There's an excellent article in today's Guardian by writer Stuart Jeffries who asks the question, "Soap operas: has the bubble burst?" The tag line runs: "From
Coronation Street to EastEnders, soap operas once dominated British TV.
Now, beset by disgraced stars and plummeting ratings, they are
struggling to remain relevant"When I read yesterday online that 'hard man' actor Danny Dyer was being brought into EastEnders to run the Queen Vic after a crop of actors were getting the boot from that show, I thought to myself 'I'm glad I'm not an EastEnders fan'. I can't be doing with Danny Dyer, me. But I remain very happy indeed to be a Corrie watcher.
In the Guardian article, Stuart Jeffries wonders if soaps are still relevant, but I would question whether they ever were, and indeed, ever should be. They're fun, they're froth, they've over the top. Soaps are cartoon drama, ratings-boosting TV, advertising-selling TV. They don't have to be relevant, but they do have to be quality to keep the viewers' interest piqued five times a week, never-ending, non-stop.
There are some quotes in the article from top woman Christine Geraghty - author of the fab book Women and Soap Opera, and both that book and the Guardian article are worth a read.
It's here.
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