Find out about the ’13 word rule’ and how it affects pay
BRITAIN’S soaps are in the grip of a cash crisis – and there’s one woman who knows this better than anyone.
Actress Debbie Arnold has appeared in every UK soap opera, and with her help we’ve taken a dive into what the actors are really taking home – including the show that pays less than the living wage.
Debbie, 70, played two different characters on Coronation Street – Sylvie Hicks in 1981 and Carole Evans in 2012.
She was also April Branning in EastEnders in 1995, and over on Emmerdale she played Debbie Wilson in April-May 1990. On Hollyoaks, she played Janice Bolton from 1995-1997.
And while she’s no longer on the soaps, she still mingles in acting circles, does panto and appears in the media – all of which means she’s very well placed to lift the lid on the sorry state of soaps’ pay.
Debbie said: “The soaps don’t pay any more.
“When I was on Coronation Street in the early 80s, I was earning more money than when I went back in 2012 as somebody else.
“I was the first person to do every single soap. I’ve done Coronation Street. EastEnders. Coronation Street again. Emmerdale. Hollyoaks.
“I’ve done them all as a regular character.
“Coronation Street was my favourite – but they don’t pay any money anymore.”
Much has been made of the cost crisis on ITV’s soaps, with Corrie axing characters to save money.
EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison opens up on struggle to get acting work as she reveals money struggles
Other big names including Sue Cleever (Eileen Grimshaw) and Shelley King (Yasmeen Nazir) have left amid the ongoing budget cuts.
They relied on a pay-per-episode deal, which would have seen them paid even if they appeared in the background in the Rovers Return, which has now been scrapped.
It’s tough on the Street
Corrie reportedly pays £400 to £2,000 per episode to each actor. Lead actors have annual contracts with higher bills, including William Roache (Ken Barlow) and Jack P Shepherd (David Platt) among the highest earners on around £250,000 a year.
Michael Le Vell (Kevin Webster) and Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald) are closer to £150,000.
But smaller roles are closer to the £400 per episode mark.
The Dales dilema
It’s a similar situation on Emmerdale, where their big hitters are Claire King (Kim Tate) on an estimated £230,000, then Chris Chittell (Eric Pollard), Emma Atkins (Charity Dingle), and Jeff Hordley (Cain Dingle) in the £200,000 annual salary range.
When it comes to extras on the northern soaps, however, they can expect as little as £200.
Other whistleblowers tell us that you get a little more if you speak a line, employ a special skill such as driving a truck on screen or dancing or work overtime.
Courtney Cash is one soap extra who has spilled the beans after appearing on Hollyoaks this summer.
She made a TikTok about her experience playing a paramedic who attended Clare Devine’s flat to check over Grace Black, which netted her £350.
In the dramatic few moments, Cash’s unnamed paramedic said to Grace: “Can you hear me, Grace? Grace?” Later, she added: “She’s alive. She needs hospital now.”
She revealed in her video: “So basically, it all depends on how many words you say in a soap – I think the maximum for Hollyoaks is 13 words before you become cast, and if you become cast, you get paid a lot more.
“They wanted to avoid that, so I was capped at 13 words.
“I would have got paid more if I just had that one extra word.”
Ender the road?
As for Eastenders, industry reports put pay there at £400 to £1,500 per episode.
Some of the highest-paid stars like Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell) and Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) are reportedly paid upwards of £200,000 per year.
But newer characters or supporting actors can get as little as £20,000 a year.
To put that in perspective, the National Living Wage for those over 21 is £12.21, equating to an annual salary of approximately £23,809 for a full-time worker.
Former EastEnders actress Cheryl Fergison, who played Heather Trott in the BBC soap for five years, has previously told how she had to resort to food banks when she left.
She admitted: “I think that’s a perception for everybody that when you’re on the telly, you’re earning loads of money all the time, and it’s great.”
Cast members have complained they are being worked like dogs.
Soap insider
These days, the talent can supplement their income with pantomimes, appearance fees and even commercial deals.
Some cast members have even started holding set tours on their days off to try and make more cash.
Corrie star Colson Smith, Samia Longchambon and Maureen Lipman have already surprised viewers by taking them around.
And with news of contracts being shortened and scenes in the Rovers Return being cut down, more actors are likely to sign up.
A source told us “Corrie are farming out £500-a-day studio tour slots to cast members so they can earn extra cash at weekends and on their days off.
“It’s a good money-spinner for the cast, especially now budgets have been cut and group scenes in the Rovers have been cut down.”
Cast members have even complained they are being “worked like dogs”, due to long days and the tightening purse at ITV.
A show insider said: “The cast loved the days when lots of scenes were filmed in the Rovers because it didn’t matter if you had 10 scenes in an episode or just sat in the pub – you’d get paid the same.
“Playing a barmaid or the landlord was a dream gig and would guarantee you got paid a fortune because it didn’t matter if you just served someone in the background – you got paid for the episode.
“The bar staff obviously had to be in all Rovers scenes so it was a great earner for them. But those days are now long gone – it’s just too expensive.”
