THERE are two big things wrong with this country. We are becoming like America - sue anything that moves.

Which of course, will see me hauled before the courts for the pain and damage I've caused Americans living over here by writing that.

All of whom naturally tripped while reading it and spilt scalding hot coffee down themselves too.

Which brings me to Coronation Street (ITV) or Compensation Street, as it could now be known.

Wicked Cilla slugging it out in the civil and criminal courts with Her Royal Highness, Dame Rita Sullivan of Kabinshire. It now means Regal Rita is considering quitting the busiest paper shop in the entire world.

During all the recent nastiness on the Street, it occurred to me that I can still remember the time when Coro was a safe bet. For 30 minutes you were guaranteed that the howling wolves of reality were kept firmly at the door. If you wanted social issues, you watched World In Action.

Times have changed.

Corrie is no longer pantomime Northerners talking about Jack Duckworth's pigeons.

They can no longer get away with having a character like Albert Tatlock, whose entire acting career was principally based on sipping stout and uttering "Aye" once or twice a month.

Modern audiences are not stimulated by the availability, or otherwise, of Betty's hotpot.

More needs to happen and real life needs to be let in.

And so we have Cilla's determination to wring as much cash as she can out of a tearful Rita for the "harm" caused to son Chesney aka the Ginger Goblin.

Another thing that's too real about Coro during this storyline is the awful but true representation of our legal system.

Where supposedly injured aggressors do back-flips out of the court room considerably richer than when they went in. All things being equal, Wendi Peters who plays Cilla has played the part sufficiently well enough to grate on everybody, while Rita has covered new ground in her role as the indignantly wronged woman.

Where will it all end?

EASTENDERS (BBC1) After what seems like an eternity, members of the Ferriera family in EastEnders finally have an interesting storyline to get their teeth into.

Ever since the family arrived, what they have been involved in hasn't really gripped me the way recent developments have. But now with Ronnie seriously ill in hospital (pictured left) and Tariq finally coming cleaning about being their long-lost brother, things are fairly livening up. Indeed, they dedicated an entire half-hour to the unravelling of Tariq's past last week and how it could impinge on Ronnie's survival.

I didn't like Tariq's character originally but I have warmed to him in recent weeks and his dialogue has been superbly written to reflect modern usage.

It's also good to see the wider family involved and given a chance to show what they can do, even though I can only stand so much of listening to Squeaky Mickey.