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.

 

Vera's final bow

Brenda Blethyn, with lowered binoculars, looks off-camera

Brenda Blethyn first pulled on the distinctive fishing hat, scarf and gabardine coat back in 2010, when episode one of Vera started filming in the North East for ITV. Now, after 14 years and more than 50 episodes, the award-winning actor has confirmed that she is stepping down from the role of DCI Vera Stanhope, after filming for her final two shows wrapped in May.

ITV brings home the bacon with new comedy Piglets

A group of police officers and trainees, one in plain clothes, stands outside Norbourne Police Training College

New ITV sitcom Piglets ramps up the gag count and restores the silliness to comedy. Belly laughs, not navel gazing, are its stock in trade. “That’s all we really want to do, make people laugh – we’re not out to change the world,” says Victoria Pile of Smack the Pony and Green Wing fame, who co-writes, directs and produces.

Andrew Lincoln to front first series since The Walking Dead

Lincoln will star as John, a stay-at-home dad in the midst of a midlife crisis. A failure to assert himself in some violent playground bullying leads John to have a full identity crisis and move his family as far away from their life in London as possible, to the fictional Scottish village of Coldwater.

Love Island 2024 announces June launch date

The launch on Monday 3 June will see 10 contestants (often nicknamed ‘the OGs’) enter the villa and pair off. At the end of the episode, a bombshell will enter to shake these couples up, and anyone left single at the next ‘re-coupling’ will be dumped from the island. Over eight weeks plenty more bombshells will enter, with the cast usually totalling over 30.

Only four couples will make it to the final, and then it’s up to the public to vote for their favourite, who will split £50,000 between them.

ITV to stream Edinburgh Fringe showcases as part of new ‘Summer Night of Comedy’ slate

Alan Carr and Young Alan (Oliver Savell) look into the camera, smiling, in front of a graphic of a football field, complete with arrows and annotations

ITVX Presents: Edinburgh Fringe Live will see the ITV platform stream four showcase gigs live from the Festival. Each showcase will feature material from 2024’s best and most exciting comedians, produced by NextUp Comedy, known to comedy fans as a leader in British stand-up streaming.

Changing Ends will return for a second series to follow a young Alan Carr (Oliver Savell) doing his best to survive 1980s Northampton. The sitcom draws from the comedian’s upbringing as the son of a fourth division football manager.