British Soap Operas

1675 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Drink a cultural history of alcohol summary

British soap operas are, of course, overly dramatic. In nearly every soap opera, including the Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and The Archers—the characters constantly discuss money and drink excessively. Of course, these shows are not made to be taken literally—they are mindless entertainment, not serious social commentary. However, behind the drama, they raise subtle questions about the nature of Britain today: the clashes between cultures and religions, upper and lower classes, and the young rebelling against the old. All of these things could be happening at the very same time, and underlining all of these issues is the idea that no one should be trusted.

British people are often the victims of stereotype, but to watch these shows, one would not recognize it. Brits are said to be polite—not so in these shows. Rather than sacrificing comfort or happiness for the sake of manners, the characters in these shows openly confront one another regarding any and every issues that are raised. In Coronation Street, for instance, a character confronts one man she used to date in a pub. He brings up their history together, emphasizing the fact that he knows her better than anyone else. She simply yells, “That history is exactly why we don’t have a future” (Warren), and stalks away with her new boyfriend. In a country where manners are highly valued, confrontations like these are rare—but in soap operas, they happen all the time. Conversely, homes seem to be the places where people speak quietly and share secrets about each other.

Because confrontations usually happen at a bar or a pub, these are not simply settings for drama; they also emphasize the drinking nature of Britain’s citizens. Characters are rarely seen without a g...

... middle of paper ...

...them apart as distinctly British. They see that life, especially blown out of proportion in a soap opera, is full of inevitable misfortune. We may have complete control over our lot in life, our class, or our looks—but a warm pot of tea (or whiskey) and a good laugh will help make life bearable.

Works Cited

"National Statistics Online - Religious Populations." Home: UK National Statistics Publication Hub. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. .

Newman, Lorraine, prod. Eastenders. BBC. BBC1, 3, HD, London, United Kingdom, 4 Apr. 2011. Television.

November, Steve, prod. Emmerdale. ITV. ITV1, London, United Kingdom, 5 Apr. 2011. Television.

Toye, Joanna. The Archers. BBC. BBC Radio 4, London, United Kingdom, 5 Apr. 2011. Radio.

Warren, Tony. Coronation Street. ITV. ITV1, London, United Kingdom, 4 Apr. 2011. Television.

Show More
Related

  • Domesticating Drink By Catherine Murdock Analysis

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    Alcohol has always been a part of feminine culture, but it took a dramatic shift in the early 20th century. In the book, Domesticating Drink, Catherine Murdock argues that during this period, women transformed how society drank and eradicated the masculine culture that preceded this shift. Murdock draws from a few different sources to prove her argument, such as: etiquette manuals published after the turn of the century and anecdotes from the time period. She provides many interesting and unique perspectives on how drinking culture evolved, but she shows a clear bias towards “wet” culture and also makes very exaggerated claims that turn her argument into something that is nearly impossible to completely prove.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Real Housewives of Atlanta

    1414 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the beginning of time itself, Television has been one the most influential pieces of media that the world has ever encountered. The beginning days of television depicted stereotypical mothers cooking and cleaning their homes for their husbands and children. Yet, as the decades passed, television took a dramatic turn, leaving the days of drama free entertainment as a vast memory. Now a day, however, when one hits the power on button to Bravo, the screen lights expand to ritzy socialites dealing with their everyday lives as “housewives”. Bravo TV’s hit number one reality television show, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, deals with the everyday lives of modern-day housewives. When speaking of these women and their family life, the reality series shows its viewers that family life in modern times is dramatic, full of misrepresentations of how people are perceived, and that fame comes at the cost of family.

    Read More

  • Discussion of Eastenders

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    I always knew when one of the many soap opera’s was about to begin as

    Read More

  • Stress and Fear on the Western Front, Illustrated in Sheriff's Play, Journey's End

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Act Two scene One looks into the emotions of the characters especially the officers, Stanhope, Osborne, Raleigh, Trotter, Hibbert and the cook Mason, an example of this is trotter he hides his emotions by being humours with mason as he keeps his mind on food ‘Trotter: well there’s nothing like a good fat bacon rasher when your as empty as I am, Mason: I’m glad you like it fat sir. Trotter: well, I like a bit O’ lean, too’, this shows that the writer is showing the reader that people dealt with stress and fear in different ways, however when comparing this to Stanhope he copes with all this stress and fear by drinking ‘sitting on the bed was Stanhope drinking a whisky’ this shows the audience how people dealt with stress and fear even if they were in completely different ways.

    Read More

  • How British Soap Operas Attract Large Audiences

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    How British Soap Operas Attract Large Audiences British soap operas used a variety of strategies and operations to attract a large audience. These strategies clearly work as proven by viewing figures for the three most popular soaps; Eastenders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale command viewing audiences of over ten million on a regular basis. Also soaps have proven to be the most consistent in terms of high audience figures over the years, making them indispensable to the institutions which create them. One strategy used by institutions and producers of a soap, is to place them at a peak viewing time to maximise audience figures. Also the timing of the program means that it has the highest exposure to a possible audience.

    Read More

  • The Future Popularity of British Soap Operas

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Future Popularity of British Soap Operas The issue of whether soaps can sustain their popularity is very debateable as the overall viewing figures for soaps have fallen, for example figures for Eastenders in 1995 where sixteen million (according to BARB) whereas in 2005 the average viewing figures were about eight to nine million. There are different factors that could be associated with this decline such as more competition for the audience, more channels and soaps, scheduling issues and the changing dramatic styles of soaps themselves. Another factor that must be considered is the publicity surrounding soaps in the wider media as influencing the level of sustainable popularity that they may have. Technological advances have resulted in the rise of digital television where the viewers have a much wider choice of channels and programmes to choose from, this has brought about an influx of American shows with which British soaps have to compete with.

    Read More

  • The Impact of Restoration Comedy on Theatre

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    Those who had remained in England during the Commonwealth had faced years of strict moral repression. Those who fled to France had acquired some of the decadence bred across the channel. In combination, these two forces created a nation of wealthy, witty, amoral hedonists. Their theatre reflected their lifestyles. Thus was born the Restoration Tragedy and the Comedy of Manners.

    Read More

  • Soap Operas and Reality TV Dating Shows

    1762 Words  | 4 Pages

    Relationship Between Soap Operas and Reality TV Dating Shows Tania Modleski’s “The Search for Tomorrow in Today’s Soap Operas” proposes that the unique appeal and function of soap opera lies in (a) the viewer’s ability to inhabit the text’s prescribed spectatorial position of ‘the good mother’, and (b) using the archetypal ‘villainess’ to displace one’s own repressed anger and powerlessness. It can be argued, using Modleski’s analytical perspectives on the interpellated spectatorial positions of soap operas, that a new genre of television programs (namely the reality dating shows) function in a similar way. An examination of Modleski’s thesis renders these statements more likely. Modleski argues that soap operas are essential in understanding women’s role in culture.

    Read More

  • Differences in perception of class through the media

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book ‘Chavs; the demonization of the working class’ 2012 by Jones is an up to date account of the media political, and there for social perception of the lower classes. Jones begins with an anecdote of a dinner party in which the topic of conversation is drawn onto the closure of Woolworths to which ‘where will all the chavs buy their Christmas presents’ is quoted. The people at the party were all considered educated, not bigots and somewhat liberal, yet despite...

    Read More

  • Pygmalion

    528 Words  | 2 Pages

    Miss Eynsford Hill claim to be of the upper class and they act as if

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Being Earnest Analysis

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oscar Wilde’s treatment of high society and manners are explored in the play “The Importance of Being Earnest”. Here, members of the upper class display a great deal of pride and pretense, feeling that they are inherently entitled to their wealth and higher social position. An example is Lady Bracknell, who is preoccupied with maintaining the status quo that she quickly squashes any signs of rebellion. Characters from higher societies/classes are mainly concerned about their reputation and respectability. Thus, expectations of the upper class for both men and women include being upstanding, rich and come from a wealthy family. Wilde’s criticism on high society and manners are explored through the characteristics of Lady Bracknell; the dialogue between Gwendolen and Cecily; and the characteristics of Jack in the country.

    Read More

  • Soap Operas

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    Soap Operas Soap opera can be defined by looking at the two words separately: The word soap originated from soap powders because the women used to stay at home looking after the house and children and would watch T.V while doing the ironing and it would show soap powder adverts between programmes. The word opera means emphasis on emotion. Soap operas were first heard on the radio during the war because they didn’t have much money and it was not safe to go out.

    Read More

  • Mittell’s Television Genre Theory and Louie

    2311 Words  | 5 Pages

    11 Ellen Seiter and Mary Jeanne Wilson, “Soap Opera Survival Tactics”, in Thinking Outside the Box: A Contemporary Television Genre Reader (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2005), 138.

    Read More

  • British Stereotypes in America

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Let’s face it, in The United States, we do not understand cricket, we do not understand tea, and we certainly do not understand hidden emotions. Of course there is more to Britain than these cultural icons, just like America is not just made of cowboys from “Dallas” and loud egotistic tourists. However in the year 2000, there are still several myths surrounding the British culture that are very much alive today.

    Read More

  • Critical Overview of Play Look Back in Anger

    2084 Words  | 5 Pages

    Jimmy Porter spoke for a large segment of the British population in 1956 when he ranted about his alienation from a society in which he was denied any meaningful role. Although he was educated at a "white-tile" ...

    Read More

More about British Soap Operas

Open Document