UK soap operas like Coronation Street and EastEnders tend to focus on working class characters and social issues rather than wealthy glamorous characters. They embrace their locations and feature stereotypical accents and occupations. EastEnders is set in London's East End and features tough working class lives, while Coronation Street is set in Manchester and portrays "northern straight talking". Soap operas use stock stereotypical characters like villains, schemers, and long-suffering characters to appeal to audiences and drive storylines. Bringing back past characters can also boost ratings, like when EastEnders brought back the villainous character "Dirty Den" in 2003.

1. Realism
Soap operas from the United Kingdom tend to focus on more everyday
characters and situations, and are frequently set in working class
environments rather than the typically attractive, seductive, glamorous
and wealthy characters shown in American daytime soaps.
Lots of UK soap operas explore social realist storylines such as
family discord, marriage breakdown, or financial
problems.
UK soaps also tend to embrace their location as a large factor of the
program, playing to stereotypes such as accent, occupations and
costume. EastEnders focuses on the tough, grim life in London's east
end
Coronation Street is set in Manchester and its characters exhibit the
stereotypical characteristic of "Northern straight talking".

2. •EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United
Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985
•EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the
people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the
East End of London.
•The series was originally screened as two half-hour episodes per week. Since
August 2001, four episodes are broadcast each week on BBC One, with each
episode being repeated on BBC Three at 22:30 and an omnibus edition on
BBC One at weekends.
•It is one of the UK's highest-rated programmes, often appearing near or at
the top of the week's BARB ratings

3. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aipV-
TwEjA
Den’s return to Walford in 2003.

4. Stereotypes of Realism
Realism soaps such as Coronation Street and Eastenders always have similar stereotypical characters. The
characters are used for many reasons such as, so the audience forms an opinion on them, whether it be
good or bad, it will still keep audiences watching the soap as they want to see what happens to the
character. Another reason is the soap is full of people of different ages so the soap appeals to a wide
audience.
A big stereotypical character used is characters that come across ‘larger than life’, so audiences will either love
them or hate them. There is usually enough characters to populate the rotating plotlines. For example Kat
Moon in Eastenders who has been the main character in many storylines.
A ‘scheming villainess’ also appears in these soap operas, a woman who presents herself as a victim but only
does so get what she wants. For example Tracy Barlow in Coronation Street.
The ‘long suffering woman’ this stereotype is used so, many viewers identify with the character and regard her
as almost a friend.
A handsome young male is another stereotype for realism soap operas. The character is often rebellious and
available, and appeals to a teenage audience.
The most stereotypical character of soap is the ‘villain’, who appears to always planning to do
something to ruin his rivals, but always ends up punished in the end. However soaps such as
Eastenders tend to bring back the villain on some occasions to boost viewers or to put a twist
on a story line. For example when Eastenders brought back ‘Dirty Den’. Den left the soap
1989, then after believing that he had been killed by ‘The Firm’ he came back into Eastenders
in 2003.

5. • Coronation Street is a British television soap opera set in Wethersfield, a
fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford.
• Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The show
has been on the air for over 51 years. Coronation Street is produced by
ITV Granada Television under ITV Studios and shown in all ITV regions.
• Since first being aired, it has been one of the most financially lucrative
programmes on British commercial television, underpinning the success
of its broadcaster ITV and its franchise Granada Television. On 17
September 2010, it became the world's longest-running TV soap opera in
production, after the United States soap opera As the World Turns ended
• Ken Barlow is Coronation Streets longest actor

6. By 1984, Ken Barlow was the only character from the original
cast who remained in the soap.
He became the only original character to remain with the show
continuously into 2010, its 50th year.

7. • Emmerdale, known as Emmerdale Farm until 1989, is a long-running
British soap opera set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994).
• Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October
1972. It is produced by Yorkshire Television, now part of ITV Studios, and
has been filmed at their Yorkshire Studios since its inception.
• It has since been shown in all regions of ITV almost throughout its
existence. It is the UK's second oldest soap opera and the third most
popular behind Coronation Street and EastEnders

8. • Neighbours
• Home and Away
• Hollyoaks
• Doctors

9. Popular storylines have also seen an increase in viewer numbers, such as the jailing
of Deirdre Rachid in 1998 as well as large media coverage, such as the sacking of
Peter Adamson (Len Fairclough) in 1983. Some storylines are seen as having caused
controversy among viewers and in the media due to the sudden sacking of an actor
by the programme's producer or as a result of a topic or theme that openly shocked
viewers or was seen as taboo.
Deirdre Rachid jailed
On the 29 March 1998, Deirdre Rachid was sent to prison after a former lover
implicated her in a bank fraud scheme. A campaign led by tabloid newspapers and
the occasional graffiti artist, with the slogan of "Free the Weatherfield One!",
petitioned the Home Secretary to become involved on Deirdre's behalf. Even Tony
Blair called for Deirdre to be freed. After three weeks, Deirdre was released from
prison and four different newspapers claimed victory for themselves and their
readers. However, the producers of the programme had planned the entire time for
Deirdre to stay in prison for three weeks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/71934.stm

10. FAMILY AFFAIRS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgUf9hlTnnU&feature=fvst
Famous and shocking scenes as Kat Slater, played by Jesse Wallace, reveals
she is really the mother of 'sister' Zoe, played by Michelle Ryan. Classic
moment from smash hit BBC soap opera, EastEnders