International Soaps Page
So Fran comes back from London with the "Soapwatch" page from the Mail on Sunday. A real eye-opener.
In addition to the commentary and the summaries, this feature, by Jaci Stephen, has a "Soap Oscars" sidebar, color photos and a "Soap Quiz" (sample question: In Crossroads, who was buried at the building site?).
With lots of column inches to fill, Jaci doesn't have to condense, and as a result the sentences are not just packed with proper names: But pardon me for being pedantic: didn't Billy used to beat people up, as did Little Mo's ex, Trevor? pretty well tops the list.
What Jaci brings to the stories is not high scores but perspective: Why did Richard go to the corner shop and come back with a carton of long-life milk rather than fresh? Sorry, but these things bother me. And 'Fingers crossed, eh?' said Rocky, about Nicola being in a coma. Mine weren't.
The Brits only have like two channels of television, so the number of series is limited; Jaci covers EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Crossroads and Brookside. And Crossroads goes on hiatus till the end of the year. I'd suggest perhaps there are regional soaps filling more broadcast hours, but the titles of these suggest they already have regional identities.
Some reassuring details: The life-support electronics in comatose Brit patients' rooms look just the same as in American ones. A finger in the eye for those who criticise socialized medicine. The Coronation Street summary includes the word "orthodontics," indicating that the locals have finally addressed the renowned English malocclusion (Jaci, by the way, has a topping set of choppers). The Brits still use words like "rogue" and "whingeing" and "lovely." As you might expect from the folks who brought you Fawlty Towers, people in UK soaps go to Cyprus on their holidays, or maybe Sam is there following up black market leads (he has a vanload of Polish vodka priced to move).
Oh, right, who was buried at that building site? Jaci's answer: Not anywhere near enough of them.
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International soaps