British Soaps

History of British Soaps

I am going to look at British soaps in particular because I will be aiming my soap at a British audience. I will look at different soaps and how they appeal to their target audiences as well as the history of British soaps and why they have been so successful and popular.

In the UK soaps are one of the most popular genres of TV programme and most of them are broadcast during prime time. This is to ensure that as many members of their target audience watch the show allowing the show gain the highest viewer ratings and popularity with the audience. The most popular soaps in the UK are Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Doctors along with the Australian soaps Neighbours and Home and Away. Eastenders, Emmerdale and Coronation Street are consistently among the top rated shows in Britain with Eastenders generally being the most watched program in Britain.

In the 1960’s, Coronation Street was broadcast and rapidly became one of the most popular soaps on TV. Other soaps were also launched in the 60’s, such as Emergency Ward 10, 199 Park Lane and The Newcomers but not one of them along with others had the same impact as Coronation Street did and most of the other 1960’s soaps were stopped from broadcasting. The only real rival that Coronation Street had was Crossroads which began in 1964. Despite it being popular with its target audience the acting was poor and its low technical standard was often mocked. However, by the 80’s ratings were dropping and in 1988 Crossroads was cancelled all together.

There were a few new soaps broadcast over the next few years causing competition between soaps that were already largely popular. The next big British soap to hit the public's TV screens was Emmerdale in 1972, which was originally called Emmerdale Farm but was later renamed Emmerdale. It had a daytime slot but because the viewing figures began to increase it was moved to a prime time slot in the 80’s.

When Channel 4 launched in 1982 it broadcast its own soap called Brookside, which over the next decade re-defined soap. In 1985, the BBC’s London based soap opera Eastenders first started and was a near instant success with viewers and critics alike, with the first episode attracting over 17 million viewers. Critics talked about Coronation Street losing its popularity but its continued successfully. In 1994 when the two serials were scheduled opposite each other and for the better part of ten years Eastenders has shared the number one position with Coronation Street, with varying degrees of difference between the two.

During the 1980's and 1990's British Soap Operas contintued to develop and grow in popularity and since the year 2000 Soaps have changed even more. Hollyoaks was launched in 1995 which was the first soap aimed at a target audience of late-teens to early 20's. Doctors was launched in the spring 2000 providing Australian soap Neighbours with high competition. Many long running popular soaps were also cancelled in 2000, for example, Brookside ended in 2003 after 21 years on air, as did High Road because the ratings continued to fall, and a new version of Crossroads was launched in 2001 (produced by Carlton Television) which too was cancelled in 2003. There were a few other soaps that were far less popular and have long since been forgotten about since they were launched and cancleled in the years of 2000 but today, soaps still continue to develop and remain one of the most popular genre's of TV programme in the UK.