Soap operas

BBC Learning English
News about Britain
January 2009
Soap operas


News about Britain © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009
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Watching TV is a very popular pastime in the UK. But what kind of programmes do British people
like to watch? Well, the most-watched TV programmes every week are very popular dramas that are
usually on at least four times every week. They are dramas based in one neighbourhood that try to
depict ordinary life in the UK - we call these dramas ‘soap operas’ or ‘soaps’.

In the early days of TV, there were often dramas on during the day. Back in those days, it was
traditional for the husband to go out to work and for the wife to stay at home and look after the house
and the children. Most of these daytime dramas were aimed at entertaining the housewives who would
traditionally be at home, probably doing the washing. Companies selling washing powder would
advertise their products at times when these dramas were on, and sometimes those companies would
even sponsor the drama. Hence the word ‘soap’.

So what about the word opera? Well, that’s because these dramas are often an exaggeration of real
life. They are supposed to represent ordinary lives but, to make them entertaining, lots of dramatic
events, like murders, divorces, affairs etc., all happen probably much more regularly than they would
in a normal neighbourhood.

Most soap operas these days are shown in the evening. Each show will have several different
storylines happening at once that continue over several shows. The same cast members will appear in
every show, too.

There are lots of different soaps on in the UK on different channels but there are three main popular
ones. ‘Coronation Street’ has been on since 1960. It is set in a suburb of Manchester and it’s
supposed to represent working class life in the north of England. Then there’s ‘Eastenders’ which
started in 1985, set in the East End of London, and ‘Emmerdale’, which is set on a farm in Yorkshire,
in the north of England. The BBC even has a soap opera to help you learn English - so if you want to
experience one of these dramas in English, ‘The Flatmates’ would be a good place to start - go to
www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/flatmates.


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Glossary

pastime – what you do outside work for
enjoyment, e.g. a hobby
neighbourhood – an area where people live
rather than work or do shopping
to depict – to describe, to show, to represent housewives – women who work at home,
doing the cleaning, cooking, etc., and who
usually have no other job
washing powder – laundry detergent; a
cleaning substance in powder form used for
washing clothes
advertise – show short television
commercials to promote
sponsor – here, pay for filming hence the word ‘soap’ – this is how the word
'soap' became part of the expression
an exaggeration – showing or representing
something in a more dramatic, serious or
shocking way than it really is
affairs – here, intimate relations outside
marriage
at once – here, simultaneously, at the same
time
cast members – actors in a particular film or
TV series
it is set in a suburb of Manchester – the action
takes place in an area near Manchester
(people from suburbs usually work in the city
which they are close to, however there are
usually very few or no businesses within a
suburb itself)
it’s supposed to represent – the intention is to
show; it's meant to show

Read and listen to the story online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/090127_soaps.shtml




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1. Reading Quiz


Are these sentences true or false? Or is the answer not given in the text? Circle the correct
answer.


1. People don’t like to watch TV in the UK.
True / False / Not given

2. The word ‘soap’ in ‘soap opera’ refers to washing powder used by housewives to do the
washing.
True / False / Not given

3. The word ‘opera’ in ‘soap opera’ refers to the classical singing you hear in the dramas.
True / False / Not given

4. Soap operas have lots of continuing storylines happening over a few shows.
True / False / Not given

5. Coronation Street has been on British TV since 1985.
True / False / Not given






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2. TV expressions: guess their meanings!


See if you can match these commonly used TV related expressions with the correct
definition:

1. a couch potato a. someone who is always watching the TV (the telly) and
can’t live without it

2. reality TV b. another word for television

3. channel hopping c. someone who sits on the sofa all day eating and
watching TV

4. a telly addict d. TV programmes following real people in real life
situations

5. the box e. going from channel to channel with the remote control
(the remote) and being unable to decide what to watch




Now try and complete the following sentences with one of the above TV expressions:

1. “__________ is boring. I can see people in real life situations every day
– I would much rather watch a drama.”

2. “What’s on __________ tonight?”

3. My brother is such __________. All he does is sit at home and watch
TV.

4. The problem with TV these days is that there are too many channels to
choose from. I’m always __________ and I can never decide what to
watch.

5. I love watching TV – I watch it all the time. I don’t think I could live
without it – I need to watch it for at least three hours every night. I’m
such __________.


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3. Wordsearch

Try to find the words associated with television in the puzzle below.

There are ten words to find. Words can be written horizontally (g), vertically (i) or
diagonally (m)



p r o g r a m m e f z t
a g h t e l j d w e o e
o d u s m b a e c i m l
c a s s o a p p h e u l
d e p i t e d r a m a y
e i u c e o q l n t a a
p r o g s z r e n i o u
i g i a n w p y e a s d
c a s t d f k v l s r r
t s a d f p v e o i a h
e e n w x t r t s a n e
t o o a d v e r t i s e


remote cast channel telly depict drama
programme storyline advertise soap



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Answers

1. Reading Quiz

1. People don’t like to watch TV in the UK.
False

2. The word ‘soap’ in ‘soap opera’ refers to washing
powder used by housewives to do the washing.
True

3. The word ‘opera’ in ‘soap opera’ refers to the
classical singing you hear in the dramas.
False

4. Soap operas have lots of continuing storylines
happening over a few shows.
True

5. Coronation Street has been on British TV since
1985.
False

2. TV Expressions: guess their meanings!

Match the TV related expressions with the correct definition.
1. c
2. d
3. e
4. a
5. b

Now complete the following sentences with one of the above TV
expressions.

1. “Reality TV is boring. I can see people in real life
situations every day – I would much rather watch a
drama.”

2. “What’s on the box tonight?”

3. My brother is such a couch potato. All he does is sit
at home and watch TV.

4. The problem with TV these days is that there are too
many channels to choose from. I’m always channel
hopping and I can never decide what to watch.

5. I love watching TV – I watch it all the time. I don’t
think I could live without it – I need to watch it for at
least three hours every night. I’m such a telly addict.




3. Wordsearch

p r o g r a m m e t
e e
m c l
s o a p h l
d t d r a m a y
e e o n
p r n
i y e
c a s t l
t i
n
a d v e r t i s e