History

 "A serial drama performed originally on a daytime radio or television program and chiefly characterized by tangled interpersonal situations and melodramatic or sentimental treatment"

     The name "soap opera" originates from America in the 1930's.  The dramatic serials which were broadcast over the radio were sponsored by popular soap manufacturers (e.g. Colgate & Palmolive). The "opera" part came from the fact that most of these serials were always quite dramatic and involved a lot of drama. To begin with, soap operas were broadcasted over the radio although they slowly transferred to the television; this increased their popularity as more and more people became aware of them and they became popular all over the world. These early serials were aimed towards a female audience therefore they were broadcasted in weekday daytime slots.

     To begin with, soap operas were first aired on the radio and associated largely with the BBC; they continue to broadcast The Archers on BBC radio 4 which is the worlds longest running radio soap since 1951! The Archers still manages to attract over 5million viewers which is around 25% of the radio listening population. Coronation Street quickly became a British institution in the 1960’s along with Emergency Ward on ITV, Compact ( a soap based around the lives of the staff from a women’s magazine), The Newcomers ( a large firm had set up a plant in a small town and this soap looked at the consequences and how outraged some people were.) Despite how popular these soaps were, none of them created the same impact that coronation street managed to achieve.

     Crossroads was a daily serial which begun in 1964; it was broadcast by ITV in the early evening and vey quickly became Coronation Street’s main rival. The new soap was set in a Birmingham motel, and although it was quite popular the soap was criticized for its poor level of acting and the low technical standard. Within a few years, its ratings dropped and although several attempts were made to revamp the series such as cast changes and expanding the set, everything was unsuccessful and so the decision to cancel Crossroads was made in 1988. Whilst Crossroads was trying to be saved, a new soap called Emmerdale Farm begun in 1972 during the day; this was also broadcast by ITV however it was set in rural Yorkshire. It grew to become a popular soap and was therefore moved to a prime-time slot in the 1980’s; it was also now known as simply Emmerdale.

     Channel 4 begun in 1982 and also launched its own soap, a Liverpool based one called Brookside. Over the years it changed and re-defined the future of soaps. Shortly after in 1985, BBC launched their London based soap, Eastenders which widely attracted 17 million viewers on its first episode! It was a great success with both viewers and critics; everyone was talking about it. To begin with, Eastenders was always compared to Coronation Street; however in 1994 both the shows were scheduled at different times, opposite each other. Coronation Street easily won more viewers and for many years now it has been the number one soap along with Eastenders as both soaps can be seen to be quite similar. 

Coronation Stret in 2009                     Coronation Street in 1990's

Eastenders in 2009                            Eastenders in 1990's