CORONATION Street great Charlie Lawson has blasted the world’s longest-running soap for going downhill, believing some “extremely average” acting is turning off viewers. Charlie , who has played Jim McDonald on and off on the ITV series since 1989, says he does not recognise the show any more — and claims Sarah Lancashire, who played Raquel Wolstenhulme in the Nineties, feels the same. He and Bafta award-winning Sarah discussed Corrie’s demise at the funeral of former writer John Stevenson, who died aged 86 in September .

In an exclusive interview, Charlie tells The Sun on Sunday: “I fear that Corrie might not be here in ten years’ time. Sarah and I were talking. We both agreed John wouldn’t recognise the show.

“We felt it was a completely different animal, so fundamentally different from our day — and the viewing figures have plummeted.” With the impending departure of Helen Worth, 73, who has played Gail Platt for 50 years, Charlie is predicting an exodus of star names from Weatherfield . He fears cast members such as Sue Nicholls, 80, who plays Audrey Roberts, and 90-year-old Barbara Knox , who plays Rita Tanner, could be next.

And he says “amazing” actors including Alison King, who plays Carla Connor, are exhausted with the pressure put on them. Charlie says: “The workload is huge. The cast is huge, there’s less time for enjoyment, for fun, to get to know the vast quantity of people there.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if some of the stable of.