(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)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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