Eastenders
Around the time of the child abuse storyline between Tony and Whitney theres was a lot about the failiure of the child protection agencies. Many children were found to have been abused by parents or other adults. The story really shows how Eastenders tries hard to portray stories that would have been in the publics focus at the time of airing. The story may well have been used to help show to society what some people are like and how child abuse can happen even without the noticing of another parent in the household and how easily it can occur. It also showed how the child may not even know that they are being abused by the adult and that they need protection from the NSPCC and such authorities.
However, the story about Chelsea's cocaine addiction is quite clearly not taken from the news headlines. There were no big stories about drug addiction in the press in the months prior to the storyline and nor were there any whilst the story was happening. This sort of story does show the troubles that occur in real life but did not have the link to showing stories that were in the public eye.
Thursday, 2 July 2009
Thursday, 25 June 2009
In the past year there have been so many different story lines in Eastenders, each of which represent real life. One of the story lines over the last year was Chelsea's problems with cocaine. She became addicted when she felt rejected by everybody. Once she had started taking the drugs though she could not stop and eventually began to rely on the cocaine. She could not afford the repayments to the dealer and could not get unhooked from the drugs. This really represents real life as there are so many people that have problems with drugs and once they have started cannot get out the problems the drugs create without coming clean. Chelsea eventually comes clean when she seeks the support of her family and this shows to the audience how the problems of drugs can be stopped.
At the time when Eastenders released the story about Whitney and Tony's relationship there was a lot about how bad child protection was at the time. The media were scrutinizing how many children were being abused by parents or other guardians without the noticing of the child authorities. The story in Eastenders showed a 15 year old girl who had been sexually abused since she was 12 by the man whom everyone believed to be her father. He manipulated her every move and made her think that he loved her. There are many similar cases in the UK and Eastenders really managed to represent real life problems of many people who are abused without the noticing of anyone, even those in their own homes.
At the time when Eastenders released the story about Whitney and Tony's relationship there was a lot about how bad child protection was at the time. The media were scrutinizing how many children were being abused by parents or other guardians without the noticing of the child authorities. The story in Eastenders showed a 15 year old girl who had been sexually abused since she was 12 by the man whom everyone believed to be her father. He manipulated her every move and made her think that he loved her. There are many similar cases in the UK and Eastenders really managed to represent real life problems of many people who are abused without the noticing of anyone, even those in their own homes.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Coranation Street.
The programme is perhaps best known for its realistic depiction of everyday working-class life in a Northern community. Set in a fictional area of Weatherfield in a working class region of north-west England, it grew out of the so-called "kitchen sink" drama style popularized in the late 1950s. The series, originally called Florizel Street by its creator Tony Warren, began as a limited thirteen episodes, but its cast of strong characters, its northern roots and sense of community immediately created a loyal following. These factors combined with skillfully written and often amusing scripts have ensured its continued success.
From its opening titles with scenes of terraced houses there is a strong sense of regional and local identity which is echoed in the language of its characters. Set in a domestic existence of various homes, the pubs, the shops which are all set out to be part of everyday life, Coronation Street is imbued with a definite feeling of community. Through its account of supposedly everyday life, the programme shows a high degree of social realism. A close parallel is made between the fictional world of Weatherfield and the everyday world inhabited by its audience, whose loyalty is encouraged by the sense of close community, the predictability of plot and the regular transmission times.
The storylines of Coronation Street tend to concentrate on relationships within and between families rather than on topical or social issues as is the case with the newer soaps such as Brookside and EastEnders. Critics might argue that the celebration of a mutually supportive community has more than a touch of nostalgia whilst its fans would argue that the programme reflects shifts in social attitudes in Britain.
The Street, in common with other soaps, has always been noted for its independent and assertive women characters such as Ena Sharples, Elsie Tanner, Annie Walker and more recently Bet Lynch and Rita Fairclough. Even a more downtrodden character such as Hilda Ogden produced a huge amount of affection from the programme's audience. In contrast the men often seem weak by comparison. The viewer of Coronation Street is often encouraged to make a moral judgement on the behaviour of a particular character and it is generally the stronger women characters who set the tone.
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/coronationst/coronationst.htm
The programme is perhaps best known for its realistic depiction of everyday working-class life in a Northern community. Set in a fictional area of Weatherfield in a working class region of north-west England, it grew out of the so-called "kitchen sink" drama style popularized in the late 1950s. The series, originally called Florizel Street by its creator Tony Warren, began as a limited thirteen episodes, but its cast of strong characters, its northern roots and sense of community immediately created a loyal following. These factors combined with skillfully written and often amusing scripts have ensured its continued success.
From its opening titles with scenes of terraced houses there is a strong sense of regional and local identity which is echoed in the language of its characters. Set in a domestic existence of various homes, the pubs, the shops which are all set out to be part of everyday life, Coronation Street is imbued with a definite feeling of community. Through its account of supposedly everyday life, the programme shows a high degree of social realism. A close parallel is made between the fictional world of Weatherfield and the everyday world inhabited by its audience, whose loyalty is encouraged by the sense of close community, the predictability of plot and the regular transmission times.
The storylines of Coronation Street tend to concentrate on relationships within and between families rather than on topical or social issues as is the case with the newer soaps such as Brookside and EastEnders. Critics might argue that the celebration of a mutually supportive community has more than a touch of nostalgia whilst its fans would argue that the programme reflects shifts in social attitudes in Britain.
The Street, in common with other soaps, has always been noted for its independent and assertive women characters such as Ena Sharples, Elsie Tanner, Annie Walker and more recently Bet Lynch and Rita Fairclough. Even a more downtrodden character such as Hilda Ogden produced a huge amount of affection from the programme's audience. In contrast the men often seem weak by comparison. The viewer of Coronation Street is often encouraged to make a moral judgement on the behaviour of a particular character and it is generally the stronger women characters who set the tone.
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/coronationst/coronationst.htm
Coronation Street (colloquially known as Corrie or The Street) is an award-winning soap opera created by Tony Warren, and is generally the most watched programme on British television.
It is the longest running television programme in the United Kingdom, first broadcast on 9 December 1960, made by Granada Television (ITV Studios) and broadcast in all regions of ITV almost throughout its existence.
The show was created by Tony Warren and is still produced by Granada Television, holder of the ITV franchise for the northwest of England, and was shown by most of the ITV stations then operating. It became fully networked on 6 March 1961, when ATV, the only remaining franchise then still not broadcasting the programme, began airing it. The working title of the show was Florizel Street, but a tea lady named Agnes remarked that "Florizel" sounded like a brand of disinfectant, so the name was changed. The choice of new name was between Jubilee Street and Coronation Street, with Granada executives Harry Latham, Harry Elton, and H. V. Kershaw deciding on the latter.
In the United Kingdom, as of January 2008, Coronation Street is broadcast at 19:30 and 20:30 on Mondays and Fridays, and at 19:30 Wednesdays on terrestrial / digital network ITV. There have been a few late night Coronation Street episodes starting at 10pm, because of the watershed. Repeat episodes and specials can be seen on ITV and ITV2, with an omnibus edition shown on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. ITV has offered this sort of catchup since the channel began broadcasting Coronation Street in December 1998. Since January 2008, the omnibus has moved back to the main ITV channel where it currently broadcasts every Sunday morning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_Street
It is the longest running television programme in the United Kingdom, first broadcast on 9 December 1960, made by Granada Television (ITV Studios) and broadcast in all regions of ITV almost throughout its existence.
The show was created by Tony Warren and is still produced by Granada Television, holder of the ITV franchise for the northwest of England, and was shown by most of the ITV stations then operating. It became fully networked on 6 March 1961, when ATV, the only remaining franchise then still not broadcasting the programme, began airing it. The working title of the show was Florizel Street, but a tea lady named Agnes remarked that "Florizel" sounded like a brand of disinfectant, so the name was changed. The choice of new name was between Jubilee Street and Coronation Street, with Granada executives Harry Latham, Harry Elton, and H. V. Kershaw deciding on the latter.
In the United Kingdom, as of January 2008, Coronation Street is broadcast at 19:30 and 20:30 on Mondays and Fridays, and at 19:30 Wednesdays on terrestrial / digital network ITV. There have been a few late night Coronation Street episodes starting at 10pm, because of the watershed. Repeat episodes and specials can be seen on ITV and ITV2, with an omnibus edition shown on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. ITV has offered this sort of catchup since the channel began broadcasting Coronation Street in December 1998. Since January 2008, the omnibus has moved back to the main ITV channel where it currently broadcasts every Sunday morning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_Street
Friday, 19 June 2009
EastEnders is a long-running, popular and award-winning television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985. It currently ranks as one of the most watched shows in the United Kingdom. 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 primarily centres around the residents of Albert Square, a Victorian square of terraced houses, and its neighbouring streets, namely Bridge Street, Turpin Road and George Street, and which encompasses a pub, street market, night club, community centre, cafe and various small businesses, in addition to a park and allotments.
It is one of the UK's highest-rated programmes, often appearing near or at the top of the week's BARB ratings. Within eight months of its launch, it reached the number one spot in the ratings, and has remained, almost consistently, among the top-rated TV programmes in Britain ever since.Created by producer Julia Smith and script editor Tony Holland, EastEnders has remained a significant programme in terms of the BBC's success and audience share, and also in the history of British television drama, tackling many controversial and taboo issues previously unseen on mainstream television in the UK.
EastEnders programme makers took the decision that the show was to be about "everyday life" in the inner city "today" and regarded it as a "slice of life". Creator/producer Julia Smith declared that "We don't make life, we reflect it". She also said, "We decided to go for a realistic, fairly outspoken type of drama which could encompass stories about homosexuality, rape, unemployment and racial prejudice etc., in a believable context. Above all, we wanted realism".
In the 1980s, EastEnders featured "gritty" storylines involving drugs and crime, representing the issues faced by working-class Britain.Storylines included the cot death of 14-month-old Hassan Osman, Nick Cotton's homophobia, racism and murder of Reg Cox, Arthur Fowler's unemployment reflecting the recession of the 1980s, the rape of Kathy Beale in 1988 by James Willmott-Brown and Michelle Fowlers's teenages pregnancy. The show also dealt with prostitution, mixed-race relationships, shoplifting, sexism, divorce, domestic violence and mugging. The stories have continued to be centred around therse sorts of themes right up to the present day, and the current story writers are still thinking of many new stories to portray real life to the audience.
The idea for a new soap opera on BBC1 was conceived in 1983, by BBC executives, principally David Reid, the then Head of Series & serials, who was keen for the BBC to produce a new evening soap opera. They gave the job of creating this new soap to script writer Tony Holland and producer Julia Smith, famous for their work together on Z Cars. They created twenty-four original characters for the show, based upon Holland's own family, and people they remembered from their own experiences in the East End.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EastEnders
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