Eastenders and Corrie fight fire with tea lights

It seems the soaps are at war again. As soon as Eastenders bosses release details about Pat meeting a fiery end on Albert Square, reports come from the Coronation Street set that Eileen Derbyshire, who plays Emily Bishop in the show, "may have burned herself a bit".

It wasn't long ago that Pam St Clements, who plays big, butch, earring-loving Pat on Eastenders, announced that she was leaving the show. And now, thanks to a mixture of rumours, hearsay and actual, official BBC press releases, we know all the grisly details.

Will she have a whiskey-induced heart attack? Or perhaps succumb to a freak hanging earring strangulation accident? Nope - Pat is going to die at Christmas in a fire at the B&B. That's right - she's going to burn alive.

But then, not wishing to be outdone by the rival soap, PR spinners for Coronation Street cooked up a story of their own: while filming a scene, Emily Bishop stood too close to a tea light candle and burned a bit of her costume. A spokesperson said:

Corrie, is it any wonder Eastenders batters you in the ratings?