And the soap survey results are...

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Coronation Street's STEVE McDonald is king of Brit soaps
Most amazing and in-depth survey EVER into British soaps by THE PEOPLE ...and Street beats EastEnders as UK's No1 show But there's a north-south divide for fans
By Marc Baker Marc.Baker@People.Co.Uk

Coronation Street love-rat Steve McDonald is the king of Britain's soaps, we can reveal today. The serial cheat - played by Simon Gregson - was hailed the nation's favourite in the most in-depth survey ever into our love affair with soaps. Rovers Return owner Steve has wowed millions with his shambolic love-life, which has seen him married three times, divorced twice, battered and bruised. And his dramatic plotlines helped him pip EastEnders' legend Dot Cotton, Corrie battleaxe Blanche Hunt and Emmerdale favourites to the crown in the survey commissioned by The People.

Steve and his Weatherfield co-stars also helped Corrie take the title of the UK's bestloved soap. But the ITV1 ratings-winner only beat its BBC rival by one percentage point. Itv had even more success in our poll when Emmerdale grabbed third place ahead of Channel 4's teen series Hollyoaks.

Jubilant Simon, 34 - who has played Steve since 1989 - was last night celebrating his poll triumph. Speaking from the Granada set, he said: "Oh my God, I am chuffed. I'm delighted people enjoy watching Steve and the scrapes he gets into. And I'm pleased people like to watch him as much as I love playing him."

June Brown, 81 - who has spent nearly 24 years as Albert Square's Dot - said: "It's great to know I'm appreciated." And Maggie Hunt, 74 - who plays Corrie's Blanche - said: "I am delighted. It's the viewers who make these shows and it's such a great thrill to be a part of Coronation Street."

Corrie and EastEnders dominate the YouGov poll, which covered adult men and women from every walk of life in England, Wales and Scotland. The only blip is in the Top Ten of favourite characters, where their stranglehold is broken by Emmerdale's daffy Dingle family - including Chastity (Lucy Pargeter) - who sneak in at No5.

The amazing survey also highlights a huge north-south divide in our soapwatching tastes. Manchester-based Corrie is the best for two-thirds of northerners - more than TWICE as many as down south. Yorkshire-set Emmerdale comes second, with EastEnders trailing in a poor third. Corrie is also No1 in Scotland, Wales and the Midlands. But in London, EastEnders outstrips Corrie by two to one.

An ITV spokeswoman said: "We are delighted viewers in the north remain loyal to Coronation Street. I guess they affiliate themselves with us because of the accents on the show and because viewers can associate themselves with the characters." She added: "We DO have a big following in the south. But it's nice to know from this survey that we also have a big following in the Midlands and in Wales. That is fantastic." Corrie's largest fanbase is among the over-55s, with 68 per cent saying they always tune in.

And our obsession with soaps is underlined by the revelation that almost a third of Brits watch one EVERY day. Southerners top the league of Brits who can't go 24 hours without one - with Scots bringing up the rear. But northerners reckon they are the most loyal soap fans, with a massive 77 per cent confessing they are addicted to their favourite shows.

Brits may be barmy about soaps - but our survey shows we aren't daft. A huge majority of us say the shows' scriptwriters are solely driven by the desire to boost ratings - and the chance to scoop an award. And fewer than 10 per cent of Brits think soaps are realistic. But there is praise for how the programmes deal with topical social issues.

Half of you back the way producers handle on-screen gay relationships, such as the one between Sean Tully (Antony Cotton) and Sonny Dhillon (Pal Aron) in the Street. And there is broad support for the number of TV storylines that have centred on violence - like the dramatic Corrie scenes showing murderer Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) trying to kill wife Gail (HelenWorth) and her children.

But a clear majority thought soaps should only show violence after the 9pm watershed. Plots featuring other sensitive issues such as child abuse were also generally welcomed. Many high-profile pundits claim our soaps are now more depressing than they have ever been. But our survey showed only three in 10 people agree with the gloom-mongers - and one in ten think soaps are LESS miserable today. Almost a third reckon the shows have a positive effect on people's lives. And just under a quarter admit they watch more soaps now than they did a decade ago. But 40 per cent say they NEVER tune in to Corrie or its rivals.

Our survey was backed by one of Britain's top TV experts. Elizabeth Evans, a lecturer at the University of Nottingham, said: "At first I was surprised to see Simon Gregson named the nation's favourite star. But it shows there is large young audience watching the soaps." Elizabeth, 27, added: "The north-south divide confirms how important regional identity is and how important people feel it is to associate themselves with a particular programme."

Gender is a big issue among soap viewers. EastEnders is watched by 50 per cent more women than men, whereas Emmerdale is equally popular with both. Hollyoaks is a huge hit with the 18-24 age group, with well over half saying the C4 soap is their favourite. But just one in a hundred over-55s rate it their No1. YouGov surveyed 1,965 adults between February 10 and 12.

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I'm quite surprised that he won the most popular character, though he is quite funny with his facial expressions and impotent rage - I'd have gone for Blanche myself.