The Popularity of the British Soap

Why UK Soap Operas Like Coronation Street are so Successful

Nov 2, 2009

A few reasons for the British soap's success are their platform for realism, familiarity, character identification, popularity with women and their 'cliff-hanger' aspect.

Soap operas receive a great deal of criticism in today’s society, from the everyday citizen to the high-brow professional labelling the genre as ‘rubbish’. Many hold the view that soap operas are low-class, ‘trash TV’ but in fact British soaps dominate our national audience ratings, with over a third of the population tuning in to watch Coronation Street, and just under a third watching EastEnders (Livingstone 1990:55). So, why are soap operas so popular?

Programs Like Coronation Street Offer Realism and "Everydayness"

Soap operas concern with the everyday lives of everyday people is one of the main reasons for their success. Whereas American soaps are thought of as ‘fantasy’, such as 90210 and The O.C. which are about the beautiful and rich elite, British soaps are 'realistic' as they focus on the domestic and personal, and on everyday issues such as death, friendship, marriage, romance and divorce. Coronation Street, first broadcast in 1960, clearly embodies this 'social realism' by representing working class life on a street in Manchester.

After the day’s events, soap fans enjoy finding out what happened in Coronation Street, Albert Square, Emmerdale Farm or Hollyoaks Village that same day. Everyday life in soaps is 'real' and on-going just as our lives are: "Coronation Street gives the impression of leaving a literal gap of time between episodes, and significant days in the outside world such as Christmas Day are celebrated that day," (Dyer 1981:10). For instance, on the day after Michael Jackson died, Eastenders edited-in a scene where they mentioned the sad news and his music was played in the Old Vic, keeping it current with public feeling.

Soap Operas Such as Eastenders Provide Familiarity and Continuity

We can be assured of familiarity and continuity as soaps are based solely within one small community about the lives of the same characters. Even if a character is absent from one episode, he or she is usually referred to so that we know what they are up to. For instance, recently in Coronation Street Liz McDonald was on holiday in Spain, which her lover Lloyd Mullaney frequently talked about as he could not wait for her to come back.

British Soaps Like Hollyoaks Allow Viewers to Identify with Characters

Soap fans often experience gratifications from forming strong ties with characters, and consequently become almost 'real' friends and family: "I know that after a while the characters do become real people and we are concerned for their well-being just as we are for our own friends and colleagues" (Livingstone 1990:57).

This deep identification with a character is most evident when viewers cry at a soap wedding, funeral, birth or marital break-up. The viewer appears to enjoy this 'roller-coaster ride' of different emotions: "...you can experience a full range of emotions from anger to despair, to sheer joy, excitement and relief" (Livingstone 1990:60). A recent example of this was Sarah Barnes’ tragic death in Hollyoaks, where we were shown deeply emotional funeral speeches from her family and friends. As Eastenders fan Kirsten Bayne said: “I feel that a lot of the characters lead similar lives to myself. The get angry and frustrated and I think it is good to show those feelings onscreen. Life is not always rosy".

British Soap Operas Have Been Labelled the "Women’s Genre" Due to Their Success With Women

Soap operas have been given this label due to their lasting popularity with women. This was traditionally due to their concern with the domestic sphere, aimed at housewives, and the world of gossip and scandal. Moreover, the women portrayed in soaps are remarkably strong willed and positive thinking, showing women as superior to men. Women like Pat Butcher and Dot Cotton in Eastenders and Rita Sullivan and Eileen Grimshaw in Coronation Street have always seemed to survive without a man.

Today, soaps are concentrating on more 'masculinised' plots such as crime. In Coronation Street, the current storyline about murderer Tony Gordon, who is now engaged to his victim’s widow, occupies a large on-screen presence.

Programs Like Eastenders Entertain Their Audience with Aspects of Cliff-Hanger and Suspense

The viewer likes to speculate and be kept in suspense about an event, whether it is for the duration of an ad break, or from one episode to another. This ‘cliff-hanger’ attraction is exemplified at the end of recent Eastenders episode, where Heather Trott makes a phone call to the father of her baby – and we are kept in suspense until the end of the next episode to find out who he is.

Soap Operas Such as Eastenders and Coronation Street Learn From Shakespeare

These are just some reasons why the genre that many call "trash tv," is one of the most popular forms of British television. As Jerri Rivers said in his article on Hellium, “Assessing the lasting power of the soap opera television genre”: “If that [Hamlet] does not sound a lot like the plot of a soap opera, than I do not know what does.”

Sources

The copyright of the article The Popularity of the British Soap in TV Soap Operas is owned by Laura Webb. Permission to republish The Popularity of the British Soap in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.