The 15 worst Christmas soap tragedies of all time (they'll make you thankful you only burned the turkey!)

Christmas is one of the most stressful time of the year. Well, if you happen to be a soap character, the festive period is usually much worse than your average Christmas wrapping disasters.

While most families will have their fair share of arguments over Christmas, the residents of soapville have much worse disasters to contend with.

So while you're panicking about what's an appropriate amount to spend on your mother-in-law this Christmas, spare a thought for these poor, bedraggled soap characters.

We've ranked the biggest Christmas soap tragedies of all time, from minor mishaps to heart wrenching disasters....

15. Coronation Street - Les Battersby runs over the Christmas turkey (1997)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u02h0JJZ0d0

When Les decided to bring a live turkey home ready to be killed for Christmas Day, he didn't realise the havoc it would cause. Christmas frivolity at it's finest.

14. Coronation street - Cilla Battersby blows up the chippy (2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYetI5EHQ78

Another disastrous Christmas for the Battersby family - when Cilla's oven breaks, she deep fries the turkey at the chippy... and burns it down. Now that's one way to burn a turkey!

13. Eastender's - Sean's Paternity test results (2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMhQorA5fGc

A contender for the worst Christmas present ever? Sean opens a cracker containing paternity test results that show he isn't Amy's father. Awkward Christmas dinner alert.

12. Hollyoaks - Clare's Murder plot (2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lclxMI9qhLM

Villain of the year Clare made an attempt on Max's life after discovering his huge life insurance sum by meddling with his meds and tricking him into nearly drowning. Clare was definitely on Santa's naughty list in 2006.

11. Eastenders - Den and Angie Watt's divorce (1986)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcqqJc4xYxQ

It's been voted the best Christmas soap moment ever, but that doesn't make Den serving Angie divorce papers on Christmas day any less depressing!

10. Eastenders - Dennis Rickman is stabbed on New Year's Eve. (2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOt_5Xun-9M

Dennis and Sharon are due to leave the Square for America, but Dennis is stabbed in the street on New Year's Eve and dies in Sharon's arms. It really is tough being a couple at Christmas.

9. Coronation Street - Dennis Stringer's death (2001)

When Les Battersby attempts to commit suicide of New Year's Eve, it's Dennis that ends up dying in a car crash after saving him. Poor Dennis!

8. Eastenders - Tiffany's death (1998)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m19Zer-UPpE

Martine McCutcheon's Eastenders exit was one of the saddest Christmas episodes we've seen. Someone pass us the tissues.

7. Eastenders - Nana Moon's death (2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpkYVb3gOjY

We couldn't stop the tears flowing when Alfie turns round to see Nana Moon has slipped away on the sofa after this touching scene.

6. Eastenders - Jamie Mitchell's death (2002)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeif5SjkH9c

Jamie was planning a romantic surprise for Sonia before he fell foul of Martin Fowler's bad boy racing in December 2001.

5. Hollyoaks - Dan Hunter's car explodes (2004)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-4x0QZrQ9I

Dan and Debbie had finally got back together by Christmas and he'd even bought an engagement ring - didn't he know it's risky to be that happy so near to Christmas? His festive fates were sealed when his rally car burst into flames.

4. Emmerdale - The storm on New Year's Eve (2003/4)

Ten years after the dramatic plane crash (see below), Emmerdale residents were hit with another big disaster. The storm left Tricia Dingle trapped under the wall of The Woolpack, leaving her husband faced with the, very un-festive, decision as to whether he should turn off her life support machine. Merry Christmas.

3. Eastenders - Pauline Fowler's death on Christmas Day (2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqKMaqzSPuA

When Pauline collapsed and died in the middle of Albert Square on Christmas Day it sparked a whodunnit debate that carried on into the New Year - was it Sonia that caused her fatal injuries?

2. Coronation Street - Tram Crash (2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3JAnmaytMY

Disaster struck not once, but twice in this live episode in 2010 - an explosion in The Joinery meant that the tram line overhead collapsed and caused a chain of catastrophe. Does this ever actually happen on Christmas Day?

1. Emmerdale- The plane crash on New Year's Eve (1993/4)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpTQ3Md9M5M

By far the most audacious Christmas episode to date, Killing off four regular characters, the dramatic plane crash episode is still the most viewed Emmerdale episode ever.