The amazing thing about TV Soaps isn’t the plotlines, often stunning though they may be. It’s the length of time each of our most popular TV soap operas have kept going on British screens, clocking up some man-hours and a work-rate on the part of their actors that would shame a Hollywood blockbuster. EastEnders has sailed past the 25-year mark, Emmerdale recently celebrated its 40th birthday (remember when these fields were Amos’ farm?) and they’re mere goslings compared with Coronation Street, now into its second half-century. HuffPostUK Entertainment keeps a fond eye on your favourite soap stars, and what their characters are up to on screen. We also chart new arrivals, as well as the sad, and sometimes sudden, departures of others, so click here for fresh storylines and spoilers. When Pam St Clements left Albert Square in the EastEnders Christmas special, it really was ‘The End Of An Earring’ – who is looking good to replace her in viewers’ hearts? We’ll be keeping watch.