I can't think of a new soap started within the last ten years and I was wondering whether there was even a gap for one any more, but having watched some old Night and Day episodes, I do think it would be nice to have a suburban-type soap, maybe set somewhere in the South for a bit of change. None of the British soaps look particularly nice places to live so a more desirable location might be interesting. Trouble in paradise and all that.

Do you think there's any chance for a new soap- maybe even one based around a particular work environment such as Crossroads (laughed my head off at the 2003 one)? Or is it a case of people only watching the ones they are familiar with?

i doubt it, the soap bubble is about to burst. i think we will be left with the archers, corrie and possibly eastenders long term.

Ireland is launching a new one soon so I guess we will find out before long

I don't think a new soap could survive the critics on this site

That's interesting. I wonder if England would follow suit. In a way I hope they do as even if the soap in question was a flop, it shakes things up a little rather than having three war horses and the runner-up competing with each other.

Also, the majority of soap characters are either working class or upper class, so it would be nice to see a different set of class values. For example, middle class is associated (stereotypically) with being concerned about personal reputation, judgemental towards neighbours, hypocritical, etc. No one in soaps can keep a secret nowadays and everyone is shouting from the rooftops about their affairs and misdemeanors.

It would have to be a small niche soap to survive as there no spave for another major soap imo.It would probably need to be on twice a week maximum also.

The only way is essex is a soap of sorts.

i see Dallas has been moved to a 10pm slot.

I think the relative success of Doctors could easily be replicated but I can't see a new soap coming anywhere close ratings wise to the "Big Three", even if you did give it a better slot than Doctors' daytime one.

I reckon Footballers Wives could have worked as a soap. It would fit in with the OP's idea of a surburban lifestyle that isn't as rosy as it seems.

*shudders*

It's a sad state of affairs, isn't it, when people would rather watch the 'real' lives of trashy narcissists than a well-written piece of fiction?

That could be good. Even though the move to Scotland killed it off, Waterloo Road would have worked well as a soap I think.

Something like Footballers Wives could be good; I'd like a knowing soap that didn't take itself too seriously. One advantage Hollyoaks has over the other soaps is that it can essentially parody the genre and get away with dark humour without people feeling detached from it. If there was another 'shock' soap- I'd quite like a late-night gem, a sort of cult hit- Hollyoaks could move back to the remit of being for young people.