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Soap Operas
Soap operas, or ‘soaps’ - pronounced /səup/ and not soup /su:p/ - are an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast several times a week on television or radio. The term 'soap' refers to their origins as radio broadcasts in which soap manufacturers were the show's sponsors.
Most soap operas follow the lives of a group of characters who work in a particular place, or focus on a large, extended family. The storylines follow the day-to-day lives of these characters. In American soaps, the characters are generally more attractive, seductive, glamorous, and wealthy than the typical person watching the show. This is not true of British soaps which tend to focus more on everyday characters and situations. Typically, English soaps are set in working class environments. Many British soaps explore socially realistic storylines such as family discord, marriage breakdown, or financial problems, they sometimes include significant amounts of comedy.
But, how realistic are soaps? Sometimes, I wonder how they can dream up such plots? Often the storylines, include previously-unknown children, siblings, and twins (including the evil variety) of established characters suddenly turning up. Unexpected calamities frequently disrupt weddings, childbirths, baptisms and other major life events with unusual frequency.
A character's death is not even guaranteed to be permanent. Finnish viewers will recall the death of Dr Taylor Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful. Her death seemed permanent, she even had a funeral! But, when actress Hunter Tylo returned in 2005, it was revealed that Taylor had actually only gone into a coma. Older viewers (like me) will recall the death of Bobby Ewing in Dallas. Only it turned out to be a dream! In the English soap EastEnders legendary villain ‘Dirty Den’, drowned in a canal, only to show up fit and well ten years later.
I am told that when The Bold and Beautiful was first shown on Finnish TV it was so popular that 17.00 was the best time to go shopping – everybody was at home watching TV. Personally, I fail to see the attraction, but then I am English!
Dating back to December 1960, making it older than me, Britain’s longest-running television soap is Coronation Street (I can honestly claim not to have seen a single episode). I have heard that in the 1960s Coronation Street also appeared briefly on Finnish TV, it has long been forgotten. However, Britain’s third major soap Emmerdale (formerly Emmerdale Farm) is proving a big hit among Finnish viewers. First shown in Finland on 7 January 1997, Emmerdale even has its own Finnish fan club.
Emmerdale first aired in October 1972 and there have now been 4,560 episodes (as of January 1st 2007). Initially, the show focused on the farm, Emmerdale Farm, and the Sugden family who lived on and ran that farm.
Emmerdale Farm was one of the first soaps to be filmed largely out of doors on a farm. Previously, it had been normal for British and American soap to be filmed almost exclusively in studios. Many American 'outdoor' scenes are still filmed indoors.
The filming of Emmerdale originally took place in the village of Arncliffe in Littondale, one of the less frequented valleys of the Yorkshire Dales. In exterior shots, the town's hotel, The Falcon, was used to represent the fictional Woolpack pub. Eventually, the location of the filming became public knowledge. This prompted a move to the village of Esholt. This location has also become a tourist attraction. Now a purpose built set in Harewood is used. Location footage of the fictional market town of Hotten is shot in Otley. The Benton Park School in Rawdon and the primary school in Farnley are also used as shooting locations. Indoor scenes are mostly filmed in the Emmerdale production centre in Leeds (located next to the main Yorkshire TV building).
One of the most popular Emmerdale storylines last year had Finnish viewers glued to their TV sets. Laurel Potts played by Charlotte Bellamy started to learn Finnish in preparation for a possible au pair’s job in Finland. Although, she never quite made it to Finland, the somewhat less glamorous Chris Chittle (Eric Pollard in the soap) did visit Lapland in December 2005 to take part in the Santa Dash event, a fun run for the British Heart Foundation organised by Sheffield City Council.
Mike Bangle’s is the owner of Talking English language consultancy and can be contacted at mike.bangle(at)phnet.fi
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