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THIS may be the season of goodwill but Christmas is a time when soap families go to war with each other. Don't expect a cosy knees- up in the Queen Vic or a quiet pint before Christmas lunch in the Rovers Return. Soaps are the biggest weapon in the schedulers' armoury in the battle for ratings over the holiday period.
The more dramatic the storyline, the better fans like it. As they slump in front of the box feeling as stuffed as the Christmas turkey they've devoured, soap fans can have it confirmed that there are people having a worse time than they are.
There are various ways that soap characters can celebrate (or perhaps suffer is a more appropriate word) Christmas - these are some of them.
GIVE BIRTH
Bee-anchor gave burff in EastEnders last Christmas although Coronation Street went one better by getting Judy Mallett to have have twins.
Over in Emmerdale, Dingle welcomed baby daughter Belle into the world - which was a very big surprise as she hadn't even realised she was pregnant. One minute she was doing her farmyard chores, the next she was giving birth in the pigsty.
Christmas Eve some years back...