Soap Opera History

History of Soap Opera

Soap Opera is a phrase which was first developed in the 1930’s in the USA. It was used to describe a radio series that was sponsored by a well known soap powder hence “soap”. The “Opera” part came from the idea that these were problems and other dramatic or melodramatic situations.

By the 1950’s all over the USA these serials had made it to the TV screen. They soon spread to across the world and their popularity grew by the million.

In the UK Soap Opera’s began on the radio on the BBC. In 1951 the BBC brought the public the radio soap opera The Archers, which is now the world’s longest running soap opera. The Archers attract over 25% of radio listeners in the UK.

The longest running TV Soap Opera is Coronation Street which was first aired on TV, December 1960.

After the massive success of American Soap Opera’s like Dallas, soap opera’s suddenly became extremely popular in the 1980’s. One of the biggest soap opera’s Eastenders started 19^th February 1985.

The success of the Australian soaps Home and Away and Neighbours made the British Soap Opera Producers reconsider there target audience and the characters. The Australian Soaps were attracting teenagers, so the British needed to attract teenagers, so Hollyoaks began on 23^rd October 1995, which today is the largest teenage soap opera. Through taking this move soap opera’s are far more popular today.