Soap operas have covered controversial topics over the decades that have received complaints from viewers. Storylines involving child death, rape, incest, and violence relating to real events have provoked strong reactions. While violence is now more acceptable on TV, topics directly relating to tragic real incidents or certain crimes are generally seen as too sensitive for soap operas' light entertainment format. The level of controversy from storylines seems to depend on how closely they mirror situations people can directly relate to from real life.

1. ARE THERE SOME STORIES THAT
ARE JUST TO SENSITIVE FOR SOAP
OPERAS TO COVER?

2. POPULARITY OF SOAP OPERAS
• EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks - Soap operas show
up on our TVs every day. These types of shows still seem to be popular
after running for decades .
• Coronation Street aired its first episode in 1960, and is now the world’s
longest running TV soap opera in production.
• These shows attract the audience with promises of easy viewing spiced
with some juicy drama. But are there stories that are too sensitive for
soap operas to cover?

3. SHOCKING STORY LINES
• In 2011, EastEnders presented a storyline were the
character Ronnie Branning's son died of cot death, and
she decided to swap it with Alfie and Kat Moon’s baby.
•
The writers chose to end it much sooner than
planned.
• Many expressed their complaints to the BBC and on
the internet.
• This is not the first time EastEnders has received
criticism. In 2009, the character Tony King went to
prison for abusing his step-daughter.
• It gave the show twice as many complaints than all
other BBC shows together that year.

4. SHOCKING STORY LINES
• In 2009, Hollyoaks had planned a plotline about
two characters who had killed a child when they
were young.
• The show ended up pulling the episode few days
before it was supposed to air.
• This storyline had strong similarities to the
killing of two-year-old Jamie Bulger in 1993, and
his mother expressed her anger in public.
• Coronation Street also had to stop an episode
about a shotgun siege, as a gunman had shot 12
people in Cumbria.

5. SHOCKING STORY LINES
• Brookside had incest.
• Emmerdale had a badly timed plane crash.
• Hollyoaks had a male rape storyline that provoked
strong reactions from viewers.
• These are some of the recent controversial soap
stories that have been shown – or not shown – on TV,
but let’s have a look at some older ones:

6. LOOKING BACK...
• The first soap opera to create controversy was
Coronation Street in 1978.
• Character Ernest Bishop was accidentally shot by
two robbers.
• This was the first time violence of this kind had
been shown on Coronation Street.
• In 1987, EastEnders showed two men kissing.
• For the first time, a soap opera had a gay couple.
• The Sun editorial called the show “EastBenders”.

7. 70’s and 80’s
• In the 70’s and 80’s, guns and gay love on TV
seemed to be more than the soap watchers
could handle.
• EastEnders tried to provoke their audience by
introducing a relationship between a Christian
man and a Muslim man.
• According to a BBC insider gave them “fewer
complaints than when showing a Muslim
eating during Ramadan.”

8. GUNS AND SOAP OPERAS
• Guns in soaps are no longer a big issue either.
• In 2010, when the character Archie Mitchell was
shot EastEnders invited their audience to guess
who the killer was and vote for and bet on their
prime suspect.
• The answer was revealed in a live broadcast,
celebrating their 25th anniversary, and not even
the actors knew how it ended until a few
minutes before the live show aired. The entire
audience was excited to find out who the killer
was.

9. VIOLENCE IN SOAPS
• Violence in TV and films is commonly
used now, and pulling a gun at
someone is not going create much
controversy.
• Over time, people have gotten used to
seeing violence and other dramatic
stunts on the screens, leaving the
audiences desensitised.
• Soap writers now have to go to new
lengths to shock their audience.
• But how far is too far?

10. HOW FAR IS TO FAR?
• It seems like horrible situations that people can
relate to are not well received by viewers .
• Taking someone’s child, youth killings, rape,
paedophilia and incest are not seen as acceptable
stories to be covered by soap operas.
• Issues that can be related to real incidents, like a
plane crash or shotgun sieges – especially if they are
badly timed – will leave the audience angry.
• Soaps are supposed to be light entertainment.
• May not be suitable for dealing with such serious
issues.

11. BIBLIOGRAPHY
• http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/10-controversial-soap-storylines.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_Street
• http://mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/190114187-mms-top-fivecoronation-street’s-most-shocking-and-controversial-deaths
• http://www.betting-directory.com/specials/19022010/who-killed-archiemitchell-odds-tonight-8pm-bbc1.php
• http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/08/shocked-hollyoaks-fans-express-disbeliefat-controversial-male-rape-episode-4255343/
• http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6500/Desensitization-andMedia-Effects.html
• http://metro.co.uk/2011/06/09/controversial-soap-storylines-top-1039456/
• http://metro.co.uk/2011/06/09/controversial-soap-storylines-top-1039456/
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1344532/SamanthaWomack-quits-EastEnders-controversial-cot-death-storyline.html