BBC plans to set new soap North of England

[Forever8]

BBC plans to create a new Northern soap to rival Emmerdale and Coronation Street. 

 

BBC to Launch New Soap Opera to Rival 'Coronation Street' | Michael Fairman TV

 

BBC to Launch New Soap Opera Set in North of England - Daytime Confidential

Edited March 18, 2021 by Forever8

[I Am A Swede]

Maybe they should focus more on improving EastEnders instead....

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[KMan101]

 

lol thank you! THIS.

 

However it's so bizarre to hear of a new soap in development. Yes, it's the UK of course, but still. Sigh. How nice.

Edited March 18, 2021 by KMan101

[YRBB]

Never did I think a new soap would be created. Chances are it won't be great but exciting nonetheless. 

[DRW50]

 

I don't think this is going to be a soap either. It reads like vague buzzwords but not an actual soap - probably more of a Holby City type show.

[NothinButAttitude]

Kudos to the BBC (and British TV in general) for seeing that soaps can still be profitable. 

 

However, I agree with everyone that they need to get EastEnders in check first. 

 

I just hope this soap doesn't flop like Eldorado did...

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Speaking of Eldorado, why didn't BBC just revive it? I mean the set is still apparently there and is a paintball park now. I think it would be nothing for them to purchase it back, right?

[Forever8]

It's a paintball park now? Wow!!! 

[wingwalker]

 

I was just going to say the same thing. They need to fix the mess that's EastEnders first. 

[LondonScribe]

I was surprised by this as I genuinely thought the TV networks were done with new soaps.

 

The BBC has Eastenders, Doctors and 2 continuing medical dramas, Casualty and Holby City. As well as River City in Scotland. 
 

ITV with Coronation Street and Emmerdale, having stripped back on their output over the last 20 years, ditching Crossroads, Heartbeat, The Royal, The Royal Today, Night And Day and The Bill.

 

Channel 4 only has Hollyoaks, after cancelling Brookside.

 

Channel 5 with no homegrown soap, instead showing the 2 main Australian soaps, Home And Away and Neighbours. 
 

If this new project is as it seems, it’s success will depend on who is chosen to develop it and produce it. Like America, I don’t have a huge amount of confidence in the current crop of producers and showrunners. 
 

Diederick Santer (Eastenders), early Kate Oates (Emmerdale) galvanising after Stuart Blackburn decimated that show, Bryan Kirkwood in Hollyoaks the 1st time round, and Myar Craig-Brown (Holby City) being the last ‘emerging’ producers of any consequence in the last 15 years. 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Yeah. Someone posted a video of the set on Youtube about a year or 2 ago. Him and his friend snuck in under the pretense that they were paintballers, but they were really there to record how the set looks. It is still VERY much intact and looking good. It always boggled my mind why BBC didn't keep that set and rent it out for other possible shows and location shoots. Especially, when they love to send soap characters to Ibiza or somewhere else in Spain. Here's the video below:

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Honestly, I feel like the general gist of what Tony Smith wanted Eldorado to be, a village of Brits expats living abroad, could be something interesting in this world climate. Especially, with them leaving the EU and everything else going on in the world. 

[Forever8]

Thanks!!! That Eldorado documentary is fascinating to me. I watch it once a year. I think if the TPTB didn't heavily interfere with what Tony Holland initially wanted. I think it could've been an interesting premise for a soap. And when they were talking about the ideas for shows; it made me want to know what the others were about?

 

I think the new soap(s) might fall in the line of Casualty, Holby City, and perhaps Red Rock; more than a daily series i.e. Corrie, Emmerdale, EastEnders. 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Forever8

[NothinButAttitude]

 

I watch the Eldorado documentary about once a year too. I do think BBC might've been premature in cancelling the show as people who I've talked to (on forums) that watched the show said the ratings were starting to swing crawl back up. The show was apparently regaining its footing. 

 

I am assuming that the other soaps being pitched at that time might've been along the lines EE, Corrie, or ED hence why Eldorado probably got picked over the rest due to the locale and original idea Tony Holland had suggested. 

 

I think the best thing for the new soap would be to start it off 2-3 nights a week over a LONG time before even imagining doing it 4-5 days a week. Personally, I feel like soaps worldwide need to trim their schedules to 2-3 days a week along with a hiatus around Xmas like Aussie soaps. I think this would prevent shows from burning out quickly, the budget not being so bloated, and stories being tighter. 

[All My Shadows]

That's what I'm thinking, too. It's just really too hard to believe that either America or the UK would debut any new soaps that fall in line with either country's traditional soaps. For better or for worse, the days of new multi-episode/week soaps are far behind us.

[Forever8]

It seemed Corinne Hollingworth was the right person to turn Eldorado around. Though they didn't give her much time correct all of the problems but did overall a herculean effort to make the ratings rise. She was one of my favorite talking-heads in the documentary instantly taking notice of what was wrong with the show. 

 

I think soaps in the states going on break would help creatively as well as financially too. Maybe the Christmas/NYE episodes could end on a cliffhanger and it'll be resolved when it came back in a few weeks. 

Edited March 20, 2021 by Forever8

[Skylover]

 

Neighbours is an all-year round soap now.