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Why are there no longer new soaps?


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Old 27-12-2016, 17:05
Hollyoaks14
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I looked at when the soaps I watch started.

Corrie - 1960
Emmerdale - 1972
EastEnders - 1985
Neighbours - 1985
Casualty - 1986
Home and Away - 1988
Hollyoaks - 1995
Holby City - 1999
Doctors - 2000
River City - 2002

What on earth happened?
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:09
Hollyoaks14
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Oh ok I just found out about a soap called Waterlook Road but still its not on since 2014.
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:15
PDS1985
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I think since 2001 apart from River City and Waterloo Road the only other new soap didn't last very long it was called Night and Day and ran between 2001 and 2003:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_and_Day_(TV_series)

Even Kylie sang the theme song for it's opening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU4shAzs0ek

Although I remember it was mostly about the missing Jane Harper didn't they find out she died in the end?
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:43
Scrabbler
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We don't need new soaps just for the sake of them, I like variety. I wouldn't want to watch ten programs that are all quite similar.
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:44
Danny_Francis
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It would be a brave choice to create a new one in this day and age, although I've thought that Newcastle or Liverpool could do with one as they are the only two major English cities without one
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:47
Andybear
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We don't need new soaps just for the sake of them, I like variety. I wouldn't want to watch ten programs that are all quite similar.
Same here. I only watch one soap - Emmerdale. I watch a wide variety of programmes - historical, natural history, all sorts. I'd get bored watching lots of soaps.
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:49
Scrabbler
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Same here. I only watch one soap - Emmerdale. I watch a wide variety of programmes - historical, natural history, all sorts. I'd get bored watching lots of soaps.
I only really watch fictional TV shows, I think the bake off is the only non fictional to show I watch and Pointless occasionally.

Saying that, if they did a coastal soap I'd give it a go.
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:52
kitkat1971
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Scripted reality shows are effectively the soaps created in the last 10 years. Things like Made in Chelsea and TOWIE.
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:52
Scrabbler
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It would be a brave choice to create a new one in this day and age, although I've thought that Newcastle or Liverpool could do with one as they are the only two major English cities without one
Sheffield? Coventry? Bradford? Bristol?
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:53
Scrabbler
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Scripted reality shows are effectively the soaps created in the last 10 years. Things like Made in Chelsea and TOWIE.
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Old 27-12-2016, 17:56
Danny_Francis
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Sheffield? Coventry? Bradford? Bristol?
Emmerdale generally covers the region of Yorkshire. Doctors generally covers the midlands. Yeah Bristol is worth a mention too. Liverpool though is a bigger city and a greater attraction
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:00
Scrabbler
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Emmerdale generally covers the region of Yorkshire. Doctors generally covers the midlands. Yeah Bristol is worth a mention too. Liverpool though is a bigger city and a greater attraction
I've never watched doctors on a full the basis, I just caught an episode here and there when I still lived at home almost ten years ago so it may have changed. But it never seemed to be an authentic representation of the West Midlands. If you were lucky you might get the odd character who would do a poor imitation of the brummie accent. But most didn't bother.
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:02
xItzDannyx
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Sheffield? Coventry? Bradford? Bristol?
BIB - There'd be constant complaints about how half the cast as "chavs" and students!
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:05
Tomski12
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What about an English language soap set in Wales?
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:07
Zeke_Zoom
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Wasn't Brookside set in Liverpool?

Crossroads was set somewhere near Birmingham if I remember correctly (mythical Kings Oak?)

Albion Market was the London soap which failed spectacularly before they invented Eastenders.

Perhaps the one that killed any new soap was El Dorado - which set the bar for production values but was ridiculously expensive to keep going - apart from the crap storylines which caught no-one's attention.

My 2p'th

Zeke
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:07
kitkat1971
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Emmerdale generally covers the region of Yorkshire. Doctors generally covers the midlands. Yeah Bristol is worth a mention too. Liverpool though is a bigger city and a greater attraction
Holby is Bristol by another name, complete with references to docks, being close to Bath, shots of Clifton Suspension Bridge.

So two soaps are set there, even if not filmed there.
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:10
Danny_Francis
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What about an English language soap set in Wales?
Well they have Pobol Y Cwm, the whole idea was to have a distinctly Welsh soap it sets them apart from the rest. Don't think it would be accepted
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:15
attitude99
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What about an English language soap set in Wales?
Good idea but it would probably be a crossover between EastEnders and Gavin & Stacey.

Wasn't Brookside set in Liverpool?

Crossroads was set somewhere near Birmingham if I remember correctly (mythical Kings Oak?)

Albion Market was the London soap which failed spectacularly before they invented Eastenders.

Perhaps the one that killed any new soap was El Dorado - which set the bar for production values but was ridiculously expensive to keep going - apart from the crap storylines which caught no-one's attention.

My 2p'th

Zeke
BIB: Albion Market was actually set in Manchester and contrasted to Corrie at the time as it was more modern and gritty.

Instead of new soaps being created, perhaps some of the more regional soaps (like River City) could be given a national slot instead?
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:15
Andybear
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Well they have Pobol Y Cwm, the whole idea was to have a distinctly Welsh soap it sets them apart from the rest. Don't think it would be accepted
I'm not so sure. There are many areas in Wales where English is the native language - I was born and spent the first 24 years of my life in one of them - and I think it would go down well and hopefully dispel the ideas a lot of non-Welsh people have about Welsh people.
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:15
PDS1985
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Some more past soap locations:

Night and Day - Greenwich
Family Affairs - outer fictional suburb of London called Charnham
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:17
Hollyoaks14
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Well they have Pobol Y Cwm, the whole idea was to have a distinctly Welsh soap it sets them apart from the rest. Don't think it would be accepted
They speak welsh though - I only speak English (I learnt a little bit of German but I cant say much)
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:18
PDS1985
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How about a new soap set in Ipswich or Norwich?
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:27
cyrilandshirley
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There was a new one last year - Red Rock, set near Dublin, started 2015. Think you can only see that in Ireland, but not sure.

So you might sometimes see a new soap, but only if it fills a clear gap in the market - a different country or a different type of community. I can't see many people wanting to experiment with new soaps though, the format is pretty much played out, and it would cost a fortune to try to get one off the ground, only for it to bomb.
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Old 27-12-2016, 18:30
Danny_Francis
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They speak welsh though - I only speak English (I learnt a little bit of German but I cant say much)
Tried watching once using subtitles, I just couldn't keep up with it
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