BRITAIN’S top soaps are in crisis - and it’s worse than you think. Coronation Street, Emmerdale, EastEnders and Hollyoaks are part of the national identity - especially Corrie. For more than 60 years it has entertained, informed and amused millions upon millions - and shaped the course of television throughout the world.
But the days of soaps pulling in tens of millions of viewers is over - and though they remain the most-watched shows on television, the economic challenges they face puts the future of our TV industry in serious harm. BBC daytime soap Doctors wrapped production earlier this year and shut down what was an incredibly important part of the television ecosystem in this country . Through it the BBC provided a training ground and entry-point into the industry for mainly working class talent.
Talent that may now never get the chance to prove themselves. And I’m not just talking about actors - but about every part of television production. Writers, producers, costumers, make-up artists - they all play roles in making the television that people love to watch but if they can’t get into the industry, where does that leave us? It would be very easy to focus on the well-known success stories - the Sarah Lancashires, Suranne Jones , Michelle Keegans of the world.
They all got their start on soaps - Corrie to be precise - a soap that has historically and still to this day casts many of its actors from local theatre groups. It could be argued that their talents would.
