SIR: I was disappointed to see the BEN last week copy one of the bad habits of the tabloid press by publishing details of a major event in a well known soap episode in advance of its screening. (Derek Wilton's death in Coronation Street).

I can only suppose that the writer wanted to show how clever he or she was in ferreting out this juicy morsel of information for us.

Instead, of course, it only served to show us how stupid he or she is, (or the editor for that matter in allowing such a thing to be published). What's the point of spoiling the readers interest when the episode is eventually screened? No-one reads the end of a book before they have read the beginning, and no-one would thank you for revealing the name of the murderer in the middle of an Agatha Christie novel. So why should you think a TV serial is different?

To paraphrase the famous works of the old-time comedians. "We don't wish to know that."

Albert Hornby, Glendale Drive, Bolton

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