THE TV world has lost two big shows this year in the form of Holby City and Neighbours.
The BBC medical drama came to an end in March after 23 years, while Aussie soap Neighbours aired its final ever episode in July after 37 years.
Soap fans have debated which of the three big soaps would be the first to be axed
Emmerdale recently celebrated its 50th anniversary
Coronation Street is the longest running soap
Thankfully, us Brits still have EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale to keep us entertained on an almost daily basis.
However, some soap fans have embarked on a hypothetical debate on Reddit about which one would suffer the same fate as Neighbours and be axed next.
One user, TommyAtoms, asked: “Ratings are terrible in comparison to the past and I know very few people who watch.. What one falls first?!”
A fellow soap fan replied: “Great question, who knows. They all should have been killed off years ago. Corrie and enders sell well overseas, so my vote is for emmerdale.”
Another agreed writing: “Definitely Emmerdale. Corrie is for Northerners, EastEnders is for Southerners and I guess Emmerdale’s target demographic will succumb to rural flight.”
But another argued: “Eastenders gets my vote, purely because Corrie sometimes manages to do comedy pretty well.
“Plus, no one’s going to f**king believe that a horde of pseudo-Cockneys can’t afford washing machines these days!”
Another tele fan shared: “I would also go for Emmerdale, Coronation Sreet and EastEnders in that order.
“The big worry for the established channels is that they are steadily losing viewership of the under 30s.
“I think EastEnders has done best of retaining the under-30 demographic, although not as well as Hollyoaks, whereas Emmerdale has been the least successful. (Not a soap watcher, though.)”
Meanwhile another posted: “Definitely not Corrie. It’s a major money maker for ITV relative to the cost of making it.
“That’s why it’s gone from 2 episodes a week in the 80s to 6 episodes today (and it wouldn’t be too surprising if it goes to 7 in the near future). In any case, it’s seen as an institution that’s as old as ITV itself so that will buy it some time if it’s in trouble.
“Between Emmerdale and Eastenders, it’s should logically be Emmerdale given it’s a status as the second soap on it’s channel but honestly I think it’s Eastenders.
“It’s viewership has started to struggle in recent years and the Beeb can be ruthless when a show has passed it’s a sell by date and viewers start to go – look at Top of the Pops. It might not go completely but wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up on the IPlayer.”
However, others argued that the lower ratings recorded by soaps now is reflective of the changing TV landscape and how people watch TV, not the shows themselves.
Another Reddit user wrote: “They’re still consistently in the top shows for their respective channels; the decline in ratings is reflective of declining TV audiences in general rather than audiences abandoning those programmes in particular.”
Thankfully, all three soaps are still on our screens, with Emmerdale recently celebrating its 50th anniversary.
