There is a subtle sense of disorientation that comes from seeing a cultural institution do well while also being ignored. Nobody was sure if the Coronation Street and Emmerdale event called “Corriedale” would happen, but it did. It drew 5.9 million viewers in January, making it ITV’s most-watched show of the month. Over 65 million people streamed, which is 48% more than the same time last year. No matter how you look at it, that is not a format that is dying. However.
Again, the British Soap Awards will not happen in 2026. There was no explanation. No time frame given. There was a quiet message from ITV and a space where the ceremony used to be. It took place again in 2024. Before that, COVID ate up 2020 and 2021. Patterns stop feeling like random events and start to feel like signs after a while.
It’s important to remember what these awards were for, not just as a jab at the industry but also as a cultural event. When the award show began in 1999, British soap operas were very much at the center of national conversation. On Tuesday mornings, people talked about Coronation Street plots in the office. The deaths on EastEnders turned into real news. Emmerdale, which used to be the underdog in the countryside, turned into something really ambitious. The awards were given because the genre deserved them, and because millions of regular people planned their evenings around these shows.
Most people said that last year’s event at the Hackney Empire was a great time. For the second time, Jane McDonald was the host. Congratulations to EastEnders! They won Best British Soap, Best Leading Performance for Lacey Turner, Villain of the Year, Best Comedy Performance, Best Dramatic Performance, and Best Scene for Angie’s return as a ghost, which felt like a real piece of melodrama and not just a stunt. There was a security alert, so everyone had to leave the afterparty. This is honestly the most soap opera-like thing that could happen at a soap awards night. It almost seems right.
There is a lot of energy and real skill on screen, but the infrastructure for the British soap opera industry keeps quietly falling apart. Awards are put away. The schedule is changed. Streaming platforms bring in viewers who used to watch at set times. This is good for the numbers but changes the way people interact with each other that made soaps important in the first place. It’s not the same to watch EastEnders by yourself on your phone on a Thursday as it is to watch it live and argue about it over dinner. People who were there for the ritual are no longer there.
From talking to people who have watched these shows for decades, it seems like the British weekly soap opera is being run through a slow administrative decline rather than a sudden cancellation. There is no one pulling the plug. The plug is only being slowly and carefully loosened. Emmerdale is working on giving characters like Kammy Hadiq new backstories. They are investing in storytelling and doing the work. Coronation Street is said to have some of the best episodes it has had in years planned for 2026. Cast and writers are not giving up.
It’s possible that the genre will live through this time and take on a new form, with shorter runs, bigger events, and structures that focus on streaming first. It’s also possible that what we’re seeing is the tail end of something that peaked around 2002 and has been dying down slowly, almost gracefully, ever since. The fact that the Soap Awards went missing again doesn’t prove the second point. But it does make the case against it stronger.
