I wasn't born into soaps. I started watching Neighbours not long after it started (almost a teenager) and I instantly took to it. The same with EastEnders. I started watching Emmerdale about a couple of months ago and instantly took to that as well. I didn't bother with TV much until I was almost a teenager.
Actually, I say a couple of months ago. It could have been more.
I was definitely. I remember my mom watching All My Children and One Life to Live when I was really little, then one summer I had salmonella and spent the whole summer in the house with nothing to do so I started watching the soaps myself. She was not happy about it though, she felt they were in appropriate for a kid my age. But she gave in and let me continue watching them when she discovered I was taping them while I was in school.
Mark can I ask how you got into British soaps? I wouldn't imagine that they're aired on mainstream TV in the US are they?
I watch an Irish soap online, but I only got into it because my ex is Irish and I would watch it when I went to visit his family.
I had Corrie running through my veins almost from birth ( it was the only soap on British TV in those days )
My first memory of it was Elsie Tanner's wedding to the American, when Harry Hewitt got crushed to death by Len Fairclough's van.
I was 2 months away from my 3rd birthday. I was shocked and I was hooked and I've barely missed an episode since.
I've watched Emmerdale since it started in 1972 but my unconditional love for The Street is different. I won't hear a word against it even when I know, deep down, it's going through a crappy period. It's like listening to someone slag off your mum.
What I mean by this is that I was raised on Neighbours from birth, one of my first memories is the 1994 season finale. And also Home and Away. I have strong memories of Tiffany's death when I was not even 10. My (immediate) family on and off watched these soaps when I was growing up. Admittedly my nanny watched Emmerdale (but I didn't sit there and watch it with her until I was over 10).
So my question is, are we influenced by the soaps our parents watched? Or are there many of you for example who never watched Neighbours but decided when you were 25 to watch it, and became addicted?
Definitely for me. Tiffany's death was also my first "big storyline" memory of a soap. I think I would possibly have got into EE myself, but I doubt I ever would've watched Corrie if my family didn't watch it. For example, they didn't really watch ED so I do either now, even though it's better written than Corrie.
Yes! My Mum used to watch all the soaps when I was a child. It got to a point where there were just TOO many on though, so she dropped off the Australian ones. Now, she only watches Corrie and Eastenders. I was those, with added Emmerdale too.
I don't think there's much getting away from them now with how often they are on.
I was 'born into' Corrie. I can recall being about four years old and my favourite Corrie character was Mavis. My grandmother was a big fan of all of the soaps - including Neighbours and Home & Away - and I think I picked up my viewing habits from her. I still watch Corrie once or twice a week, but I'm by no means a dedicated fan.
Although I always watched EastEnders, I probably didn't become a committed 'fan' of the show until about 1999 - ie when it was absolutely *on fire* and miles ahead of the other soaps.
My mum watched Corrie, Emmerdale, Brookside and Eastenders when I was a kid and then my grandma, who used to babysit us, watched Home and Away so I got into all 5 of them. I have vague memories of some 1980s storylines when I was very young but didn't start watching avidly until the early 90s. Over the years I flitted between the soaps usually watching about three them at one time. I then got into Neighbours around 1999/2000 because my best friend at the time watched it and then finally started watching Hollyoaks around 2007ish because my then girlfriend watched it. So over the years ive watched all of them but never all at one time I usually only have two or three on the go at once but like to alternate
EE was on in my house for as long as I can remember. Corrie when it was big with the Richard Hillman plot was always watched then too. My grandma always watched emmerdale and Corrie so I'd watch them then. My older brother was always neighbours in the early 2000s so I stared watching that too.
Mark can I ask how you got into British soaps? I wouldn't imagine that they're aired on mainstream TV in the US are they?
I watch an Irish soap online, but I only got into it because my ex is Irish and I would watch it when I went to visit his family.
Well I had read an article a few years back about how American soaps were dying but British soaps were flourishing and awhile after that I got Hulu and saw that Coronation Street was on there so I started watching it just to see what it was like. I have to say though when I first turned it on I could not understand a word they were saying, I thought they were speaking another language.
Well I had read an article a few years back about how American soaps were dying but British soaps were flourishing and awhile after that I got Hulu and saw that Coronation Street was on there so I started watching it just to see what it was like. I have to say though when I first turned it on I could not understand a word they were saying, I thought they were speaking another language.
I remember when we used to go to Florida when I was a kid and my mum being flabbergasted that Soaps weren't a daily routine in the US. She found it really hard to comprehend that families sat down and watched shows like 'Everybody Loves Raymond' in the evening and that soaps weren't a TV staple in most homes!!
I remember when we used to go to Florida when I was a kid and my mum being flabbergasted that Soaps weren't a daily routine in the US. She found it really hard to comprehend that families sat down and watched shows like 'Everybody Loves Raymond' in the evening and that soaps weren't a TV staple in most homes!!
Well soaps were a staple, but a daytime one but yeah my childhood memories of prime time tv are watching Family Matters, Full House and other family sitcoms.
Well soaps were a staple, but a daytime one but yeah my childhood memories of prime time tv are watching Family Matters, Full House and other family sitcoms.
Yeah, i remember soaps were broadcast daily but seemed to be when the children were at school, so weren't really aimed at a family for evening viewing?
Yeah, i remember soaps were broadcast daily but seemed to be when the children were at school, so weren't really aimed at a family for evening viewing?
I used to love watching Sunset Beach!!
Yeah but when before I was school age I have memories of my mom watching soaps and during the summer when I was out of school. I believe my mom did the same because she remembers my Grandma watching the soaps in the early days of General Hospital and One Life To Live.
Well I had read an article a few years back about how American soaps were dying but British soaps were flourishing and awhile after that I got Hulu and saw that Coronation Street was on there so I started watching it just to see what it was like. I have to say though when I first turned it on I could not understand a word they were saying, I thought they were speaking another language.
:D I can imagine a sentence like "Gee us a barm cake chook" mightn't travel the Atlantic very well.
:D I can imagine a sentence like "Gee us a barm cake chook" mightn't travel the Atlantic very well.
LOL not at all. British people on American tv don't talk like that or have northern accents. I didn't even know there were different British accents until I watched Corrie.
LOL not at all. British people on American tv don't talk like that or have northern accents. I didn't even know there were different British accents until I watched Corrie.
Most of them seem to talk posh, like Emily on Friends, Geoffrey on Fresh Prince. The English accents in Frasier were notably bad, Daphne's boyfriend Clive and her brothers had atrocious accents
Comments
EastEnders, Neighbours, Waterloo Road, Brookie - I've watch 'em all, but I know where my
loyalty lies.
Actually, I say a couple of months ago. It could have been more.
Mark can I ask how you got into British soaps? I wouldn't imagine that they're aired on mainstream TV in the US are they?
I watch an Irish soap online, but I only got into it because my ex is Irish and I would watch it when I went to visit his family.
My first memory of it was Elsie Tanner's wedding to the American, when Harry Hewitt got crushed to death by Len Fairclough's van.
I was 2 months away from my 3rd birthday. I was shocked and I was hooked and I've barely missed an episode since.
I've watched Emmerdale since it started in 1972 but my unconditional love for The Street is different. I won't hear a word against it even when I know, deep down, it's going through a crappy period. It's like listening to someone slag off your mum.
Definitely for me. Tiffany's death was also my first "big storyline" memory of a soap. I think I would possibly have got into EE myself, but I doubt I ever would've watched Corrie if my family didn't watch it. For example, they didn't really watch ED so I do either now, even though it's better written than Corrie.
I don't think there's much getting away from them now with how often they are on.
Although I always watched EastEnders, I probably didn't become a committed 'fan' of the show until about 1999 - ie when it was absolutely *on fire* and miles ahead of the other soaps.
Now I'm just EastEnders
Well I had read an article a few years back about how American soaps were dying but British soaps were flourishing and awhile after that I got Hulu and saw that Coronation Street was on there so I started watching it just to see what it was like. I have to say though when I first turned it on I could not understand a word they were saying, I thought they were speaking another language.
That is so effing cute!!!!!
I remember when we used to go to Florida when I was a kid and my mum being flabbergasted that Soaps weren't a daily routine in the US. She found it really hard to comprehend that families sat down and watched shows like 'Everybody Loves Raymond' in the evening and that soaps weren't a TV staple in most homes!!
Well soaps were a staple, but a daytime one but yeah my childhood memories of prime time tv are watching Family Matters, Full House and other family sitcoms.
Yeah, i remember soaps were broadcast daily but seemed to be when the children were at school, so weren't really aimed at a family for evening viewing?
I used to love watching Sunset Beach!!
Yeah but when before I was school age I have memories of my mom watching soaps and during the summer when I was out of school. I believe my mom did the same because she remembers my Grandma watching the soaps in the early days of General Hospital and One Life To Live.
:D I can imagine a sentence like "Gee us a barm cake chook" mightn't travel the Atlantic very well.
LOL not at all. British people on American tv don't talk like that or have northern accents. I didn't even know there were different British accents until I watched Corrie.
Most of them seem to talk posh, like Emily on Friends, Geoffrey on Fresh Prince. The English accents in Frasier were notably bad, Daphne's boyfriend Clive and her brothers had atrocious accents