Soap Characters 70-90s

[staffslad]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

It was the plane crash in Emmerdale--I suppose it had dropped 'Farm' by then--that pushed me over the edge and I didn't bother much with it after that.

I think I was still watching Coronation Street into the mid 90s but with less and less enthusiasm. I don't think there was a point at which I suddenly stopped watching; it sort of gradually petered out.

[George 1978]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

I blame the EastEnders-ism for soaps dumbing down since the mid 1980s.

[Richard1978]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

Until the mid 1980s Coronation Street was in a near untouchable position, with Crossroads in slow decline, Albion Market never catching on, Emmerdale Farm still being a lunchtime soap in many parts of the country, along with the Australian imports, the American soaps appealing to a different demographic & Brookside being a bit niche still there wasn't much to trouble it until Eastenders came along.

The BBC knew Eastenders had to win an audience quickly so made a lot of effort to grab the public's attention away from Coronation Street, who had to change in turn to fight back.

[beccabear67]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

I've never been able to get into Eastenders. I don't know why really, maybe a lack of humour? I'm (barely) still watching Corrie now (aka The Pat Phelan Show), but gave up on Emmerdale a few years ago. Actually I've quit watching Corrie for most of entire years in the past, but partially due to travel.

I saw a soap called Market In Honey Lane that I thought was really excellent. I've wondered what another early one centered on a magazine, Compact, was like but have never seen one, just read of it and seen a few still frames.

[George 1978]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

I have always thought that the mid 1980s was an awful time to launch a London-based soap opera such as EastEnders - the East End of London seemed to be a lousy choice to be a location of a soap opera back in the mid 1980s. If I had came from Notting Hill rather than Nottingham, I would probably have different opinions. It just feels "local London" in the same way that River City is to Scotland, a Pobol Y Cwm is to Wales, in other words, it feels to me that it is made with Londoners in mind rather than a national audience.


Also, it's a bit like how Granada launched Albion Market at around the same time - they already had Coronation Street which at that point was coming up to its 25th anniversary. Despite the departures of many iconic characters, it was still being prominent in ITV schedules - it still is, but in a different way. EastEnders feels like an example of what Albion Market would have been like if it was still going today. I am also surprised that Hollyoaks is still going as I thought that it would have only lasted to around 2000.

[George 1978]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

I've never been able to get into Eastenders. I don't know why really, maybe a lack of humour?

Don't worry - you are quite normal to have that reaction to such a programme.

[Richard1978]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

[QUOTE=George 1978;222945 I am also surprised that Hollyoaks is still going as I thought that it would have only lasted to around 2000.[/QUOTE]

Hollyoaks is aimed at a younger audience which must help things.

I remember Channel 5 tried for the same demographic with Family Affairs but never really succeeded.

[George 1978]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

I used to think that Hollyoaks was a parody of Happy Days when it started in 1995. Remember Jeremy Edwards as Kurt? I could have sworn that he was based on a cross between Fonz out of Happy Days and Cliff Richard when he first started out in 1958.

[staffslad]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

I was a bit late coming to Eastenders, viewing it around the time that Dirty Den got Michelle pregnant. I watched it for a while to see what all the fuss was about, but it never grew on me the way Coronation Street had done from the early 70s. A previous poster mentioned its lack of humour, and I agree that it was decidedly humourless when compared to Coronation Street. Also, I found I really didn't care for many of the characters and what happened to them. I don't think I have seen an episode in 20+ years.

Two lunchtime serials that were shown on ITV in the 70s/80s were Take the High Road--set in a Scottish village--and The Cedar Tree.

[zabadak]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

Quick Corrie trivia question - anyone remember Deirdre Barlow's maiden name?

[staffslad]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

Quick Corrie trivia question - anyone remember Deirdre Barlow's maiden name?

I think it was Hunt.

[beccabear67]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

Her Mum was Blanche Hunt, so I'm thinking Hunt as well. Then she was Langton and then Raschide if I remember rightly.

[George 1978]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

And after she was Rashid, she was a Barlow again.

I have lost count how many surnames Gail has had.

[Zincubus]

Soap Characters 70-90s

I wish one of the soaps would have the courage to spend a month or so without letting the storylines leak into the media and end each episode on a gripping moment ... just to see if the viewing figures increased !!

We stopped watching Corrie and the others as soon as they started feeding the storylines to us ahead of the episodes ...
Back in the day we had drama and intrigue as the episodes ended in a nerve jangler - then we waited from Wednesday 8pm until the next episode on Monday 7:30pm... those days they regularly got 20million viewers ...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[zabadak]

Re: Soap Characters 70-90s

I think it was Hunt.

Correct, of course - I remember her working for Fairclough, Langton and Booth...