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Task 5

History of Soap Operas

Why a soap opera is called a soap opera?

Soap operas started from American radio serials in the 1930s. They
got their name from the sponsorship of some of the programs by
major soap powder companies. Soap opera is a genre taken from
radio rather than film.

What is the longest running soap opera?

Soap operas are long running serials, not a series. In a serial the
main characters remain the same from programme to programme,
at least one storyline is carried over from one episode to the next,
and serials are potentially endless.

Successful soaps may continue for many years. Coronation Street is


the UK's longest running TV serial. However it is not the UK's longest
running soap, The Archers is stilling running, this radio serial began
in 1951.are

Key conventions found in British soap operas

 Reoccurring events this include, marriages, divorces, deaths


and disappearances
 Gossip- this acts as a commentary of the action
 Soaps often feature more women then males
 Regular time slot- often more then once a week between 5-
8pm, soaps re-played during the day so if viewers miss it they
can easily catch up
 There is always a wide range of characters, no single
character is the same
 There is no single narrative, this means the viewer can join a
soap at any time
 Several stories lines are linked together
 Plots of soap operas are not linear
 A soap involves multiple perspectives
 It generally has a well-known theme tune and intro sequence
which has changed little over the years
 They are often set around a small, central area
 Soaps often have special episodes for events in the real world
 British soaps most often feature common, ordinary, working
class characters
 Soap episodes often begin with a 'hook' in which one or more
of the narratives from a previous episode are continued. The
episode will undoubtedly end with a 'cliff-hanger'
 Three, four or even five storylines will be in progress during
any one episode, with the action switching between them

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