. The big problem is six episodes a week is too many to maintain enough decent storylines, so they fill it out with rubbish.
“Cut back to three or four a week and I think it would improve, but they won’t do that because of the advertising revenue.”
And there is, of course, still plenty of good stuff on the soap, keeping it’s heart beating steadily.
No one does comedy quite like Corrie. With characters such as Mary, and Norris on his way back, sharp-tongued Evelyn living locally, and Sally and Tim reunited and beginning a health kick, there’s a wealth of humour just ripe to be picked.
We’ve also got the brilliance of Roy, so understated and engaging.
And let’s not forget the powerhouse performances of Alison King and Chris Gascoyne – who better to make a dire plot work than them?
Coronation Street has such a rich history that in fact, the show’s Twitter account announced on April 1 a spin-off, Coronation Street 1902, had been commissioned delving into the relationships and people who lived on the cobbles before we knew them.
ITV are delighted to reveal the commission of Coronation Street: 1902.
A single film narrating the intrigue and romance that saw the beginnings of the Nation’s most famous Street.
Find out more: https://t.co/hCU2SvxKyN #Corrie #Corrie #Exclusive @itv @wearestv pic.twitter.com/1xrhlEIBO2
— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) April 1, 2019
Alas, it turned out to be just an April Fool’s prank, but the majority of comments on the tweet show fans were disappointed it wasn’t true, meaning there’s an appetite for all things Corrie still.
“I would have loved if this were real!” commented one. “Wouldn’t it be great if it could be true, though?” added someone else, while a third said: “I’d love this to become a reality.”
With so many fans still so engaged in the show it’s hard to believe it will ever finish forever.
If Corrie did come to an end, it wouldn’t be the first high profile soap to finish. Both Brookside and Family Affairs are no more, having been part of the nation’s soap viewing for many years.
Brookside, set in Liverpool, ran from 1982 until 2003 and was Channel 4’s highest rated show during most of the 80s, with groundbreaking storylines including Beth Jordache’s pre-watershed lesbian kiss, the body under the patio, and a consensual incestuous relationship.
It was cancelled in June 2003 after steadily declining viewing figures, and the last episode aired on November 4, 2003.
It’s hard to imagine such a pioneering soap, that tackled all the gritty issues, and was even featured during the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, could be no more, but when the viewing figures just weren’t there, the big bosses made the tough decisions.
Similarly, Family Affairs might not have been quite the trailblazer Brookside was, but was still a shock when Channel 5 axed it in 2005 after it had been on air since 1997.
The show had never quite been the hit with viewers though, so it was perhaps less surprising than the demise of Brookie. In fact, in 1998 dwindling viewing figures saw almost the entire cast killed off in a gas explosion so the show could revamp and start again.
It wasn’t to be though and we visited Charnham for the last time on December 30, 2005, in an episode largely populated by minor actors and barely known characters, making it entirely forgettable.
So history has shown Coronation Street might not be infallible, and with viewing figures falling and the rise of platforms such as Netflix and Amazon as well as on demand services catching TV watchers’ attentions, could we see the demise of Corrie at some point?
After nearly 60 years on screens, it seem highly unlikely. The show has always gone through peaks and troughs and that will probably never change.
When Corrie’s good – like Gail’s monologue after Aidan Connor’s death which has since been nominated for a BATFA for Must-see Moment – it’s unbeatable, and British TV would definitely miss that.
Do you think Corrie is will ever end? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.