Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

This is interesting, because there was a time, not so long ago, when the soaps were only on once a week. Then they went up to a couple of times a week and now it seems to be wall-to-wall. All they're actually doing is reverting back to a means of telling the story that was obviously successful, because it was that way for years and the soaps maintained their popularity and their ratings throughout that time.

Has viewer attention span really changed so much that if you're not getting it via an IV drip you lose interest in it?

Also, I couldn't give fewer smegs about any soap opera.

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

My only reaction if I accidentally tune into a soap is to ask "Who the hell is that?

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

The Archers is digging into their archives - quite a lot of material there.

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

Isnt that a Radio show ?

Surely they could easily continue making new episodes of that :confused:

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

It's extremely difficult to capture dialogue consistently when people aren't being recorded in the same space. You don't notice it quite as much on TV but it's often quite obvious on radio. If it was as simple as sending kit out to the actors' homes I'm sure they'd have done it, as they have with several live radio presenters. It doesn't matter that Ken Bruce's audio characteristics are a bit different when he broadcasts from home, but the sound editors on the Archers go to such great lengths to create the illusion of characters standing together open fields, kitchens and wherever else, I can see why they might not be keen to start with dialogue recordings that would spoil the illusion from the outset.

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

Does anything ever happen in the Archers? Isn't lockdown ideal for them anyway.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p01pgzx0

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

It moves slowly, that’s for sure. I used to drive a fair bit for work, and if I was in the car after lunch maybe once every couple of weeks I could always pick up what was going on. I quite enjoyed it. Soaps don’t always have to be murder and betrayal.

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

And they never used to be...

I remember, before Eastenders, there was Emmerdale Farm, Brookie and Corrie - mildly humorous, slow moving entertainment - then, over a period of time, murders, train crashes, plane crashes, people being buried under patios...

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

The older Emmerdale Farm episodes going back to the late 70's and 80's were more my type of episodes before they started to introduce more dramatic storylines and also shortened the soaps name as well to Emmerdale and then from there its became too far fetched for my liking.

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

Problem with showing early Eastenders episides is people might realise how good that show used to be and quite how much it has declined.

The name shortening conincided with viewers diminishing attention spans I'm affraid, they might havr switched over if the title was to long :spin:

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

Mollie Sugden ruled the roost then down on the farm. Ena Sharples still ruled in the Rovers Return.

Those were the days!

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

Exactly and who can forget such characters as Hilda and Stan Ogden , Betty Turpin , Seth Armstrong and Amos Brearley.:)

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

They were great characters, I whish they bring those type of Characters back, there too much violence at the moment .

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

The trouble is the programme makers believe that violent storylines and other far fetched storylines bring in more TV viewers Ken.

Re: The Soaps During Lockdown
 

That to soo very true