Soap Opera History

A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic television or radio drama series that deals with the daily events of the same group of characters. In a soap opera the narrative is open, meaning that it is continuous and allows for the characters to move about and new characters can be introduced to make it realistic.

The term 'soap opera' was used in the 1930s by the American press to describe melodramatic radio serials, which were usually sponsored by soap manufacturers.  

In the UK, soap operas originally began on the radio, with the BBC, involving the longest running soap opera being The Archers since 1951. However, daytime soap operas on television were non-existent until the 1970s, in which shows such as General Hospital, The Young Doctors, Neighbours and Home and Away.

In 1985, EastEnders debuted with the first episode attracting over 17 million viewers. The Christmas Day 1986 episode attracted 30.15 million viewers, often attributed as the highest rated television program for the 1980s.

The most popular soap operas in the UK are Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Doctors, as well as the Australian produced Neighbours and Home and Away.

Common generic conventions for soap operas include camera shots such as mid shots, tracks and pans. Sound often includes non-diegetic theme tunes but diegetic sound such as every day items (televisions, radio, music etc.) and dialogue between characters. In most soap operas focus on characters are teenagers or older, looking at daily events and relationships between them and other characters in their lives.

References used alongside own information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_opera
http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=soapopera