Jess for some reason I've never gone in for Rownd a Rownd, and I've lost interest in Pobol y Cwm since they've scrapped the Sunday omnibws. According to dd, PyC has won a "soap" award, beating my favourite soap indulgence, Doctors. I doubt many people would admit to watching Doctors, but it's a staple in my telly diet, and has been since 2002.
Should soap be realistic? I think so, but still a little bit larger than life. There's a debate on Mumsnet at the moment about the poor quality of Corrie at the moment; the consensus is that the storylines are silly and sensational, and don't reflect what the characters would actually do/think. I think the Norris scene in the most recent episode was well done, and very "Norris" in an understated and rather moving way.
As I recall, Corrie, when it started, was praised for its realism (being part of a trend towards realism as found in kitchen sink dramas).