Cryptocurrency Gets Exposure in Hugely Popular UK Soap Opera

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have received an unusual element of exposure in major UK soap opera Coronation Street. The show is based in a fictional northern UK town called Weatherfield and it has been running since 1960. Coronation Street episodes are broadcast during prime time hours and as a result, comfortably attract an average audience of 8 million viewers per episode.

Whilst many within the cryptocurrency space are casting their hopes on the impending SEC decision that could lead to the world’s first Bitcoin ETF, others, such as Andreas Antonopoulos, believe that the true route to success is through real-world adoption. As a result, a cryptocurrency-based role in a major prime time soap opera is excellent news, especially when one considers the demographics that the show often attracts.

The Plot Line

Although the Coronation Street writing team opted to use “Whipcoin” as the cryptocurrency of choice, the underlying story follows similar hallmarks to that of all other digital assets. The soap opera’s character, Ryan Reynolds, has a lightbulb moment in which, during his woes as a broke man, he remembers that he invested £50 in to Whipcoin many years previous. Upon discovering that the cryptocurrency is now worth £250,000, the character begins celebrating. However, those celebrations are soon brought to a halt when he realizes he can’t remember his password, known in the cryptocurrency world as a private key.

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Later in the episode, Ryan is able to track down his password from an old magazine he previously wrote it in. However, upon accessing his Whipcoin account, it appears that the coins have now taken a tumble southwards. This is an interesting conclusion, as on the one hand it gives cryptocurrencies an element of mainstream exposure, however, on the other hand it amplifies the highly volatile nature of the industry.

Whether the cryptocurrency storyline was a one-off or not remains to be seen. Either way, any exposure that the blockchain asset industry is able to achieve outside of conventional media channels is always going to be a good thing. Let’s just hope that Whipcoin is able to recover its recent losses and make Ryan Reynolds some much need gains!