The Decline of Soaps

[holey]

I do miss Holby City, as good as Waterloo Road is I never understood the decision to axe Holby and replace with Waterloo Road. With the demise of Holby and Doctors now finished filming, Hollyoaks being cut down to 3, that will no doubt be gone by their 30th by the end of 2025, I can't see Waterloo Road lasting much longer, I can see Casualty bowing out on its 40th in 2026 and which of the big 3 will go first? Corrie, Emmerdale or EastEnders? Does the BBC need continuing drama?  I think a resurgent ITV who has had a strong start to 2024 can see a life without soap which would have been unthinkable 3 years ago.

[CAEF]

I have a feeling Easties will go first.

Neighbours was axed but got a reprieve, but for how long?

H&A should have been axed in about 2005.

[holey]

Mar 3, 2024 16:29:38 GMT CAEF said:

I have a feeling Easties will go first.

Neighbours was axed but got a reprieve, but for how long?

H&A should have been axed in about 2005.

Possibly, but the bigger decline in ratings is from Corrie and Emmerdale and the BBC's funding is secure to an extent.  Although EastEnders is the third soap the gap between the 3 is quite small now.

When ITV can get a better return on other programming that may be cheaper I can see their soaps going.  ITV will sacrifice Emmerdale first and keep Corrie nothing so sure. 

I suppose you could argue the BBC don't need soap or need to rely on soap so perhaps EastEnders could be first?  In EastEnders favour the BBC are coaxing their audience to watch in other ways and on other devises, preparing for an all streaming service, unlike ITV who rely on their dwindling linear audience watching when the episode is going out. I suspect this is because the EastEnders audience is younger. 

A good example of this was the FA cup Football messed the soap schedule around on ITV and BBC One.  You had to wait to watch the ITV soaps until the channel aired them, you could watch the next episode of EastEnders on iplayer from 6 am.  EastEnders adds over a million viewers from iplayer. The next 5 years will be interesting. Long gone are the days when the soaps were number 1 in the ratings.

[CAEF]

Yes ITV will always favour Corrie over Emmerdale for some weird reason. I guess because Corrie is almost 12 years older and was the first major British soap, then Crossroads, even if Granada and ATV created them for the ITV network.

[holey]

Mar 3, 2024 18:30:16 GMT CAEF said:

Yes ITV will always favour Corrie over Emmerdale for some weird reason. I guess because Corrie is almost 12 years older and was the first major British soap, then Crossroads, even if Granada and ATV created them for the ITV network.

 Corrie does rate higher and generates more money for the channel and has a bigger fan base.

[CAEF]

Mar 3, 2024 22:16:31 GMT holey said:

Mar 3, 2024 18:30:16 GMT CAEF said:

Yes ITV will always favour Corrie over Emmerdale for some weird reason. I guess because Corrie is almost 12 years older and was the first major British soap, then Crossroads, even if Granada and ATV created them for the ITV network.

 Corrie does rate higher and generates more money for the channel and has a bigger fan base.

Also Corrie is much more iconic. I bet many people will say "Who's she" about Annie Sugden, but hardly anyone will say "Who's she?" about Ena Sharples or Bet Lynch.

Meg Mortimer, Amy Turtle and Benny Hawkins are virtually up there with Ena and Elsie in soap iconic characters. Especially Meg. Nothing can be said about even Cain Dingle, Annie Sugden or Kim Tate.

[Nathan]

I can't imagine the soaps going anytime soon.

Plus, didn't the BBC invest in a new set for EastEnders not long ago?

[CAEF]

Also I cannot see them reducing their episode output, if they did, the quality would no doubt return.

I think Neighbours and Home And Away are partly to blame for the British soaps going more episodes a week, and focusing on younger characters.

[holey]

Mar 5, 2024 22:08:35 GMT Nathan said:

I can't imagine the soaps going anytime soon.

Plus, didn't the BBC invest in a new set for EastEnders not long ago?

It did but they are selling Elstree and re renting part of the lot where EastEnders is filmed, so I suppose keeping all options open. 

[holey]

Little mischief making    In a word not a cat in hells chance. Little is trying to draw attention onto Corrie away from EastEnders and its low Thursday night rating knowing full well EastEnders is digging a big hole for itself with the six storyline and I don't mean where Keanu is buried.

[CAEF]

Crossroads got axed twice, so like Emmerdale would be, both soaps (ED and Xroads) would be axed over Corrie any day.

[roverman]

He’s got an axe to grind because he started out at Corrie but was never considered for the top job, he then claims he was pushed out and is now at Easties perhaps determined to see Corrie go to the wall as some kind of bizarre revenge.

There was also some weird Twitter fight with Melanie Hill and Kate Ford.

He was an excellent historian and as a writer he does seem to work hard to ensure continuity and history is remembered by the characters in their scripts, but maybe he wouldn’t have the nous to be the top boss?

[CAEF]

I even suggested to him on Twitter that they revisit the Wicksy paternity storyline, but Pat was 99.9% sure the father was Brain Wicks though, thus making Simon a Wicks not a Beale. I always hoped Kenny Beale was the father.