EastEnders isn’t the place for a lecture on climate change

Soap operas are cultural punctuation points. Big plot lines unite colleagues, neighbours and distant family members in shared conversation starters. Den and Angie’s Christmas divorce? Brookside’s before-the-watershed lesbian kiss? Tony Blair’s support for the wrongly-imprisoned Deirdre Barlow? I was there for it, along with millions of others.

I even got caught up in Rob’s coercive control of Helen over in Ambridge. But not any more. When drama gave way to a continual stream of awareness-raising, I got bored. And if ratings are to be believed, I’m not alone.

Now soap’s directors and script editors are fighting back: unfortunately with a plan to ratchet up the political messaging still further. They are working together to highlight the issue of climate change. Over the course of this week, carefully co-ordinated plot-lines will see characters from Casualty, Coronation Street, Doctors, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Holby City and Hollyoaks all discussing the environment. This on-screen event kicks off tonight and is designed to coincide with the COP26 conference in Glasgow.