ITV

The Secret of Soaps: The Story Behind the Stories

No one could accuse Coronation Street of taking it easy, even though this would be understandable for a middle-aged British telly institution. Over the last couple of years the ITV soap has given viewers multiple murders, deaths and suicides; explosions and a minibus crash; a pre-teen pregnancy; and even a gay vicar.

Audiences have been lapping up the drama, which regularly attracts more than 7 million viewers. Corrie remains the nation’s favourite soap.

Ten things you might not know about Coronation Street

Helen Worth as Gail Platt (Credit: ITV)

 

1. The Rovers by numbers

Everyone's favourite local watering hole the Rovers Return Inn may seem like a fake pub, but staff still pull a hefty number of pints each week, and Betty's famous hotpot lives on long after actress Betty Driver passed away in 2011. Weekly, The Rovers serves up 1,440 pints, 100 gin and tonics, and 84 hotpots - as well as 2,500 bags of crisps per year. The beer served is actually very weak - and very sweet - shandy, and the gin and tonics are just fizzy water and lime.

 

Roger Appleton 1935–2025

A black and white photo of a white man in a suit sitting at a desk and writing on a notepad

He joined the RTS in 1955 and was awarded a Fellowship in 1978 in recognition of the contribution he had made to the development of electronic engineering facilities for independent television, his contribution to the Society as a member of its Council and as the first Chairman of the new London Centre in 1976.

Roger was educated at the Oxford School of Technology. He joined the BBC in 1954 and subsequently worked for Granada and Associated Rediffusion, joining London Weekend Television in 1968.

He became Chief Engineer in 1972 and Director of Engineering in 1981.

Cold-blooded killer or class victim?: ITV's new Ruth Ellis drama

A white woman in her 30s with blonde hair wears a red dress and smokes a cigarette in an old pub

On June 1955, a jury took just 14 minutes to convict Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain. Charged with murdering her lover, David Blakely, outside the Magdala pub in Hampstead, north London, Ellis was in the dock for little over a day, but the case sent shockwaves across the nation and contributed to the end of the death penalty.

Meet the 12 islanders re-entering the villa for Love Island: All Stars 2025

Host Maya Jama (medium skin tone with brown long hair) stands in front of the cast, who are all various skin tones, heights, and all wear swimwear. They stand in a tropical scene.

The theory goes that ex-Islanders are the only ones who have gone through this unique experience – months with no distractions but each other, failed public love affairs, and being catapulted into the public eye – so they must be well suited. With last series’ winners Molly Smith and Tom Clare having just bought their first home together, it now has a proven track record.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office’s James Strong on directing the horror of the Horizon scandal

Mr Bates vs The Post Office dramatized the unfathomable plight of hundreds of subpostmasters losing life-changing sums of money to Horizon IT.

But series director James Strong argues that part of the story’s success is that it isn’t entirely unfathomable. If you’ve ever felt your heart drop when checking your bank balance right before pay day, there’s a chance you can empathise with a woman alone in her Post Office, confronted with scarily large numbers.

Sarah Rose: Meet the forward-thinking President of Channel 5

For a leader with a career that has been steeped in commercial broadcasting, most recently at Channel 5 owner Paramount Global — the historic studio that will soon have new owners in David Ellison’s producer-­financier Skydance Media — the musical stylings make more sense than even Rose may care to admit.

When she joined Paramount during the pandemic in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer for the UK, Rose stayed behind the scenes. But in February this year she was named President of Channel 5 and UK Regional Lead – a chief executive role that thrust her firmly into public view. 

Ben Shephard to follow contestants up a mountain in reality adventure show The Summit

A yellow-green version of the ITVX logo against a dark green backdrop

14 contestants will try and reach the top of a mountain in New Zealand’s south island. They will have two weeks to form alliances and eliminate one another, all to be in with a chance of winning a share of the £200,000 cash prize.

Along the way, they’ll have to deal with difficult conditions, tough terrain and a series of challenges set by the shadowy Mountain’s Keeper.