Characters
The link between Soap characters and storylines is pivotal to the success of the genre. Ultimately the characters serve two main purposes; they are a vehicle for the plot, and figures for the audience to relate to.
Characters are often introduced to a Soap with built-in story lines, such as serious illnesses or a secret in their past. This provides interest from the outset, however, writers must be careful not to link a character too closely to one particular narrative, otherwise they will outlive their usefulness once the story line has been resolved and become boring. Also, many Soaps tend to base their characters on basic stereotypes which can support different sorts of story line. For example ‘the loveable rogue’, ‘the tart with a heart’ and ‘the gossip’ can support stories with a comic element, whereas ‘the gangster’ and ‘the bully’ can contribute towards more dramatic story lines.
Most other television genres have central characters that provide the focus of the action, but Soaps have large casts which the action moves between. This helps to keep the storylines interesting over a long period of time and by focusing on just a few characters in each episode, the audience has time to get to know them and to become emotionally involved in their stories.
Soap characters often reflect the concerns of their target audience; for example, when Soaps began on 1930s radio they were aimed at American women who were at home while their husbands were at work.
As a result, most of the drama revolved around female characters, who lead lives that listeners could relate and aspire to. Similarly, Hollyoaks is a modern Soap aimed at a young audience, and so the characters tend to be young and attractive, with concerns reflecting those of its viewers, such as university life, exam pressure, sex, jealousy and drug use.
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