When they’re not worrying about crime, Weatherfield residents are lamenting the state of the NHS
Soap operas are a bookmark in many people’s lives. I grew up associating Coronation Street with my grandmother coming around to babysit. Watching mid-noughties Corrie, I was way more invested in Chesney Battersby-Brown’s adventures with his dog, Schmeichel, than I was in the travails of Ken and Deirdre (even if their wedding carried more clout with the British public than the nuptials of our future King and Queen). Irrespective of what eight-year-old me thought, Coronation Street’s storylines regularly won plaudits for their drama, humour, and heart.
Fast-forward to 2025: by most metrics, the Street is in free fall. Viewing figures are down in the low millions, multiple cast members have left (including Street veterans, Gail Platt, and Eileen Grimshaw), whilst the plots seemingly only revolve around the employees of Weatherfield Police Station or various medical maladies.
The conventional wisdom, espoused by the fan boards and some ex-cast, is that this state of affairs is a betrayal of “classic Corrie”. Yet the emphases of contemporary Coronation Street are, in fact, a fairly accurate reflection of the neuroses and challenges facing British society today.
It’s little wonder that the Street’s under-25s are voting with their feet and leaving the cobbles
The first of these neuroses is the perception that crime is going up (despite data suggesting the opposite). It’s therefore richly appropriate that Coronation Street is leaning into this. A 2021 study estimated that Weatherfield is 9,200 times more dangerous than the average UK town.
While the likeliest explanation for the spate of crime-based Corrie storylines is that ITV wants to get bang for the buck it invested in a new police station set, there’s perhaps a simpler reason, rooted in human psychology: crime captivates, (especially when we’re affected by it). Indeed, for most Coronation Street viewers, the closest they’re going to get to a killer is watching reformed wrong’un Mason Radcliffe getting skewered.
When they’re not worrying about crime, Weatherfield residents can (just like their UK counterparts) be found lamenting the state of the health service. Admittedly, the Street’s solitary lawyer, Dee-Dee Bailey, had solid grounds for this, following subpar maternity care that left her needing life-changing surgery.
But the rest of the Street doesn’t have much to complain about. Characters can walk into Rosamund Street Medical Centre for an appointment with Doctor Gaddas (the 08.00 am rush is non-existent in Corrie world).
As for lengthy waiting lists, these are about as fictional as Weatherfield. Long-standing mechanic Kevin Webster had his testicular lump assessed and operated on in mere weeks. By contrast, an estimated 30 per cent of people in England are waiting more than two months for diagnosis and treatment. Don’t hold your breath for a Corrie storyline about NHS structural or funding reform, though.
Back in ye olde Corrie, protagonists could head down to The Rovers to bemoan their medical woes or support neighbours on the receiving end of criminality over a pint of Newton and Ridley. Today, they’d find mostly empty booths (and that’s not to mention how t’Rovers recently nearly went bankrupt). As fellow contributors to this esteemed organ have contended, the decline of the community pub underscores atomisation and reduced community cohesion. Ken Barlow’s favourite boozer isn’t immune, either.
Given that occupants of Coronation Street have a high chance of ending up a victim of crime or in Weatherfield General, it’s little wonder that the Street’s under-25s are voting with their feet and leaving the cobbles (usually for Manchester, whereas if the character is particularly flighty, London).
This trend is happening in real life. While London is experiencing a large influx of people aged 22-30, smaller regional towns and cities are emptying. The brain drain also has an international dimension, with thousands of young Brits ditching the UK to work overseas.
Coronation Street’s obsession with set-piece crime and health storylines is understandable, as it’s ultimately judged on how well it can secure and maintain an audience. Yet the content of these plots is perhaps more of a mirror to ourselves and our country than we might readily admit — Street fan or not.
