Dot Branning has every reason to be miserable
There's bad news for Eastenders' Dot Branning: failure to plan for her future means she's likely to be struggling by on the basic state pension - with the pension credit top up to £151 a week. Meanwhile, Coronation Street's Audrey Roberts is in the money - with a pension pot of around £100,000.
The revelations have been made by a team of experts at Scottish Widows, investigating the fortunes of some of the biggest soap characters on our screens.
They say that Audrey is set for a comfortable retirement, cashing in her investments and living off a decent pension. The researchers reckon that another character set for a rosy future is Corrie's Nick Tilsley, who despite being in his 30s is likely to have investments, a pension, and savings. Assuming his smooth path through life continues to retirement, he could be set for some impressively golden years. Of course, in the world of soaps, this is probably highly unlikely, as a smooth path to retirement is hardly a ratings winner.
Struggling
Dot, meanwhile, will continue to struggle. The character was taken to court after struggling to keep up with her rental payments in 2013, and in reality her retirement would be even more bleak.
It's highly unlikely that she'd be able to able to afford to continue to live in her pricey London home. The experts estimate that the property would now be worth £1.3 million, and the rent would be around £2,678 - way beyond Dot's wildest dreams. If realism was a major concern for the writers, she would been moved into affordable housing quite a hefty commute from Albert Square a long time ago.
She's likely to have one of the harshest retirements in soap, a title she shares with former farmer and gamekeeper Zak Dingle - not known for his forward-planning and sensible savings plans.
Worry for the future
Debbie Dingle is also likely to be heading for a difficult retirement, if she continues on current form. The experts say that she is very unlikely to have started planning for the future, and in fact her character suggests she's likely to be getting deeper and deeper in debt instead.
They pointed out that the Eastenders' Mitchell family were among the wealthiest. However, given their less than impressive commitment to sound business practices, and sensible planning, they are highly likely to be leaving their retirement to chance. The unreliable love lives of the family could well mean that any cash they did build up could be decimated by numerous divorces too.
Overall, they found that the characters with the best prospects for retirement were Corrie's Platt family, who combine business sense with a long-term approach.
While the research is hardly the hardest-hitting insight into money of all time, it's a useful demonstration for younger people in the same boat as Debbie Dingle, that unless they take control of their own future, they could end up in the same financial boat as Dot Branning.
When you're in your 20s and 30s, it's incredibly difficult to think that far ahead and imagine yourself growing older without cash. Perhaps it would help to think of Dot Branning as the living embodiment of what you could become.
Meanwhile, soap expert Mark Peters, who helped with the research, suggested that certain characters could benefit from striking up a relationship across the soaps - and that Zak Dingle could find life a great deal more comfortable if he settled down with Audrey Roberts. We can only hope that Audrey has more sense.
