Can anyone recommend books about UK soap operas, the usual ones describing the creation, past storylines, characters, behind-the-scenes stuff...?

The Coronation Street books for their 35th anniversary (more about the behind the scenes stuff) and the 40th (more about storylines for each year). Both by Daran Little.

Emmerdale had anniversary books for their 25th and 30th years.

Eastenders had one for their 10th, and a Who's Who? picture book.

Hollyoaks had one written somewhere in 2002 or 2003.

Coronation Street also had two books about the characters in WW1 and WW2. Emmerdale had one for WW2.

Thank you, Carl! I'm going to look them up!

In fact Coronation Street also had a 25th anniversary book and a 30th anniversary book as well (though they were not by Daran Little and were less detailed).

I believe there is also two versions of the 40th book, the original one and a special edition released some months later which added the rest of 2000 and some of 2001.

Thanks Dion, I didn't know that.

Emmerdale also had a book that came out in the late 80s, 1989, right before the BIG changes (the arrival of the Tate family). There's a nice little map of the town of Beckindale.

Not sure if you'd count it, but there's a terrific Upstairs/Downstairs book as well (trivia: Agnes Nixon's fave 1970s serial )

There is also an EastEnders 20th anniversary book.

And The Women of Coronation Street

There's also a Brookside 20th anniversary book. And one about the behind the scenes chaos at Crossroads.

If you ever want any of the books with new material not told on the show, Emmerdale and Eastenders had "secret diary" types of books, and Hollyoaks had several books which were completely new material, like Steph and Debbie Dean looking for fame and fortune, Sarah, Hannah, and Nancy on a trip, et al.