We reveal the British soap opera with the highest body count … the answer may surprise you
WILL Hollyoaks, Emmerdale, EastEnders and Coronation Street win the crown of the most dangerous show?
SOAP fans will know there's another big death coming up in Emmerdale.
Next week's stunt-fuelled episodes promise to be some of the most dramatic in soap history, and will leave eight lives hanging in the balance.
Residents have had a tough time of late, what with a helicopter crashing into the village hall last year claiming three lives, and the recent tragic deaths of Tess Harris, Edna Birch and Holly Barton.
But is Emmerdale the deadliest soap of all? Or is nearby Weatherfield a more dangerous spot to hang out?
That's not to mention the perils of Chester, or the blood on the streets of Albert Square.
Here we reveal the soap with the highest body count since the turn of the millennium - and the most common causes of death.
CORONATION STREET
Since the year 2000 a whopping 71 cobbles residents have kicked the bucket - and that's not including beloved pooches Schmicheal or Ozzy.
That number may soon grow, as grieving David Platt is set to go on a murderous rampage next week, desperate to wreak revenge for the killing of his wife, Kylie.
Stabbing is fairly unusual in Weatherfield - since the year 2000 poor Kylie is the only person to be fatally wounded with a knife.
The most common form of death on Corrie is a heart attack, while seven have died from car accidents and six from natural causes.
Cancer has claimed five characters, while five have chosen to take their own lives - such as Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh) in 2014.
The most unusual death has to be that of tragic Lesley Kershaw (Judy Holt) back in May 2012, when she was electrocuted by a toaster in Eileen's house while trying to make some cheese on toast.
And who can forget the infamous tram crash that killed not only the driver but local lad Ashley Peacock and Tyrone's former wife, Molly Dobbs?
EASTENDERS
Walford pips Weatherfield when it comes to body count, notching up 81 since 2000.
The roads seem to be pretty dangerous here, with 10 losing their lives in vehicle accidents, while residents are also more likely to die of cancer or commit suicide.
There's a great deal of variety in the deaths on Albert Square, as demonstrated by the 'Other' stats.
Causes of death not listed include falling, usually off buildings (six), speedboat (two), strangulation (two), drowning (two) or a booze-related illness (three - watch out Phil Mitchell).
The most bizarre death award goes to poor old Barry Evans (Shaun Williamson), who was pushed off a cliff in dramatic scenes by his wife Janine Butcher.
Though we also can't go without mentioning Dirty Den, who cheated death once but was finished off by Chrissie Watts after she bludgeoned him with a door stop.
EMMERDALE
Surprisingly, the body count for Emmerdale village is the lowest of the lot, with 65 having met their maker since the year 2000.
Here you need to be VERY careful around any form of vehicle - car, van, bus, lorry, the lot.
Despite it arguably being the most picturesque setting of all the soaps, there's a lot of unhappy people - with eight taking their own lives, making suicide the second biggest killer.
Next up is a heart attack, followed by natural causes and bludgeoning.
'Other' causes of death include being crushed, for example, by a falling chimney (four), plunging from a great height, such as a window - often having been pushed (five), drowning (two) and out-of-control helicopters (three).
Our most unusual death was that of Valerie Pollard (Charlie Hardwick), who invited a broken shard of glass to 'do your worst' while trapped in a mirror maze following the helicopter crash.
What a way to go.
HOLLYOAKS
So, it turns out Chester is the most dangerous soap location of all!
Since the millennium a staggering 96 people have kicked the bucket - with a whopping 18 dying in dramatic explosions (11) or fires (seven).
Big bangs of note include the fire started by Sam Owen in 2006 which killed him and four others, a fire in 2010 that killed Steph Cunningham and Malachy Fisher, and an explosion from a train crash in 2014 in which Sonny Valentine and Carmel McQueen perished.
It was hard to cram all of Hollyoaks' deaths into nine categories - there really should have been an extra one for lethal injections, as the infamous Gloved Hand Killer (Lindsay Butterfield) finished off seven victims.
Other methods of murder included strangulation (five), poisoning (one), being impaled (one) and smothering (two).
Our fave?
Sarah Barnes' fatal skydive, where she jumped out of a plane with a faulty parachute after it was tampered with by her evil ex-girlfriend Lydia Hart.
In Lydia's defence, she had intended for Zoë Lister to get that parachute as she was jealous about her growing friendship with Sarah - but still, not cool.