Stock Characters in Soap Programmes

Often in soaps the stock characters are stereotypical; they have functions which we recognise them for. 


For example:

• The grandparent figure (matriarch)- a wise old person, usually female. This character helps others with their problems with advice and support. He/she has lots of contact with many of the other characters. Sometimes the character will not be related to any others, but will serve this function. For example: in EastEnders Pat Butcher who many marriages have left her with connections to almost everyone in Albert Square.
• The strong woman- an independent, powerful, aggressive woman. She can usually be found at the center of conflicts. Often, this hard, aggressive woman will be revealed to have a soft side that she keeps hidden. Usually it will be exposed by a new love interest whose sudden and inevitable departure in the future will only serve to make the woman even tougher than before. 
• Jack-the-lad- a male character that manipulates others to his own ends. often the stock 'baddie'. This character may become softened over time, and this often leads to him becoming the comic relief of the soap.
• Young couple- a couple that bravely face the difficulties of life through their own serious relationship problems. Too many to mention- every single British soap has had one set on the  go at any one time.
• Troublesome oldie- an older, grumpy, meddling, interfering character, always be with their nose in everyone else's business. For all their faults this character is still loved for their generally good intentions. The archetype has been created by Coronation Street's Violet Carson.
• Feisty young female- a strong-willed girl, almost always young, who desires independence. She is usually argumentative and miserable. 
• The boss figure- usually male, in a position of authority, either as landlord of the local pub or as owner of some other business that has an involvement in the lives of other characters. He continues his natural authority and leadership into his personal life. He has in the past been combined with the jack-the-lad character. 

Stock Characters in HollyOaks:

Thug:                                     

                
This can be associated with Vladimir Propp's theory that whatever surface differences there night be in the stories, it is possible to group the characters into character roles. 

Settings in Soap Programmes

• Workplace/Community place (e.g. a square) 
• Meeting place (e.g. a pub, cafe) -a place to be sociable and gossip. Major events from soap history have happened in these places as they are mentioned in practically every episode. Their important position in the soap makes them symbolic to the programme. 
• Individual homes- create realism, place for privacy and family interaction. 
• Most British soaps all tend to have a strong regional identity: for example, in EastEnders it is set in the East End of London and in Coronation Street it is set in Manchester. Although these soap programmes attract many viewers, especially those who live in the region, they also make the soap setting seem realistic.
• Soaps set in rural areas tend to have a smaller community and fewer characters than an urban setting.

EastEnders Settings: 

 Coronation Street Settings:

Can we read soaps as Social Documents?

Soaps are 'junk TV', easy to follow and limited in stimulation of the mind.

• Because soaps are 'easy viewing', they do not demand any intellectual activity on the part of the viewer. 
• Soaps are ridiculously far fetched, with an incredible number of incidents constantly happening to a small number of people. 
• Soaps encourage to see life in very simple, black and white ways.
• The tabloid press focus so heavily on events in soaps that people lose sight of the distinction between reality and television, characters and actors/actresses. 

However, defense of soap operas say:

• Soaps reflect the society in which we live and encourage us to reflect on our own lives and attitudes.
• Soaps are hugely popular because they are relevant to the lives of the audience.
• Soaps reflect social issues in a topical, challenging and responsible way, maintaining a balance between drama and realism.
• Soaps depict ordinary people, different genders, and people from different ethnic backgrounds in positive ways.

About the BBC

The BBC is the largest broadcasting organisation in the world. Its mission is to enrich people's lives with programmes that inform, educate and entertain.

It is a public service broadcaster, established by a Royal Charter and funded by the licence fee that is paid by UK households.

The BBC uses the income from the licence fee to provide services including 8 national TV channels plus regional programming, 10 national radio stations, 40 local radio stations and an extensive website.

BBC World Service broadcasts to the world on radio, on TV and online, providing news and information in 32 languages. It is funded by a government grant, not from the licence fee.

The BBC also has a commercial arm, BBC Worldwide. Its profits are returned to the BBC for investment in new programming and services.

Michael Grade was responsible for introducing stripped and stranded schedules to BBC television in his role as controller of BBC 1: from 18 February 1985 onward the schedule has consisted entirely of half-hour or one-hour programmes starting on the hour, or half hour (the BBC channels do not carry spot advertising).

Research on Soap Title Sequences

EastEnders     


Eastenders has had the same theme tune for the past 25 years. The drum beat at the beginning of the theme tune is the start of the interpellation; the audience recognise this tune as Eastenders. There is a picture of the Thames which is typical iconography of London. The theme tune repeats itself (almost as if it is on a loop) and it is very simple and easy to remember. It almost sounds like an orchestral piece and therefore sounds old-fashioned, perhaps representing the soap's long running history. The writing of 'EastEnders' is a serif font which looks casual and traditional; catching the audience's eye. There is also a BBC logo on the title sequence promoting the BBC as it has a good reputation for dramas. Overall, the title sequence lasts for 40 seconds running into the opening scene creating a sound bridge.

HollyOaks      


The colours, characters, music, pace of editing and style indicate that this soap is aimed at the younger generation contrasting directly to Eastenders. The music of the theme tune has been produced by much better technology and has also been synthesized. The title sequence is 1 minute and 10 seconds long including the 'previously' section. The title sequence has obscure camera shots and angles, fast cuts and is more visual, once again highlighting its target audience. It has a completely different narrative structure to Eastenders and follow Barthes' theory; gives the audience enigma codes so they can guess what will happen in the episode.

How does an Eastenders extract demonstrate soap conventions?

• An established location- Albert Square. This location represents the safe environment for the characters as it is a place of familiarity and continuity; it also creates a sense of community.

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  A meeting place- Queen Victoria. This is the social place where all the characters are often seen; it is also normally where all the drama happens in the soap programme and gives the programme a sense of syntagm. 
  
  
  

  

  
  
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  In this extract there are also many shot-reverse-shots showing when the characters are talking which can help create emotions between characters. The soap programme also includes the conventions of diegetic sound, naturalistic lighting and theme music at the beginning to start off the interpellation.
  
  
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  This extract also denotes rivalry between families- for example the Mitchells and the Beales, which connotes secrets between all the characters in the programme. Here we see the dramatic irony as the audience know everything. 
  
  
• There are also many stereotypes in the soap extract, such as people of different homosexuality, race, age, etc.

Uses and Gratifications

• Diversion (entertainment)
• Surveillance (information)
• Personal Identity (identity with characters)
• Personal Relationships (social)

This audience theory relates to soaps as they make us think about our lives; we connect with characters on the programmes as they may reflect troubles or situations that have happened in our family life. This audience theory also reminds me of the purpose of the BBC; to inform, educate and entertain.