Thirty-two seasons and thirty-eight years after it first went on-air on BBC, EastEnders is still entertaining viewers. However, when soap has been on for so long, there comes the point where everything starts to seem “done that, been there.” After all, there are only so many stories to tell! Off-late, it seems that the viewership of this long-running soap has dropped quite far down.
Although currently, EastEnders is in the middle of one of its most thrilling and captivating storylines of recent times. The show just revived one of it’s most iconic characters of all times, Cindy Beale. Not only that, the soap has also facilitated a reunion between Cindy and her ex-husband Ian Beale. The same husband, she once hired a hit-man to kill! But somehow the couple has managed to get past their past, and have been living together in France for the past few years.
While, this storyline and the return of Michelle Collins has been well received by EastEnders fan, has it really done enough to catapult the BBC One soap’s viewership? Perhaps not. According to the latest numbers, the soaps viewership has fallen to just one million. Hence, the internet is asking if this could be the end of EastEnders. The soap that started back in the day in 1985, has risen to become the flagship soap on BBC One. But can the network keep it afloat if the numbers keep decining?
This news has started a debate among the soap’s fans online. While some fans agree that EastEnders has become “boring” and “redundant” , others choose to disagree. Cindy and Ian Beale’s return clubbed with the Christmas murder FlashForward has done well to instill hope in fans. There is a solid fanbase of the soap that insists that the soap will survive. Moreover, they assert that they have faith in EastEnders boss, Chris Clenshaw.
Interestingly, some EastEnders fans are defending the soap claiming that the figures are not correct. They wager that the viewership numbers are not down to a million but in the vicinity of 3.5 mil. Which is pretty good for the soap, and EastEnders is often among the most wtached on BBC. Thus, it is unlikely that the network will pull the plug on the soap anytime soon. So if you are fan of the soap, make sure you tune in to the upcoming episodes of EastEnders on BBC One and Iplayer and contribute in keeping the viewership high!