Many of our blogs so far have been about the news element of public serivce broadcasting. But soap operas also provide a public service. Although their main function is to entertain, they also inform and educate the audience. In Ofcom‘s review of public service broadcasting, over a third of those questioned perceived soap operas to be of greater importance to society than most other television genres. Shocking that one third of the people surveyed believe they are more important than other programmes.
It’s easy to see why soaps have such a vital role in society though. Characters have dealt with a range of issues such as incest, rape, infidelity, domestic violence, adoption, HIV, sexuality, teenage pregnancy. The list is endless. As times have changed and technologies have progressed, the storylines and issues covered have become more adventurous. Here are just a few examples:
To demonstrate further, Eastenders’ Stacey Slater has recently discovered she has bipolar disorder, the same condition her mother has had for many years. The writers and actress Lacey Turner worked closely with charities including Mind and Manic Depression Fellowship: The BiPolar Organisation to research the storyline so they could reflect the issue as accurately as possible.
And they did. One woman even claims the storyline helped her to get a diagnosis after she recognised some of the symptoms in her own behaviour.
Soap operas reach all age groups and are a fantastic opportunity for public service broadcasters to inform the audience about such issues. Families sit down to watch soaps like the BBC’s Eastenders and ITV’s Coronation Street together, so they can create a platform for discussion. Additionally, younger audiences can be targeted through programmes like Channel 4′s Hollyoaks, which has dealt with equally hard-hitting issues in its time.
Public service broadcasters have a responsibility to inform their audiences. They do so through their portrayal of real life issues but also by offering helpline information at the end of any episode containing such a storyline.
They are constantly stretching the boundries in terms of the issues they cover and will continue to do so as long as there are topics that need covering. There are always new issues emerging. For example, Australian soap Home and Away has recently aired a human trafficking storyline.
It will be interesting to watch the role of the soap opera adapt to the digital age. To use Eastenders as an example, they have already run a spin-off show “E20″ which could only be viewed online. Their website incorporates polls, blogs, discussion boards. So the BBC is already adapting its programming to keep up with the changing role of the audience.
This got me thinking – interactive audiences could be a thing of the future but apparently they already exist. The BBC has already launched an interactive soap The Cut, for its teenaged audience. The idea is that the viewers contribute ideas for storylines and give feedback on each episode. Having not heard an awful lot about the show, it will be interesting to see how successful the BBC’s attempts to keep up with the digital age really are.
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zoegraham
hayleygrainger
rosssatron
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edjkiernan
Stuart Oates
Soaps are always pushing the limits to include a ‘never done before’ storyline. Whether it be the gay Corrie kiss, Paedophilia in Eastenders or Bigamy in Emmerdale. But are they just using the ‘to educate’ rule as a veil to be as controversial as possible in order to seek audience figures?
It is a combination of both, but it would be interesting to know what goes through the writers’ heads when they discuss storylines; audience figures or audience interest.
But how more controversial can the storylines get to touch on subjects never experimented with before? Have they exhausted their ideas for the next ‘big’ topic. The BBC has already started the trend of WHO SHOT… First it was Phil then Archie. But how important are soaps in discussing sensitive topics? Like you said Hayley, issues like mental health seem to be the latest trend used by soaps. It is also a hot media topic at the moment as they try to raise awareness on people with mental conditions and steering away from stereotypes. But can soaps help with this, or do they exaggerate or worsen the public’s perception. Stacey Slater and her bi-polar disorder may have been congratulated on how it was handled. But the soap played into stereotypes again by turning Stacey into a ‘axe-wielding’ psychopath when she was unveiled as Archie’s killer.
What a murky world Soap Land can be…
The BBC is so over the moon about ‘The Cut’. When I worked there they were always parading it out and saying ‘look how interactive this is!’ See how engaged we are with the younger generation!’ Which is fine, I do think it’s good in principle. But frankly I think it’s PAINFULLY obvious that this is middle aged men trying to be down with the kids. I mean really how many teenagers are going to be taken in by this?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/switch/thecut/about.shtml
I would be interested to know how many teenagers actually spend their time deciding what’s going to happen next in The Cut…haven’t they got better things to do?
Anyway, now it looks like Switch and Blast are going the same way as BBC 6 Music and the Asian Network, and Mark Thompson is going to leave it to Channel 4.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7041944.ece
Funny how there hasn’t been anything like the public outcry there was over 6 music for Switch and Blast.
Maybe no-one was tuning in anyway.
Isn’t “The Cut” just the BBC’s version of channel 4′s “Skins” anyway? Perhaps soaps like East Enders may be able to help people with their problems or aid them in any decision making. Perhaps watching someone go through something is therapeutic. However these programmes aimed at teenagers I think are a different animal. Viewers contribute story lines? That’s fine, as long as the viewers contribute something that the programme makers believe will be dramatic enough or will be in line with their own ideas about the characters and which directions they think they will turn.
With regards to “Skins” I don’t believe it’s helping anyone. If anything, if I was a teenager I’d feel more isolated by it than helped. What kind of world do these people live in and how does it in any way relate to teenagers now?
Sorry about the “Skins” bit but still relevant I believe.
Hayley – I think the idea of soaps coming under the title of public service broadcasting is interesting but very subjective (if that makes sense).
For example, when I was growing up I was banned from watching programmes like Coronation Street and Brookside. I had to sneak quietly downstairs to watch Eastenders and my mother was always very cross when she found out.
So I disagree with your comment that soaps reach all ages and are a great opportunity for a discussion platform for families.
Sadly, this review also revealed that fewer than 10 percent thought arts and religion programmes were of particular value to society.
Perhaps this is why Jeremy Hibbard could not think of a single independent production company that produced arts based programming.
Emily
I don’t think soaps get enough credit for the educational aspect that they provide. It seems almost ‘trendy’ to have a dig at the likes of EastEnders for their sensational storylines, but generally speaking I’d say that they get it right, Dirty Den’s inexplicable return from the dead aside! It’s a tough balance to maintain, winning the all important ratings wars whilst keeping plots within the realm of real life. I was particularly impressed with the way that the notoriously awkward topic of paedophilia was handled on Albert Square, when fifteen year old Whitney Dean was groomed by her stepfather. The story was introduced as a slow burner and allowed viewers to see the shocking ramifications of something that sadly, is a real issue. Credit to EastEnders bosses for bringing back the character of Tony and seeing justice done by showing his court case and subsequent imprisonment.
Of course, such a sensitive storyline was bound to provoke a reaction. Between the first and last episode of the storyline arc Ofcom received 90 complaints from viewers who believed the material to be inappropriate for a pre-watershed time slot. Ofcom, however, issued a statement defending the flagship soap. The broadcasting regualtor ruled that the plot was tackled “appropriately and sensitively” and therefore was not in breach of the broadcasting code. At the end of every episode featuring the story, the BBC offered a number to call for anyone affected by what they had just seen. By bringing such an issue into people’s living rooms on a regular basis, families were encouraged to talk about it and keep a subject that’s usually swept under the carpet, in an open forum.
I don’t think the writers have exhausted the storylines, after all people are still watching them. As times change, issues that would have previously been considered ‘taboo’ become more approachable for broadcasters, such as the paedophilia storyline with Tony and Whitney. Although you always will have a handful of people who criticise the way the topics are handled, or the fact they are even broadcast at all.
It also depends on the attitudes of society in general. When Brookside broadcast the first lesbian kiss, audiences at the time were shocked but look at the soaps today – nearly all of them have at least one homosexual character because it’s more accepted by society in this day and age.
Soaps defiantely provide a platform for education. Alot of the story lines are topical, and Hollyoaks in particular make sure most of their story lines are relevent to it’s viewers- but then each soap appeals to certain groups of people.
Eastenders has had major issues keeping ethnic minority families in the show, but recently with the “Masoods”, we have been educated about British Muslims, and though not real- has provided education to its viewers.
Howcome no one has mentioned Hollyoaks. I feel it really does deal superbly with the amount of serial killers who frequent small towns.
This is an example when maybe soap world would not have done anyone any favours – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8412375.stm