Bristish Soap Awards 2010

[DRW50]

Eastenders over the past few years has cast more conventionally attractive actors (or tried to, anyway, on the male side) and a lot of the stories seem to be attempts at aping primetime soaps of yore, with Clare, then Suzy, then Janine, as campy bitch figures, for instance. Who Killed Archie and the setup of the suspects was also very primetime. So is the way Treadwell Collins was so gaga over people like Roxy/Sean. Or Tanya burying Max alive. Or the Lucas serial killer stuff. I think they get less notice for this more because they're not very good at it -- that isn't what Eastenders should be about. Eastenders at its best is what you mention, working class, East End, grit, tough stories no one else wants to tackle.

Aaron's story would be eligible, in the early stages late last year where he tried to kiss Adam, I'm not sure if they'd pick that though. I don't keep up with the Doctors. The last big story I heard about was some hostage crisis at a school a few months ago.

[BadBoy93]

can i just say that you are very right. During Santer`s reign EE was trying to convert away from British Soap Opera and tried to be more Dynasty & Dallas. It doesn`t work in my eyes. Dominic Treadwell Collins has said in soooooo many interviews that he is a fan of Dynasty and he is trying to make EE sort of like it and it is annoying.

However EE does deserve the awards because it has been the best soap this year. Emmerdale should also get awards too as Gavin Blyth has turned the show around.

Corrie maybe some

Hollyoaks - 0

Doctors - 1 or 2 no one pays attention to it anyway.

[DRW50]

This stuff with Glenda/Danny is also kind of a cheap version of a glitzier drama. It's obvious they're supposed to be camp and we're supposed to be shocked at their actions but it just seems flat. The thing is that when Eastenders wasn't even really trying for camp, like with Sharon, or earlier, with Den and Angie, that was the truly larger than life stuff which bore a resemblance to classic primetime soaps. I can't remember who it was but on the EE "duff duff" special, some woman said she loved watching Sharon's "Dallas-style" cliffhanger reactions, and it was so true.

I have seen the Doctors a few times but never really get into it, as I already watch several other British soaps. They do a lot of one-off stories, right, with only a few which continue?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I've heard Doctors has been really strong last year and this year so far.

I should start watching, it's got to be better than that hot mess Hollyoaks.

Sadly, because it airs in the daytime, Doctors never gets any attention it deserves.

[Sylph]

Doctors? Really?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

The show has gotten a lot of critical acclaim and has tried some envelope-pushing stories before its counterparts that air later in the day.

[Sylph]

That show has been considered utter mud for years, I'm really surprised.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

There seems to have been a recent renaissance in the form of tighter and more consistent storytelling. Viewing figures are also up, I believe, good for daytime programming on the BBC.

[DaytimeFan]

Having lived Across the Pond for 8 months now I can tell you that their soaps aredifferent than what's shown in the States.

EastEnders is the grittiest of them, at least from my view. It's not what I'd call a happy show...the East End of London isn't particularly happy and I think the show does a good job reflecting that. I'm not saying the show is a Depression Fest...but it's not a show like an American soap where you just know that everything is going to turn out OK. EastEnders is tougher and the stories it tells are not always guaranteed a happy ending.

Coronation Street is about a city in the North of England. What a lot of people (I was one of them!) aren't aware of is that there is a HUGE cultural and political divide between the North of England the South. As such, Coronation Street reflects a lower middle class/working class tough Northern existence. It's a bit more upbeat in tone than EastEnders, but again it's gritty in a way and a happy ending isn't guaranteed either.

Emmerdale is different. I had actually got caught up in a bit a few years ago when Patsy Kensit joined the cast and she went to war with ex-Emmerdale star Linda Thorson, both of whom played members of the King family. Emmerdale is a rural show...but it is a bit glamorous. In that way, it's closer to an American soap than the others. I find Emmerdale is also more like an American soap in that it's a bit brasher and a bit more over the top. It's a show that's always had a really solid bitch/diva character, so it's a bit more Dynasty than the others.

Doctors is more in the vein of what Port Charles should have aimed to be, a medical soap opera, like a cross between ER and Y&R. It's a daytime show, unlike the rest which air in the early evening. Since it's medically driven, the storylines tend to be a touch more dramatic since medicine can be just that...it's a solid show, I can see why it gets acclaim. Interestingly, it's been on since 2000 and every year the show's ratings go up.

Hollyoaks is the teen soap opera and it's proud to be. It is kind of a groundbreaking show, at least that's how I think it would be perceived to be in the USA, it had a front burner gay love story that was immensly popular featuring two characters: John Paul and Craig, the receptionist at my workplace raves about it. It's what a teen soap SHOULD be, it's very well done, though it has the stigma of being the teen soap.

If I can sum up British soaps in a word it's this: tragic. There is so much tragedy in these shows because they strive to show what life really is and oftentimes, life can be very sad. In this way, the writing is superior to that of the American soap...but it is also harder to watch. An American soap allows for escapism, a British soap is a hard dose of reality.

It's worth noting that when I've shown people clips of DAYS the reaction is very positive. I showed a clip of Kate and Stefano, right after they got married and everyone said the two actors were fabulous, the sets were beautiful and the writing seemed really romantic. So as much as we lament the state of our soaps, there is a place for them. After all, Sunset Beach was a bigger hit in Britain than it ever was in the USA!

In sum, I'm going to compare each soap to a British actress that could appear on the show and wouldn't be out of place.

Eastenders: Helen Mirren.

Coronation Street: Joanna Lumley (she actually was in it, in the 1970s).

Emmerdale: Joan Collins.

Doctors: Alex Kingston.

Hollyoaks: Emma Watson.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Joan would be great on Emmerdale, and I think she would do it if she were offered, even if it's a short 6 month stint.

Let's start the petition to get Joan cast as Natasha Wylde's (played by Amanda Donohoe) bitchtastic mother!

BTW, great assessment, DaytimeFan!

[DaytimeFan]

First of all, thanks for the props on my breakdown of the shows, I've had some time to think about it!

Joan would be great on Emmerdale. Amanda Donohoe could pass for her daughter, I could actually see that working. And yes, I do think Joan would do it, where to start with such a petition?

[DRW50]

There are rumors that Jean Marsh will be on Emmerdale. I don't really buy it though.

[anita30]

Best Comedy Performance (Last year's winner was Nina Wadia, EastEnders)

Coronation Street: Craig Gazey (Graeme Proctor)

EastEnders: Nina Wadia (Zainab Masood)

Emmerdale: Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk)

Hollyoaks: Bronagh Waugh (Cheryl Brady)

Best Dramatic Performance (Last year's winner was Anita Carey, Doctors)

Coronation Street: Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow)

EastEnders: Lacey Turner (Stacey Branning)

Emmerdale: Danny Miller (Aaron Livesy)

Hollyoaks: Glen Wallace (Malachy Fisher)

Best Dramatic Performance for a Young Actor or Actress (Last year's winner was Maisie Smith, EastEnders)

Coronation Street: Alexander Bain (Simon Barlow)

Doctors: Ami Metcalf (Sapphire Cox)

EastEnders: Maisie Smith (Tiffany Butcher)

Emmerdale: Oscar Lloyd (Will Wylde)

Best Exit (Last year's winner was Rob James Collier, Coronation Street)

Coronation Street: Reece Dinsdale (Joe McIntyre)

EastEnders: Charlie Clements (Bradley Branning)

Emmerdale: Maxwell Caulfield (Mark Wylde)

Hollyoaks: Jamie Lomas (Warren Fox)

Best Newcomer (Last year's winner was Craig Gazey, Coronation Street)

Doctors: Sophie Abelson (Cherry Malone)

EastEnders: Marc Elliott (Syed Masood)

Emmerdale: Lyndon Ogbourne (Nathan Wylde)

Hollyoaks: Bronagh Waugh (Cheryl Brady)

Best On-Screen Partnership (Last year's winner was Nitin Ganatra and Nina Wadia, EastEnders)

Coronation Street: Katherine Kelly and Simon Gregson (Becky and Steve McDonald)

Doctors: Jan Pearson and Chris Walker (Karen and Rob Hollins)

EastEnders: Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer (Ricky and Bianca Butcher)

Emmerdale: Nick Miles and Nicola Wheeler (Jimmy King and Nicola De Souza)

Best Storyline (Last year's winner was Vivien's Rape, Doctors)

Coronation Street: Peter's Alcoholism

Doctors: Zara's Revenge

EastEnders: Who Killed Archie?

Emmerdale: Aaron's Gay Self-Loathing

Spectacular Scene (Last year's winner was Victoria Falls Through The Ice, Emmerdale)

Coronation Street: Joe Drowns

Doctors: Master of the Universe - Siege

Emmerdale: Home Farm Shop Crash

Hollyoaks: The Parachute Jump

Best Single Episode (Last year's winner was 'A kind of Hush', Doctors)

Coronation Street: Peter Falls Off The Wagon

Doctors: 'Master of the Universe'

EastEnders: EastEnders Live

Emmerdale: Aaron Confesses His Sexuality

To be announced on the night:

Lifetime Achievement Award

Special Achievement Award

Best Soap

[DRW50]

This is panel, right? Since Lacey is obviously going to win the Favorite Actress, I hope they might let Danny Miller have this, he has been unbelievable over the past six months, he was good to start with but has just gotten better and better.

I like everyone in this category though.

I think Craig Gazey will win this. Zainab has had less and less comedy over the past year. I'd like to see Dom Brunt win.

The live episode was not that great -- Ronnie's rape reveal came out of nowhere and quickly went back there, and some of the acting was a bit off. I hope they give this to Aaron's anguished coming out episode.

I think it should win Best Story too, but I'd settle for just one award for this story. Just one.

A lot of people seem tired of Becky and Steve, but then, I haven't seen a lot of mention of Ricky or Bianca either. Even when they got married, the show rarely bothered to actually have them in scenes together beyond I NEED MONEY RICKAAAY!!!

Bradley will win that one.

Marc Elliott can't act, Cheryl is annoying. The Doctors probably won't win. I guess Emmerdale probably won't win either but I hope Lyndon wins, he is a very good actor playing a very difficult role.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Nina should win again, or Gazey.

Probably going to Lacey Turner for the bipolar story...

Don't really care...

Probably going to Charlie Clements...

This category sucks, but I guess all the rabid Chyred fans will be voting for Marc Elliott, so he'll probably win.

Don't really care about these nominees, but going with Owen and Palmer or Kelly and Gregson...

Probably going to Who Killed Archie, unless Peter's Alcoholism or Aaron's Gay self-loathing sneaks in.

This HAS to to go to Sarah's Parachute Jump from Hollyoaks.

This is going to EastEnders Live Episode...

Usually the best awards of the night