Welcome to the fifth in a series of 10 posts, written for a university assignment last year (I write this disclaimer in Nov 19), which required blogging about current issues in television. As a result, the material is rather dated/irrelevant now, and the tone a little more formal than I prefer, but I thought I'd publish it on here anyway as I put a lot of work into it. I hope you enjoy/find it insightful!...
18/01/19
Okay, let’s talk about Hollyoaks for a moment. This is a soap which has been running for 24 years now, and yet sometimes it still feels like the inferior little sister that the older soap operas stamp all over. Admittedly, the show does attract significantly fewer viewers than Emmerdale (ITV, 1972-), EastEnders (BBC One, 1985-) and Coronation Street (ITV, 1960-), but this does not mean that it should be shunned.
Rather unfairly, I feel I have somewhat neglected Hollyoaks so far in my exploration of how soaps represent the struggle for TV programmes to remain popular and relevant in an era swathed with current issues. How could I be so foolish as to brush off perhaps the most modern soap on British television; one which, perhaps due to its younger target audience (16-24) and broadcaster (Channel 4), is forced to keep up with contemporary trends in television consumption and has the means to do so.
Hollyoaks' flamboyant opening titles, which are regularly updated (Channel 4, 2016).
To illustrate this, let’s have a look at what makes Hollyoaks operate on an entirely separate level compared to its aforementioned rival soaps:
It is the only British soap aimed towards a teenage demographic and as such features a largely young cast.
It has a particularly cinematic style due to being shot single-camera, and uses non-diegetic music and graphics.
Episodes air a day before Channel 4 transmission on sister channel, E4.
I certainly feel that these three points relate very closely to some current issues in the industry today; remaining relevant to young people amidst online streaming options, the blurred lines between film and TV, and changes in distribution respectively.
I think it is brilliant that Hollyoaks is unafraid to branch out from what other soaps are doing and take a very un-British approach to their programme. Although the traditionalist in me prefers the day-to-day mundanity that can be found in the style and schedule of the other soaps, I do appreciate that the powers that be over at Channel 4 are brave enough to make their own definition of soap. Perhaps this is also due to the lower viewing figures that Hollyoaks receives in comparison to the other soaps; it can afford to take risks as it is not taking these risks in front of such a big audience.
Furthermore, due to the soap’s relatively young age, it does not have a loyal, older fanbase to appease, and does not have a history of being a traditional soap. Therefore, it is understandable that Coronation Street, Emmerdale and EastEnders, whom are all in opposite situations, are seemingly rather tentative to follow in Hollyoaks’ footsteps.
A clip of Hollyoaks, demonstrating its use of a cinematic style and non-diegetic music (Channel 4, 2019).
A clear contrast in style to Hollyoaks is evident in this Coronation Street clip (ITV, 2019).
However, it cannot be denied that these other three soaps need to focus a larger proportion of their energies into re-invention so as to gain younger viewers and prevent themselves from being seen as members of an outdated, irrelevant genre. Whilst they all have social media teams who give their shows a presence on sites such as Twitter and Instagram, they should be thinking about what else they could do to remain a force to be reckoned with on the television schedules.
Featuring better stories for younger cast members would be a good first move. Look back to only last decade, and young characters were at the forefront of some of the most popular soap stories: Sarah-Lou’s teenage pregnancy in Coronation Street in 2000 and EastEnders’ Zoe Slater finding out her sister was her mother in 2001. Nowadays, young characters seem to be plot devices, or they are quickly written out of a soap, such as 17-year-old Hunter Owen in EastEnders who is leaving after only a year, with barely any storylines to his name.
Moreover, the drab style of Hollyoaks’ rivals looks almost amateurish in comparison to the glossy, high-budget dramas being produced left, right and centre by Netflix, and the lack of late-night repeats of soaps is another fault which prevents potential coups of new, younger viewers. For example, repeats of Coronation Street and Emmerdale usually air at midday the next day; a time when young people are usually at school, university or working. As for EastEnders, repeats are no longer shown, as the 10pm repeats on BBC Three were scrapped along with the channel.
These three factors are all areas which Hollyoaks have already addressed, and they certainly set a great example to their rival soaps. Even though Hollyoaks receives lower ratings, it is still successful, especially when you consider its niche market and the fact that it is not broadcast on the BBC or ITV. They are succeeding in retaining a young audience, and their experiments with unusual distribution and genre-bending have worked a treat. It seems Hollyoaks is due some well-earned respect from its older sisters, as they could learn a lot from their younger counterpart when it comes to facing current issues head-on.
-ASIS
Comments