Jenny Connor, Dean Wicks and Tim Metcalfe in EastEnders Coronation Street and Emmerdale
Soaps

OPINION: Soaps are full of too much drama! Give us some normality!

Are the quiet moments the best bits?

Coronation Street and Emmerdale fans have got used to bracing themselves every autumn for some BIG drama thanks to Super Soap Week, which has become a fixture in the telly calendar.

Soaps are known for their stunts and dramatic cliffhangers (sometimes literally, eh Charity?) and sometimes – sometimes – that’s brilliant.

Chloe and Charity reach out to Mack as the car topples over a cliff on Emmerdale
It’s not all about the stunts (Credit: ITV)

Drama in EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale!

The Emmerdale siege was some of the best telly ever, and the Hotton by-pass crash was great storytelling. Meena’s murderous rampage in the Dales was bonkers but brilliant.

EastEnders’ flash forward episode back in February has got everyone excited for this Christmas.

Who can forget Richard Hillman driving the Platt family into the canal in Corrie? 

The Six toast the men in their lives in EastEnders flashforward
EastEnders’ flash forward episode has us all talking! (Credit: BBC)

Exhausting?

But while those moments of high drama have their place, it’s the normal stuff – the everyday – that is at the heart of the soaps.

And sometimes it feels like they’re in danger of forgetting that as we jump from Charity and Chloe hanging off a cliff, to Craig’s death and the endless drama of the Dingle Court.

Or from Theo being battered by Bobby to Jay’s drug habit and near fatal car accident, to next week’s cafe fire.

Occasionally all we need is some downtime!

Steve and Tim chatting as they went fishing felt like classic Corrie (Credit: ITV)

Gone fishing

This week in Coronation Street, Steve McDonald took his bestie Tim Metcalfe fishing in an attempt to make him open up about his trauma at the hands of Stephen Reid.

The pair sat beside the water, chatting. The scenes were sweet, moving, funny, and classic Corrie! (Plus, they led to Sally uttering the words “Tupperware of filth” which is going straight into the Corrie quote book!)

Similarly, while Dean Wicks’s return was shocking, it was the Albert Square residents lining up to offer their support to Linda that really spoke volumes. And George looking out for her in a very fatherly way that got us all choked up!

EastEnders flash-forward scene with Suki, Kathy, Stacey, Denise, Sharon and Linda in The Vic alongside a dead body
Christmas EastEnders is a must-watch (Credit: BBC)

Calm Christmas?

And then there’s the festive season. While we adore Christmas in Walford and EastEnders is definitely must-watch telly on the big day, it’s not always about the drama.

Back in the day, Christmas in Coronation Street was always a quiet family affair with classic characters and a sprinkling of comedy. And there’s nothing wrong with that!

One of the worst things about the Rovers being closed is the lack of Jenny, Glenda and Daisy passing comment on events from behind the bar.

In fact, we’re hoping when the pub reopens it’ll be with a whole new lease of life. Because those moments when we see the residents of the Street, the Square and the village chatting over a pint are some of the best times in soap.

Read more: Complete EastEnders cast list for 2023 right here!

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Kerry Barrett
Freelance Soap Writer