Top 10 soap highlights of 2008

We take a look back at our ten soap highlights of the year...

1. Ta-ra chuck - Coronation Street
It was a terrible start to the year in Weatherfield when Vera Duckworth's husband Jack returned from the Rover's to find that his wife had died peacefully in her chair. Vera was written out of the show after the real-life ill health of Liz Dawn, who played her for more than 30 years.

2. Dot goes solo - EastEnders
In a soap first, EastEnders devoted an entire episode to just one character as Dot Branning took centre stage to record an emotional message for her sick husband Jim. There was further emotion later in the year when actor John Bardon, who plays Jim, was able to return to the show for the first time since suffering a stroke in 2007.

3. Buried alive - EastEnders
Tanya Branning took horrific revenge on estranged husband Max when she drugged him and buried him alive at Easter. She later had a change of heart and dug him up, however, the controversial storyline attracted hundreds of complaints from viewers.

4. David goes on the rampage - Coronation Street
David Platt's reputation as Corrie's bad boy was sealed this year when he tried to kill his mum Gail by pushing her down the stairs. When Gail refused to tell the police about what he had done, he went on the rampage - breaking windows in the street and even attacking Ken Barlow! He was later locked up in a young offender's institute which seems to have calmed him down... for now.

5. Goodbye Frank - EastEnders
The residents of Albert Square gathered to bid farewell to Walford legend Frank Butcher in April. The scenes were all the more poignant as the storyline came less than a year after the real-life death of actor Mike Reid, who played Frank. Popular characters Diane, Janine and Ricky all returned to the show to film the funeral. Another EastEnders legend also bid farewell this year when Wellard was put to sleep in August.

6. Viv banged up - Emmerdale
It's not often we feel sympathy for village gossip Viv Hope but it was difficult not to pity her when she was wrongly jailed over a charity swindle. Viv had been set up by conman Freddie but, after failing to track him down, she ended up being sent down for three years.

7. The Jackson Five move into the Square - EastEnders
Bianca made a welcome return to the soap with four children in tow this time around. What Bianca didn't realise was that her boyfriend Tony was abusing her stepdaughter Whitney - when the news finally came out in December it devastated the entire family.

8. Tony kills Liam - Coronation Street
The Street was left short of a hunk after Tony murdered Liam after finding out about his affair with Carla. Tony arranged for Liam to be knocked down while they were out on his stag night and he went on to murder at least one more person in 2008. We expect the death toll could rise again next year.

9. Rosie's kidnap ordeal - Coronation Street
There was terror for Street minx Rosie Webster after her ex John Snape kidnapped her and held her hostage for several weeks. John was worried that Rosie would ruin his newly rekindled relationship with Fiz but he managed to do that himself when Fiz found out what he had been up to.

10. King-size tragedy - Emmerdale
Emmerdale weddings are notorious for ending in disaster and Anna and Matt King's was no exception as it ended up with the groom's death! Matt's brother Carl set off the tragic chain of events when he told Anna that Matt had been with her father when he died. When Matt later tried to kill his brother by running him over, he crashed and killed himself.

Do you think 2008 has been a good year for soap? What were your favourite storylines? Let us know what you think...