The History of the Soap Opera

The History of the Soap Opera

Soap operas have been one of the most popular forms of television in

the world, being the foremost genre in Britain for thirty-five years,

ever since the first episode of Coronation Street was screened in

1960. The continuous plots and new characters that viewers could

relate to sparked I new passion for the common soap opera. Ever since,

new soap operas have been released, still using the old ingredients

and standard story lines, still managing the captivate audiences on a

constant basis.

The original soap opera weren’t television programs as they are now.

The original soap opera began in the US in the 1920’s - 1930’s, when

the main form of entertainment was the radio. This was because

televisions were not commonplace in those times. Regional radio

stations began broadcasting. To attract listeners that were loyal to

one station, the stations would have continuous plot lines on every

day the listeners could tune into. Initially attracting female

listeners who had a regular schedule, e.g. housewives. Soon the

phenomenon make its way across the water to the shores of Britain, and

soap operas became the new obsession in Britain too.

The name ‘Soap opera’ comes from the advertisers of the original soap

operas. This was because radio stations relied mainly on income from

there sponsors, and as female audiences were the target audience, the

advertisers marketed toward them, advertising household products such

as soap, detergent and other cleaning products. The ‘opera’ was

because the plots were often dramatic and surreal as were the

theatrical operas of the time, hence the name ‘Soap Opera’.

To keep loyal listeners, radio stations would each have their own

different type of opera, however they all followed the same basic

plots involving romance, drama and topics the audience could relate

to, such as politics.

Soap operas were soon everywhere as they were very popular and very

cheap to produce, an ideal combination for the soap and radio

companies, however after the war listeners were flocking toward the