Which will you watch?
A clash of the soap titans looks set to split television viewers tomorrow night. EastEnders launches its new Friday night episode at 8pm on BBC1 - directly against arch rival Coronation Street on ITV. It's the first time both soaps have been broadbast at the same time and will have video-less soap addicts channel hopping like mad.
Fans have been avidly watching the dramatic unfolding of Dan Sullivan's trial after the "who shot Phil Mitchell?" storyline in Albert Square. And street fans have been gripped since Roy and Hayley Cropper went on the run with their "foster" son Wayne.
But tomorrow's decision to broadcast both soaps at the same time has not gone down too well with ITV's director of channels, David Liddiment, who said: "We just can't understand why the BBC would want to do this. Many people enjoy both EastEnders and Coronation Street. It is very unfortunate and totally unnecessary. No one wins, and the viewers lose most of all."
Viewers in Gloucester are divided between the soaps. Catherine Capper, 63, from Gloucester, said: "Although I am originally a Londoner, I prefer Coronation Street because the characters in EastEnders change so quickly. Coronation Street is a lot more consistent, the characters do not come and go and you can keep up with the stories. So I will be giving EastEnders a miss on Friday night." With the addition of the extra EastEnders episode, Catherine added: "It's getting a bit too much. You have to stick to one soap a lot more now because there is too much on television to follow them all."
Margaret Jackson, 60, from Gloucester said: "I will probably watch EastEnders tomorrow night, but I am bored with all the soaps!" 52-year-old Janet Lambert, who was visiting Gloucester from Brentwood in Essex sai: "I have watched Coronation Street since I was 11. Although I like both soaps, I never like to miss an episode of Coronation Street.
Younger viewers in Gloucester, hailed EastEnders as their number one soap. Joe Darke, 16, said: "Dan's triel and his revenge of Phil is really exciting at the moment. I will definitely be watching EastEnders on Friday. I can't stand Coronation Street, it's so dull."
Sarah Ellen Thurlaw, also 16, said: "I think Coronation Street is more for older people. EastEnders isn't very realistic but the stories are more fun and exciting."
Overall EastEnders looks set to win the popularity contest tomorrow night as more people in Gloucester said they would be tuning in to watch the cockey capers, than the cobbles of Corrie.