The price of soap

It's an expensive business, a tv soap opera. And it's disappointing when your prime offering, EastEnders, is so often in third place in the ratings behind Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

The saga of the new set for Eastenders, a project named "E20", has been going on since at least 2014. It's still bothering the BBC Board, as this minute from their April meeting shows. You have to make up your own mind as to whether the budget has been revised up or down.

3.8 The Board discussed the critical projects portfolio. The re-basing of the E20 project had been completed and formal approval for the revised budget would be sought in the coming weeks.

The soap is still piloted by John Yorke, acting way below his pay grade as a stand-in executive producer. The Sun believes the BBC is wooing Kate Oates, who was in charge of Coronation Street during the arrival of extra episodes, from 2016 til her resignation in April. Kate (Ockbrook School and Warwick University) cut her soap teeth on Crossroads, before nearly seven years on the Archers (no doubt a formative experience under Editor Vanessa Whitburn) and various spells with Emmerdale.