British Soap ‘Coronation Street’ Available in the U.S. via Hulu

Always pouring: the iconic pub the Rovers Return is the center of much of the action on ‘Coronation Street,’ the long-running British soap now available in the U.S. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Finally, the denizens of the Rovers Return have made the journey stateside: Hulu has announced that they’ve acquired the 52-year-old U.K. soap, ITV’s Coronation Street, for free streaming in the U.S. starting today (January 15). Episodes are being posted two weeks after their British broadcast, and there’s no word on any archival episodes being added. The series, affectionately called Corrie by its viewers, has become a British institution since its inception in 1960, regularly ranking near the top of the U.K.’s primetime ratings and competing strongly against its younger BBC rival EastEnders. Celebrities from Sir Anthony Hopkins to Benedict Cumberbatch have counted themselves amongst its fans. Cumberbatch has expressed his love for the soap in an ad saying, “Corrie, to me, means… a cup of tea and a tin of biscuits.” New viewers can expect the typical salacious affairs, backstabbing, and family melodrama common to soaps, with, in typical British fashion, much of the action centered around a pub, The Rovers Return Inn.

Downton Abbey star Rob James-Collier and Suranne Jones are among the soap’s well-known alumni, and Sir Ian McKellen and Prince Charles are a few of the famous folk who’ve turned up on the Street for cameos.

And, of course, Corrie has one of the most recognizable theme songs in the world, with its lazy “wah wah” cornet: