Cambridge chiefs seek help from soaps

Cambridge University chiefs have asked producers of the UK's top three soaps to feature the institution in their storylines.

EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale have all been asked to help shed the perception that the historic university is "not for young people from ordinary backgrounds".

"It's about challenging myths about studying at Cambridge," a spokesman explained. "People think it's an expensive place to study when in fact, because of short terms and the availability of college accommodation, the bills can be lower. We have some of the most generous student support packages around and it's an unlimited pot: we don't run out of cash."

The representative added: "It's really important to get a popular message across about raising young people's aspirations and showing them the range of options on offer."

EastEnders characters Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel) and Libby Fox (Belinda Owusu) have already discussed applying to both Cambridge and its long-time rival Oxford on the show.

A spokeswoman for Oxford added: "I did speak to somebody at EastEnders about our bursary scheme in case the storyline was going to continue. We wanted to make sure they knew what kind of assistance might be available to someone like Libby."