hey,
looks like there will be 7 episodes of Emmerdale in 2 week's time.
Corrie was on 6 times last week so we're moving towards 7 days/times a week for ITV soaps

I hope not. I personally think Corrie 5 times a week and Emmerdale 6 times is far too much. The scripts are running thinner and thinner and the shows are getting worse. Sure, they still get viewers but I think that's besides te point. 3 times a week is more than ample. In the current state, it can't be long beofre viewers start voting with teir remotes and turning off.I have already compalined to ITV about soap overkill, not that they seem to care. 7 times a week is FAR too much, and if this does happen, it really will show with overworked actors, scriptwriters and long, boring stretched out storylines. Wait a minute, aren't we seeing this anyway? Personally, I don't think it's long before the actors start moaning about soap overkill.

the older actors are already moaning but that's because they're lazy gits who thought they would only have to shoot 3 episodes/week for the rest of their lives when they started acting.
Australia & NZ have already proved 5 episodes/week is perfectly manageable.
The thing is, the British people don't mind overly stretched storylines & scenes or soaps focusing for months on the misery of characters,
hence the success of Eastenders. That's why I don't think there would be an outcry if these shows went out 7 days a week.
You wouldn't see that in Oz where people like shows where stuff actually happens and the pace is much faster (that's the main difference between Neighbours & Eastenders and that's why they don't have British soaps on their TV).
Also 3 days a week (more than ample) is actually like a drama, isn't it ?
Anyway the most effective way to improve a soap is not by changing the number of times it is on, the only way you can change things is by switching off (which is let's face it not going to happen as people are used to watch something on the telly around 7/8PM).

VERY much doubt we'll get 7 episodes a week on a regular basis.

And 6 a week IS too much, simple as. Fewer episodes means less padding, more time for actors to rehearse, more entertainnig episodes as a whole and you feel like you actually look forward to watching than it being a chore sometimes. I'd still watch no matter what, I thoroughly enjoy Emmerdale, but the fact is we don't NEED another episode, we don't need 6. The quantity over quality thing may show eventually, and it's as this point viewers may very slowly but surely tail off. Even if they don't - we are entitled to have decent shows, we shouldn't have to put up with lacking, flat shows because of this..
However, if they can keep up superb episodes constantly for that amount of time, then fine. Emmerdale this week has been superb, next week looks to be brilliant as well. But it's still a bit annoying when it's on nearly every day and as a result you find yourself missing the odd few here and there..

And of course, Eastenders only has 4 but is utterly dire compared to the other two in the last 18 months.

Oh and calling actors lazy is a bit unfair. Some of them work extremely hard doing up to 20+ scenes a day, hugely long hours and when they're not onscreen they have to move here and there from dusk till dawn which no doubt gets tiresome at times. The old people have to do this much less, but then that's just it - they're old. Emily in corrie must be in her 70s. A lot of people at that age are perfectly fit and can manage it, but for most it would get very wearing. I certainly can't imagine MY nan doing it...

drifter,
i agree 5 episodes is enough.
Talking about Emily is a bit extreme though, how old is she ?
Anyway I don't think she can complain as she's rarely on anyway.
I was referring to Baldwin who did complain and I know there are others too.
Anyway they shouldn't complain too much as if they play their cards right they can have a job for life
And yes Emmerdale is good again, since the hospital/prison storylines have finished.

well maybe people will get so bored with all of the soaps they will switch over to somthing better

Emily and Rita are in their seventies while Betty is 83/84 in real life.

Seven episodes is way, way too much. The storylines on Emmerdale are already bad enough sometimes.

i know (less than the other soaps though), it could work though,if they hired more storyliners and got rid of Jarvis, Pearl, Steph and Phat Shelley (replace them with interesting characters/likeable actors).

I remember when Emmerdale went to three episodes a week and it seemed like too many...

Personally 5 is enough. It was kind of annoying when Emmerdale was at 3. As it finished on a Thursday and then you had to wait till a Tuesday for it to come back! However I don't like the episodes on Sundays!

3 is just bonkers, 5 is the magic number.
Sunday episodes are good because all the soaps are mostly on during the week and there isn't much on at the weekend.

When Emmerdale was on 2 times a week Tuesday & Thursday it was much better, but 7 times a week no thats too much.

I found a link to this petition a while ago now I think by someone by the name shewolf (I think a member of DigitalSpy)

http://www.petitiononline.com/emerdale/petition.html

One of the things I noticed when I came over here to the UK was the differences between our American Soaps and yours. Our soaps are usually on during the day. they are all 5 times a week and each episode is one hour in length, We did have a few 30 minute soaps but I think they are all gone now. We don't do any Sunday Omnibusses but we have 4 soaps per network so it would be very difficult.
I agree with what they said about weak story lines. Some of our story lines drag on for years.

Good Lord . How many networks? I presume that's just the main ones anyway...

Then again, BBC1 has 3 (Doctors is on there, right?) - one in the afternoon, one early evening (an import), and the other a couple of hours later at primetime.

I suppose what makes it seem worse with ours, is they're mostly on in the evening, whereas the daytime ones you don't notice so much...

I love soaps but I think that Eastenders, Emmerdale and Corrie St should all go back to 3 times a week. These days the storylines are too repetetive and often dragged out far too long.Sometimes you can watch an episode and feel like you've seen it before because they just keep repeating the same old lines again and again. Some of the other characters get forgotten about and end up being under used and then axed.Like the current doctor in EE for instance.

i llke emmerdale but i think they just about carry off 6 eps a week,can't see how they can do 7,unles they introduce more characters,which could be confusing-ever seen brazilian 'novelas'where characters are in an ep then not seen for weeks?bit like the old crossroads i guess

they could do some real farming storylines, and the Dingles have a lot of potential (Cain's not been used for months, Zach could find an occupation...), have they ever been real farmers ?