Coronation Street

Coronation Street was a long-running British television drama airing in the final decades of the 20th century and well into the 21st, as well.

Among the casualties of the Vore invasion of Earth were members of the cast of the series. (EDA: The Gallifrey Chronicles)

Other mentions

 * The Doctor had a dream in which his adventures were broadcast on television and taken off the air, and when they were returned they were placed opposite this series. (ST: Christmas Special)


 * Betsy, Bernard Watson's Irish wolfhound, had a penchant for barking during the theme tune. (EDA: The Sleep of Reason)

Behind the scenes
Both Doctor Who and Coronation Street, which started in 1960, have had notably long runs and both have entered into British culture as television institutions. William Russell, Frazer Hines, Patrick Troughton and Elisabeth Sladen have all appeared in the series, as well as many guest stars. Coronation Street regulars Sharon Duce, Edward de Souza and Sarah Lancashire have, in turn, had guest roles on Doctor Who.

In the late 1980s, Doctor Who aired opposite Coronation Street, which is often considered a factor in the show's decline and cancellation in 1989. The short story ST: Christmas Special includes a reference to this situation.

Although, unlike EastEnders, no crossover between Doctor Who and rival-network Coronation Street has ever occurred, that didn't stop another BBC science fiction series, Red Dwarf, from doing so in 2009 as part of the Back to Earth miniseries. In 2010, Coronation Street celebrates its 50th consecutive year on the air, and it currently holds the record as longest-running dramatic TV series in British TV history. With the cancellation of the American soap opera Guiding Light in 2009 after 56 years on the air, Coronation Street is currently the longest-lived regularly scheduled dramatic TV series on English-language television.